What if you only had 10 minutes to write in a day?

Photo by MF

What if you only had 10 minutes to write in a day?  What would you write about? Who would you write about?  What would go through your mind as you scribble as fast as you can?  Well today I’m experimenting with this thought and I’m challenging my pen and me to a 10-minute write.

Here goes.  The timer is set for 10 minutes.  The hardest part is, what will I write about? Will it translate to something worth reading? Can a 10- minute write exercise be worthy of a short blog post?  I enjoy blogging however; I find that having to write on a weekly or regular basis is a real challenge.  I set off with good intentions i.e. to write regularly but after several blog posts I lose the momentum to continue writing every week.  Sometimes I’d get caught up in the minutia of life and living and totally forget about blogging.  Life can be very distracting at times and that’s not a bad thing in my opinion.  I enjoy life and what it has to offer, well most of the time anyway.

Six minutes in and I’m scribbling fast and furiously.  I do love the word ‘scribbling’ and often use it instead of ‘writing’.  When does scribbling become writing and when does writing become scribbling?  Emm, perhaps that’s a blog post for another day?  I particularly enjoy writing long hand and much prefer it to typing or should I say word-processing certainly in the initial stages of a piece of writing.  I wonder why that is.  For me, I like to see the old fashioned pen at work.  I’m a girl who enjoys writing letters and cards.

Brrrrrh … the timer goes off.  Wow, my 10 minutes is up already!  Where did that time go?  I’m surprised to see that despite a lack of clarity about what to write, I’ve done it!  I’ve written for 10 whole minutes without stopping.  I like this ‘write for 10 minutes’ exercise. I am going to add it to my writing routine. Like most new exercises, routines and habits I need to write more. I need to write often to strengthen that writing muscle.  Note to self – increase the 10-minute workouts and be more disciplined with my writing practice.   

I’m curious, what would you write about if you only had 10 minutes in a day to write? 

How do you re-ignite a blog?

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photo by MF

Today is the day I re-ignite my blog!  Is that a drum roll I hear in the background?  Perhaps not.  I have been really neglectful and not written anything for ages and I don’t mind admitting it that it’s tough trying to get back into the swing of things.  There was a time when I wrote something every week.  I belonged to an online bloggers’ group. I quite looked forward to the Sunday Picture prompt and the challenge it presented to the group. Every picture tells a story and I loved the pictures chosen for us to write about.  I particularly enjoyed the different takes on the same picture.  It was fascinating to see and read where creative minds flowed.  Sadly the writing group ceased … I guess everyone got busy with ‘stuff’.

A conversation with Sarah at GoldcrestPublications today got me thinking about blogging again. We both share a love of reading books, particularly the old fashioned kind of book where you can turn the pages, feel the quality of the paper, admire the cover and mark your stopping page with a elegant bookmark.  Good heavens, no, I never turn the corner of the page down - sacrilege!  I know there is a place for electronic devices and e-books but as an avid reader, well, for me, it’s just not the same. The Man loves his Kindle, however, I am happier to pack a couple of real books into my cabin baggage on holiday.  When I’ve read said book, I like to release it into the wild or exchange it for another as happened on our most recent holiday in Stockholm.  This particular transaction made two ladies very happy indeed.  I’m currently enjoying ‘Sushi for Beginners’ a novel by Irish writer Marian Keyes thanks to our lovely Airbnb host.

The Man and I enjoyed Stockholm this year for our summer vacation.  Exploring the city and surrounding areas was very agreeable and inspirational too. It was good to discover new places, take pictures, slow down, relax and read a good book too.  I’m wondering if perhaps one or two holiday pictures might make for a blog post in the future. Who knows what may unfold as my blog is re-ignited.