When marathoner Roger Bannister (now knighted!) crossed an Oxford finish line on a windy day in 1954, he was certain he had achieved a four-minute mile.

The rest of the world, however, was amazed. The previous record had stood for nine years and writers of the time had created a myth around the four-minute mile. They had made their readership believe it was an unreachable and possibly even dangerous goal.

So what does this have to do with my writing? Just as the media in the fifties had influenced people to believe that a mile could not be completed in four minutes, we have persuaded ourselves that we can't write quickly.

Of course, I've had poor creative days too-days when writing five hundred words all day would have seemed like an insurmountable task. You can't write when you are tired or not in the mood - and quickly at that!.

But if you have a topic you're reasonably familiar with (and really dig), there's no good reason why you can'tspeed through it. Writing can be good-even if it comes quickly.

Actually, I have discovered that my fast creations are often better slow and laborious writings. Presently. I often time myself when I write-an egg timer is perfect for this.

But even more important, I keep a list of accomplishments, writing down the date, # of words, how long it took. The reason behind of recording your results is that you will track your development-much as a marathoner might record their speed. Thus, you will also likely find out that you can write fast-and well.

So go for the four-minute writing mile!