Michelle and I were comparing notes on how hard it is to get words on a page, especially when you have a whole day set aside to do just that, when I suddenly realized what might be holding us back:

The bucket of words.

Sometimes I feel that, each morning, I am given a bucket of words. How I decide to use them is entirely up to me. You might be thinking, "Ah! Such freedom!"

Or you could be like me and worry that I might run out of words before the day is done.

No wonder I never seem to have time for the WIP: I'm using all those words for article assignments, copywriting work, query letters, emails, snail mails, contest entries, blog posts (okay, sometimes) and to-do lists. And yes, some days I find that I'm out of words by the time Dr. Phil's on.

This ain't good. Certainly not for a writer.

And what if, god forbid, there's a hole in the bucket? (Dear Liza, dear Liza) (Oh come on, I know you were thinking it too.) Was it a hole created by self-doubt? Or by sabotaging family members or pets who require love, attention and perhaps a meal or two?

No matter, the hole's just there, releasing some of your stash into the wild before you even have time to form an idea.

I've also heard stories of writers who, after carefully using their words, realize that the words need to be chopped. Deleted. Put out to prose pasture. Imagine the pain of losing those words, only to be forced to take on a new bucket full of strangers the very next morning?

Okay, maybe it's not like that for most people or, even if it does happen, hopefully it doesn't all the time. ;)

Perhaps I should focus on getting myself a larger bucket to start with instead.

How about you? Do you think the bucket of words theory applies to the way you approach things?

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