Compound Interest

I have a theory… of compounding interest when it comes to my writing [Compounding Interest: Interest calculated on the initial principal and also on the accumulated interest of previous periods of a deposit or loan. Compound interest can be thought of as “interest on interest,” and will make a deposit or loan grow at a faster rate than simple interest, which is interest calculated only on the principal amount]. There are those lucky few who get rich by winning the lottery, but most wealthy people say they accrued their fortunes slowly, over time, adhering to some sound, fundamental principles, one of which is compounding interest

When I sit down to write a book, I don’t sit down planning to write 110,000 words (the current word count for BAD LAND) – I sit down to write between 600 -1100 words a day. I “invest” in my book each and every day, and the words slowly but surely start to add up. You can expand this to the macro scale – each word eventually adds up to a sentence which adds up to a book; each book eventually adds up to a career. Sure, we’ve all read about that person who cranked out a book in a month or two that went on to be a big seller, but those are the exceptions that prove the rule. For most of us, we get “rich” (become better, more successful writers) by adhering to some fundamental principles (write every day) and simply investing in our craft. Over time, all that work multiplies ten-fold.

This weekend my parents came into town, and I spent time entertaining them and letting them spoil my girls. Still, each morning before we got together, I handled my investing – 600 words.