Ten-Minute Abs

The goal here is simply to write. Ten minutes is my limit. If my brain can spin out a few phrases worth reading in ten minutes, I'm happy and can move on. It's one way I hope to establish a "practice."

That's the word a creative writing teacher used when she asked about my process. "Do you have a practice?" she asked. I'm thinking, lawyer, doctor? Do writer's have a practice? She meant, of course, my schedule for writing, my habits for butt-in-seat.

I do have a practice, but it needs practice. (Excuse me, a distraction: child w/devil horns and black Halloween costume walks in.) I write at least every other day, for varying periods of time. If I have a space longer than an hour, that's significant. (Hold on: "Can I use a pillow case for candy?" Of course.) With limited time and many commitments, I take what comes.

But one habit I try to practice is not to make writing a big event. I write when I have a spare moment, a thought worth scribbling. In that way, it is always there, waiting for me.