I have a 100 words a day goal on my latest novel draft and I am very proud to say that I have hit it every day since 13th May when I set it. Mostly I do between 200 and 400 words but there are days when it is just over 100 and I stop. If I do a word count and it's only 70 or 80 words, I make myself do another sentence. Every time this has happened, that sentence has led somewhere good.
Go @Cali Bird!! This is wonderful progress. Having a goal you can hit that regularly is so powerful. And what a fantastic insight about that last sentence always leadning somewhere good. Love it!
I had a baby last year, and when I went back to work in January, I knew my writing time was going to be drastically different than the year before. So I set a goal of 5-10min every weekday.
I’m now up to 20min every weekday for the past three months, and I’ve managed to finish a first draft and get started on edits in that time! I’ve found that I get very focused in those 20min and am able to write a decent number of words in that time.
On day five of "two crappy sentences a day." I laughed when I read it, then thought, "Holy shit, I'm that student." To celebrate, I dug around for some kind of fun stickers to start putting on the wall calendar behind me. Gonna have to settle for address labels, but that'll do.
Yes Stephen!! (We‘ve alllll been that student at one time or another). I think that getting to ten days of this means you get to buy some for-real stickers. Staples and OfficeMax usually have the gold foil stars if you want the actual student effect. 🌟
I wrote the zero/first draft of a MG fantasy last year over the course of 3 months in 10 minutes a day... That was all I could handle and I reached over 36,000 words in that time. Now, getting into revision has proved more difficult but I'm totally going to try this strategy to dive back into it. I can sit with it for at least 5 minutes a day.
Easing back in is almost always the best way for me after a break. It has to feel doable to get in there. You've got this! And way to go on 36k words in 3 months- that's really impressive.
I have a 100 words a day goal on my latest novel draft and I am very proud to say that I have hit it every day since 13th May when I set it. Mostly I do between 200 and 400 words but there are days when it is just over 100 and I stop. If I do a word count and it's only 70 or 80 words, I make myself do another sentence. Every time this has happened, that sentence has led somewhere good.
Brilliant article. Thank you
Go @Cali Bird!! This is wonderful progress. Having a goal you can hit that regularly is so powerful. And what a fantastic insight about that last sentence always leadning somewhere good. Love it!
I had a baby last year, and when I went back to work in January, I knew my writing time was going to be drastically different than the year before. So I set a goal of 5-10min every weekday.
I’m now up to 20min every weekday for the past three months, and I’ve managed to finish a first draft and get started on edits in that time! I’ve found that I get very focused in those 20min and am able to write a decent number of words in that time.
Well done, Josee! That’s a huge result. I am amazed when anyone gets anything at all done with a new baby in the house. Hats off to you. 🎉
On day five of "two crappy sentences a day." I laughed when I read it, then thought, "Holy shit, I'm that student." To celebrate, I dug around for some kind of fun stickers to start putting on the wall calendar behind me. Gonna have to settle for address labels, but that'll do.
Yes Stephen!! (We‘ve alllll been that student at one time or another). I think that getting to ten days of this means you get to buy some for-real stickers. Staples and OfficeMax usually have the gold foil stars if you want the actual student effect. 🌟
I wrote the zero/first draft of a MG fantasy last year over the course of 3 months in 10 minutes a day... That was all I could handle and I reached over 36,000 words in that time. Now, getting into revision has proved more difficult but I'm totally going to try this strategy to dive back into it. I can sit with it for at least 5 minutes a day.
Easing back in is almost always the best way for me after a break. It has to feel doable to get in there. You've got this! And way to go on 36k words in 3 months- that's really impressive.
Sharing with everyone
Excellent!! (Picture me rubbing my hands together, Mr. Burns style)
Also, "you can't make time" is a bar! Funny how the difference in language can manifest itself in the difference between cultures.
So funny! Is it a bar in Canada?? It feels like it would be an excellent bar. Love this.
No, sorry. I'm speaking in slang. Bar meaning it's such an accurate statement, not an actual bar.
Ohhhhh. I am older than you, Kern, remember 🤣🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣 all good! I had a good laugh 😃
Haha! Always happy to provide that.
"You have nothing to prove" could just be a subliminal message we listen to alllll day and alllll night! So true and so hard to believe!
I share it because I need to hear it, too. 🥰
Cut the goal in half is actually so valuable. Never thought of it.
It is like rocket fuel. I have seen this change everything for people — it definitely has for me.