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I do things in streaks, like running or walking every single day–through rain, sleet or gloom of night–the past 13 years.
Last year, averaging just over four miles per day, that meant walking 1,495 miles–at least one per day, no matter what. Since starting this obsession on Sept. 6, 2012, that's 4,135 days and 12,812 miles.
A related obsession has been to keep a daily journal since 2018.
This was inspired by the work of Calvin Fletcher, an early Indianapolis lawyer and farmer who faithfully kept a diary. How faithfully? They've been preserved and published by the Indiana Historical Society in nine volumes.
Last year, my own trivia of daily life, story ideas, character sketches and other junk totaled about 92,000 words. Since starting six years ago, the project has reached nearly 872,000 words.
It seems like a lot, but I remember telling my friend Gerry Lanosga about an early draft of a fiction project that was 17,000 words.
"Great,” he said. “But are they the right words?"
It’s hard to say if these six years of journals includes many shiny nuggets, but it's fun to combine the two obsessions: Walking that much every day, you're bound to get an idea or two, and the phone can be a handy scratchpad. This mini-essay is my entry to start 2024.
Consistency is key, even when there’s no specific goal. For some of us, writing resembles as much an act of faith as of art.
(Photo by Jad Limcaco on Unsplash)
