Wednesday, October 10, 2012

"Vincent taught him how to write a minimum number of words each day. 'I came up with this years ago,' she said. '(B+C-I-P)n---it means butt, plus chair, minus Internet and phone, times the number of words you can write without breaking a sweat.' Vincent's number is three hundred and fifty: 'If I do that twice a day, it's seven hundred words,' she said, which by the end of a work week, adds up to 'two chapters or two feature articles.' It's crucial to set a goal that doesn't intimidate you, 'because as writers we'll do anything---organize the closet, clean the garage---to avoid writing.'" 

From the article, The Lives of Saints by Ariel Levy, in the October 15, 2012 issue of The New Yorker.

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