{"id":894,"date":"2019-01-14T23:52:35","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T23:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog3.canny.io\/wordpress\/?p=894"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:21:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T01:21:52","slug":"year-of-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/year-of-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"A year of writing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Writing is hard. I&#8217;ve never been great at it and I&#8217;ve never particularly enjoyed doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, especially now as a founder, there&#8217;s a nagging voice (deep, deep down) that I need to write. Being able to articulate thoughts in a concise, easy to understand way is a practiced skill. The only way I&#8217;m going to get better at it is by doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018, between both Andrew and I, we wrote 8 blog posts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"303\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shame.gif\" alt=\"I'm ashamed\" class=\"wp-image-896\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I need to put that embarrassing number out there so I can make sure that doesn&#8217;t happen this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some things I\u2019m doing to be a better writer this year. If you\u2019re a founder also struggling to create content, maybe this will help you too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Set a reasonable goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn\u2019t set writing goals last year. No wonder I barely did any writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You miss 100% of the shots you don&#8217;t take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 Wayne Gretzky<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal I\u2019m setting this year is to <strong>write every day<\/strong>. Every (work) day that I don\u2019t write is a day I should be disappointed in myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But going from barely writing to writing every day is a huge step. It feels impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/lvzdeWk12qjmM\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s important that you set a goal that feels difficult but within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make it more defined and reasonable, this is my revised goal:<br>\nI am going to write at least <strong>200 words<\/strong> every work day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Framing it this way makes it feel achievable which will help me stay motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stop making excuses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Excuses were a big blocker for me. The moment I thought about writing something, I\u2019d also think:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It takes me forever to write something good<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I don\u2019t know what to write about<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is this relevant to our target audience?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is this the most important thing for me to be doing?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I think Andrew needs my help with something<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most challenging part for me is to stop overthinking things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who cares if it\u2019s not my best writing?<br>\nWho cares if it\u2019s not a super interesting topic?<br>\nWho cares if our target audience won\u2019t read it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These things, while important to think about, stand in the way of my goal.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image gif\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/3o7WTwcO5cLAVL5Z7O\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">No more excuses!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, there will always be something else I can do instead of write. So I need to put my foot down and say that <strong>writing is a priority<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/200wordsaday.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">200 Words a Day<\/a> community to keep me accountable. You can see if I\u2019m sticking to my goal on <a href=\"https:\/\/200wordsaday.com\/writers\/hum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2212\" height=\"1314\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad.avif\" alt=\"200 Words a Day\" class=\"wp-image-899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad.avif 2212w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad-300x178.avif 300w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad-768x456.avif 768w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad-1724x1024.avif 1724w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/200wad-202x120.avif 202w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2212px) 100vw, 2212px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve also set 200 Words a Day as my new tab screen so I don\u2019t forget to write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remove distractions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you\u2019re in the zone, do what it takes to stay there! Distractions are not allowed in the zone.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/3o6ZteFRsvQaP1xPcA\/giphy.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Literally, as I\u2019m writing this, Andrew\u2019s pinging me with questions:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"798\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/messages.avif\" alt=\"Distracting messages\" class=\"wp-image-895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/messages.avif 798w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/messages-300x95.avif 300w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/messages-768x244.avif 768w, https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/messages-210x67.avif 210w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All important things, I\u2019m sure. But not as important as staying in the zone right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I just full-screened my Dropbox Paper tab. Sorry Andrew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other things that help me get into the zone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Noise-canceling headphones + a <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/user\/college.music\/playlist\/32hJXySZtt9YvnwcYINGZ0?si=f-MwvfGcQt-mSjU_XueSFw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">good, instrumental playlist<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I used to start writing in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hemingwayapp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hemingway<\/a> so I could edit as I go. Instead, I\u2019m writing now and editing later.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Getting out of the house. I looove being in pajamas but I\u2019m not productive at home. Find the space that works for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Here we go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simple as that. Set a goal, and set yourself up for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If all goes well, at this time next year, I should have written <strong>at least<\/strong> over 50,000 words. Expect to hear from me more this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being able to articulate thoughts in a concise, easy to understand way is a practiced skill. The only way I&#8217;m going to get better at it is by doing it. Here are some things I\u2019m doing to be a better writer this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-founder-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"modified_by":"Eric Hoppe","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11373,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894\/revisions\/11373"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}