Write My Book - Amy M.

Blaise Cendrars, a Swiss born, writer whose writings have been called a "literary epic of the modern adventurer", once said, "Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness falsifies everything, whose wick is in permanent danger of explosion, whose blinking illumination in the coal dust exhausts and corrodes your eyes." Perhaps it is these depths that makes writing an art and an obsession. But like the claustrophobic standing at the ledge of a deep mine, the prospect of not writing is sometimes easier to bear than actually pitching oneself off the edge and into the act. However, sometimes the pitch forward is just what is needed to reveal wings, and an incredible ability to see, describe, and tell the stories that lye waiting to be unearthed.

Such is the case with Amy, a writer! When Amy first heard of the 100 day challenge, it was as though that "dubious light" became just bright enough to make the journey possible. Writing an entire novel can seem daunting to anyone, but to a novice writer, the prospect is crushing - what of the plot, the flow, the character build up, the style. No matter how formulated the idea just getting started can be the greatest challenge. For Amy committing to write each day for 100 days, even just for a few minutes, seemed doable.

"I have always wanted to write," said Amy M. "to capture with words the details of the day, the emotions of a moment, and the stories of a life, but the question was how to start." For 100 days Amy wrote, and wrote, and wrote. "It was kind of like exercise, the first couple of days were rough, and hard to get started, but once I saw the words building on the page, the ideas keep coming and I saw a goal materializing in front of my eyes." One June 12, 2007 Amy completed her first 100 days - and what does she have to show for it - nearly 100 pages of her first book. "It feels amazing. An absolute exhilaration - to do something I have wanted to do for so long." If a five year old can learn to read, write, and do math in 100 days - what can you do?