Dust off those writing desks.  Throw procrastination out with the trash (along with bad metaphors).  Got a novel to finish?  A short story to write?  An essay?  A string of poems?

Tomorrow is March 1st and with it comes the 2012 Writer’s March, a writerly month with a single purpose: to keep your butt in the seat one spring day at a time.

The Challenge is simple:

1.  Make a commitment to write every day this month. The trick here is that you set your own standards.  Whether its 15 minutes a day or 5 hours a day, you know your schedule and you should keep it.  Whatever you do, push yourself, but make it achievable.  Skip watching television.  Give up that extra hour of sleep in the morning.  Whatever it is, if you want the time, you have it.  All excuses aside.

2.  Decide upon a monthly goal. So maybe you want to finish a draft of your novel.  Or maybe you are a poet and you want to write a poem a day.  Or a short story writer who wants one solid, ready-to-submit story.  Whatever the goal.  Set it now, the beginning of the month, and then work every day to achieve it.

3.  Find a writing companion (or make this blog your companion) and check in every day. I had a teacher who required writing partners.  The task: to agree on a time to write every day and call the friend up, commit to the two hours (or three or five) with them, and then call them back when you are done.  I had friends in high school who used to do this when they were running.  5am every day before high school, and the only way they could keep going was by knocking on each other’s window.  Why not do the same?

If you are interested in participating in this year’s challenge, please CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE MARCH.  I’ll then add you to the “official” Current Challengers Page.