Every November 15th, since 2002, we celebrate I love to write day thanks to Mr. John Riddle. I learned about this day just recently and it was extremely interesting to me. So I decided to share some of my thoughts about the importance of writing and what I have discovered about it. 

Writing actually makes us vent out and grow as individuals. If you take the time to write daily it has tons of benefits. In a recent blog article written by Seth Godin called The first 1,000 are the most difficult he says and I quote

A collection of daily bloggers I follow have passed 1,000 posts. Fortunately, there are thousands of generous folks who have been posting their non-commercial blogs regularly, and it’s a habit that produces magic.

from Seth.Blog by Seth Godin

Writing daily such as Seth Godin does not only engages and drives and creates value for other people. We get the newspaper because we know to respect that perhaps there will be something that it will add value that we will learn that we will get on “aha” moment out of the newspaper o or we will just get the well might as well get something to read while we’re in the in the subway we’re lowering the bus or while wearing the UBER just trying to get somewhere to get to the office or whatever.

But whenever we are actually trying to get somewhere it’s amazing how many people actually just do anything, to be honest with you. Writing daily it’s not the easiest at first. It’s a habit and like any habit you have to begin with a 1% change, a 1% increment daily.

People think that to write a book you need to sit down and have this moment of inspiration that will just swoop you and you will start writing non-stop. In all honesty it has happened to certain people, but when you actually talk to people who have been in different industries, they decide to dedicate the time and commit to write a certain amount of words. They write words. They don’t edit. They write. Editing comes later. Writing is what they need to focus on first.

During the month of November, NaNoWriMo occurs. During the 30 days, you have the great opportunity to write a 50,000-word novel and submit it by 11:59 pm on November 30th. When you break it down, it is 1,666 words per day roughly. With dedication, anyone would be able to do it. But one can’t just jump into a marathon without proper preparation thinking it is like a sprint. One needs to prepare themselves. 

The identity

Becoming a writer is simply deciding to be a writer. You are who you are because you choose who what you believe, your creed, your moral compass and what defines you as a person. 

Being a writer is something that Jeff Goins Author of Real Artists Don’t Starve from Goinswriter.com talks and mentions constantly about how he became a writer and embarked on following his calling to not only write books but teach others how to become writers and even more, grow his own tribe. 

But it also all came down to developing habits and setting goals. 

Build habits

James Clear author of Atomic Habits talks in his book about how important it is that people develop habits, small changes, things that cascade and little by little build up momentum just like a train moving away from the station and on to the next stop. 

Waking up, brushing your teeth, brewing coffee, reading a chapter of a book, writing 500 words, waking up my daughter, getting her ready for daycare. That is my morning routine in a nutshell. I do a couple of things that take care of my personal well-being, my intellect and professional development as well as my writer aspect. 

So, on this I Love Writing Day: How will you celebrate it?