You have an idea. Great!
You get the laptop ready. Great!
You write the first three sentences. And man oh man, they are awesome. Great!
Then you stare at the monitor for the next half hour trying to decide if that comma should be a semicolon.
 |
| Does this look familiar? photo credit inboundpro.net |
 |
| The phone book, not exactly as shown photo credit bookguide.com |
Come on!
The world is waiting for your super fantastic story. Hurry up!
I know...I know, easier said than done.
But don't despair, follow these tips and soon you'll be on your way to penning the next War and Peace.
Top Five Methods To Help You Reach Your Word Count...
1. No Internet! You're reading this because you were on twitter, which means you're not writing. How's that working for you? If you need to do research, save it for later, it's too tempting to pop over and see what's new on Pinterest. Seriously, get off line.
2. Set a reasonable word count for each writing session. You want to set yourself up for success, not failure. The feeling of accomplishment will fuel your motivation for the next goal. Start small then gradually increase the word count.
3. Reward yourself each time you reach a goal. Preferably something that will get you moving or at least outside. Like say...a walk to the candy store. And if you don't live near a candy store, that's really sad.
4. Tell someone about your goal. Accountability increases your chances of following through. Lots of writers use twitter to give word count updates on their latest WIP. This helps motivate other authors as well.
5. Get unplugged. If you know your laptop only has a battery life of one hour, you'll write faster. No really, you will.
Now go set the world on fire with your awesomeness. I can't wait to read your book!
By the way, this blog was over 250 words. See how easy that was. Now it's time to reward myself with some left over Easter chocolate.
Cheers!
15 comments:
Get off the internet. Best advice ever :-)
6. Take a job in a state agency (with pay comparable to fast food!) in the southern USA. Your customers will despise you, (lazy gov'ment workers). Your boss will bury you under a caseload the size of the pyramids, (lazy state employees) while campaigning on reducing the size of your agency, (ie, outsourcing your job). If that doesn't energize you to capitalize on your inspiration and finish your book, take up golf because writing isn't your bag.
I should listen to myself more.
Wouldn't it be nice!
Not that I'm bitter or anything...
I've tried unplugging the internet, but then I realize I need it to do research. Unplugging the cord--now that's motivation!
Own it! Most artists do their best work while filled with angst. Write a best seller and show them all ;)
That could be a new reality show about writers that can only use pen and paper. We'll call it...Unplugged!
Kimberlee, you're brilliant!
Great post! It's so true, about the internet. "I'll just check Twitter" turns into three hours of reading blog posts, stumbling, adding to my Amazon wishlist, two episodes of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, all while keeping Wikipedia open on one tab so that I can justify it as time spent researching.
Because I do all of my research on Wikipedia.
Not.
Note to self: Unplug the internet.
Twitter and Pinterest should come with warnings. Glad I'm not the only one.
Thanks, Lisa Marie.
Excellent tips! One more thing that helps me is having a regular schedule and writing routine. When I'm drafting a new story I write six days a week, whether I'm "in the mood" or not. ^_^
Sounds like a sure way to get it done. Thanks, Angelina.
Word count is always a problem with me. Thanks for posting this!!
You left a comment on my blog and I came to check yours out. I was browsing around, and I found this! I love the last one, getting unplugged. It sounds like the exact thing I need to do to get my writing done every day. Great post! :D
But I do that! Write with only pen and paper, I mean.
Post a Comment