Signing my life away...or just a small portion of it.

 (yes, I actually had to sign this)

Agreement made this third day of January in the year two thousand eleven whereby I, Dani Voelkel do hereby commit myself to writing a minimum of an hour a day, every day, for 180 consecutive days, no excuses. The work will begin on the date set forth in the writing below.

I pledge to work diligently and habitually, even when I’m tired, hungry, cold, grouchy, or lonely, or have to get up early or stay late, and/or even when I’d rather be doing something else. I am entering this agreement with myself because I recognize that the only way to write a novel is to dedicate myself to the project and to put in the necessary (solitary) time. I may or may not enjoy the process, but I also know there’s a little bit of agony in writing. The pain I inflict upon myself shall be my own.

I will begin my novel on the Fifteenth of March in the year Two Thousand Eleven and expect my first completed draft to be finished on the Fifteenth of September in the year Two Thousand Eleven, approximately one hundred eighty days later. No penalty shall be found for failing to meet this mandated deadline, but the reward for meeting it shall be the satisfaction of having written my own novel. I shall blame no one but myself for the delays along the way.

This pledge is made with my full consent and awareness, and under no obligation to anyone but myself.

Dani Voelkel