I have finished my first week of #spindleyear and am finding the process both entertaining and beneficial. On the latter, the consistent writing habits are becoming more ingrained and I look forward to setting aside 15 or 30 minutes each day to write my card. I also find myself writing down notes throughout the day with ideas for cards, both that day's and potential cards to come. 

One thing that was a bit of a challenge, mentally and emotionally, is the size of these cards. By design this challenge isn't resulting in a high word count, which is usually the metric by which most writers track progress and success. Spindlewheel cards are meant to have 22 words or less, so the opportunity for high word count is already out the window. In my first week, I wrote 134 words that ended up on cards, and maybe another 50-75 words worth of notes and ideas. For most writers, that week would be looked at as a failure. That said, when the goal isn't to churn out a manuscript, but instead to create specific, bespoke cards, the quality means more here than the quantity. 

I also mentioned having fun, which is something I wasn't prepared for. Yes, I enjoy writing, but I rarely am so giddy about it during the process. I show visceral emotions when writing the cards and I love showing them to my wife as I'm writing them. I think this is all due to the smaller size of these cards, in that I can complete a project (card) in a very short time. Also, the style guide for Spindlewheel cards is all about packing in the most emotional and evocative language you can to a remarkably small space, so it's no surprise that you start feeling things as you distill your thoughts and concepts into 22 words or less. 

As a bonus, I have also been creating physical cards each day. Having these artifacts to touch, share, and move around somehow makes the project even more exciting, because when I'm done at the end of the year, I'll also have a huge pile of cards in addition to the satisfaction of completing the project. If you're working on the #spindleyear challenge and would like to use my templates, they are available on this project page to download for free.

One week down, 51 to go!