No Rules

I wrote this in March: http://robertf71.blogspot.com/2014/03/almost-there.html   “This is my shortest blog yet!  Get Started and Keep Going!”

It was meant as a joke, letting a friend know that I could write blogs quickly if I wanted to and that this blog counted towards my goal of 500.  I’ve since surpassed that goal as well as 550.  Why does that blog count?  It was only two sentences.  It counts for the following reasons:

1. There are no rules about how much (or how little) I write.  Granted, that wasn’t much writing, but it was writing nonetheless.  It was one more blog.  It was two more sentences closer to my goal.
2. There are no rules about my content.  I can write about humor, history, jobs, spirituality, motivation, politics, comic books or whatever else interests me.  Recently, I was reading a book of essays by Thomas Jefferson.  He wrote on a wide variety of subjects.  Why can’t I?  E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, does the same thing in his book, One Man’s Meat.  I think it’s good to shift gears occasionally.  This is why I need to read as well as write.  It broadens my own horizons.  What I’m looking for as a writer is to share experiences and emotions we all share.  When I read this in other writers, I feel connected to the world.
3. There are no rules about how often I write.  Actually, this may be wrong.  Most writers say to write three to four hours a day.  I don’t think I’m there yet, but that’s my goal.  This is one of my dreams, to have a lifestyle in which I can afford to write three to four hours every day.  The good news is that I’m still writing, by hand, three pages every morning. I’ve written nearly 300 pages already – by hand.
4. There are no rules about the quality of my writing.  Obviously, I’m not going to write badly intentionally, but some of my blogs are probably better than others.  Honestly, I like them all.  But my goal is to write a lot.  That will often create the quality.  In a conversation with my oldest daughter about winning softball games, I said, “It doesn’t have to be sexy.  You just want a win.” 

That’s what I get, every time I write – a win.