There are some things I need to do every day.
I need several cups of freshly brewed coffee with cream.
I need to eat.
I need a certain amount of exercise.
I need to make time to read and to write.

When I was a working journalist, I wrote every day to earn my paycheck. Then, I read other writers’ work to pay the bills. I wrote columns and features on the side more for my own satisfaction than for the pay.

Each news organization has its own quota system or minimum daily requirements. Now that I’m on my own, it’s up to me to find the work. Between jobs, I discipline myself to write. Some of this is on a personal blog, some of  it is written in a personal journal. Sometimes, I just need to scribble ideas on one of the many little notepads I keep stashed throughout my daily travels. I have one in my purse. There’s another book in the console of my car.

Sometimes I’m out of ideas. This is where the Internet provides help. Here is a list of writing prompts I’ve bookmarked for days when the creative energy is running on fumes:

http://www.squidoo.com/journalwritingprompts

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

http://www.writersdigest.com/WritingPrompts This site offers ideas and the chance to compete against other writers for most creative answer.

NaBloPoMo – National Blog Posting Month. Join this Ning community and take up the challenge of Web log posting every day for a month. Each month offers a theme. If you reach your goal, you get a nice widget to display.

NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month. This community helps you write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That’s discipline.

Writer’s Digest list of the Top 101 Web sites for writers

No more excuses. Ignite the fire and keep it burning.