It’s a 2-page day, if I’ve ever seen one. It’s January 2, 2017. And from January 1 to June 30, we’re going to write 2 pages a day (500 words). We’re allowed one day off a week. I usually choose Sundays. But the rest of the week, we move ahead.

Many days, I won’t feel inspired. Lots of days, the writing will be flat and lifeless. 2 pages a day is not about award-winning prose. It’s just about getting a story (or stories) onto paper. This we call the “crappy first draft.” The fixing comes after June 30th.

So we operate under one rule, articulated by Raul Julia to Tim McIntyre in the 1976 classic Gumball Rally: “And now my friend, the first-a rule of Italian driving. What’s-a behind me is not important.” Maybe a good rule for New Year’s too.