My 100 Day Challenge

So I'm doing this 100 day challenge with some friends on twitter (I believe WritingSpirit started this) where we each create a writing goal for the next 100 days. It started September 23, so I'm just finishing up day three. My challenge is either 1000 words in English, 1000 words in Spanish or 500 words in French. Sounds reasonable, right? I thought so, too.

I gotta say, the French is kicking my butt! I've only gotten 308 usable words down for the day, and it took forever. It seems I've taken to using the first spelling that comes to mind based on the how the word is said (je, j'ai... whatever). And the result is some funky crack-fed jambalaya that needs massive proofreading since no one outside my brain can decipher what on earth I mean.

For the challenge, though, the idea is just to push the writing habit, so I definitely can't allow myself to edit my 500-word bits in French or it's au revoir to that part of the challenge, 'cuz the French posts will just never happen.

People, if you've ever doubted that lack of use will atrophy your language skills, IT'S TRUE! C'est vrai ! I'm a poster child for this. Don't let frightening French (or Spanish or German or whatever) happen to you.