Have you had a great writing session? An effective bribe? Awesome support from a friend or family member? A word war that left you amazed at your output? A writing session that completely changed the course of your novel? What are the secrets to your successes so far this November?
For me, I'm writing whenever my toddler is asleep. Less sleep for me, but I'm using my lunch hour at work to write (while she's napping at daycare) and then writing at night, too. I knew I would be too distracted to write if she was awake, and I would feel guilty about my novel taking away my brief time with her on days I work. This system is only working because my spouse has picked up ALL of the housework slack that my writing time is creating...so I can't take advantage of this system for too much longer before I'm really going to need to start pitching in again!
Another super successful trick for me has been the classic food bribe. As in -- if I write 500 words, I can eat some chips. Or, I can write 500 words in the time it takes my spouse to microwave me a few nachos as a reward. Or, I have to write 500 words before I can eat the icecream that is sitting here melting next to my keyboard. This isn't sustainable forever either, because last night I actually had so many snacks that I didn't want to write anymore because I started to feel sick! For short term goals though, or when you are hungry, the food bribe is a sure-fire winner. If you don't trust yourself, have someone else adminster the reward food, (or worse, have someone else threaten to eat your reward food if you don't make your word count in time.)
So, what are you using to encourage yourself to churn out hundreds of words? Any advice for someone who needs to snack less and write more?
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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.
50,363 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 00 05
I'm not having super-fabulous wordcounts, but I do have some motivational tips up my sleeve. On Day 2, I decided that my novel was being incredibly incredibly evil to me and I decided to switch to writing something different. Which, for a planner like me, causes automatic nervousness. After a few hours of prewriting (which I really had to do even though I couldn't really spare the time) I felt much better about my new novel and I'd beat the old one's word count in an hour. So while I'm still behind, I'm feeling confident that I'll get where I need to be. As long as I can stay motivated on this book. So, to stay motivated. . .
I just spent about an hour making a new book cover.
----------I made sure that my novel info was updated for the new book.
I wrote a really awesome novel synopsis that makes me want to read it.
And I'm making writing feel like a treat by doing it after things like, doing the dishes. Or cooking dinner. Things that other people maybe try to avoid in November. But writing feels really great right after cleaning. So it's working so far. And when I get caught up and then get ahead, all those dishes and all the folded laundry will have been worth it. Plus my house will be clean. That'll be a major bonus.
30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair
51,000 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 06 51
lysistrata asked:
So, what are you using to encourage yourself to churn out hundreds of
words? Any advice for someone who needs to snack less and write more? >>
Fear! Sheer, abject fear that I'll get behind, or worse, forget where I am and end up writing about bunnies or purple seals or something REALLY weird.
I'm going to need to replot today, as my characters have snatched my plot from me and have run away with it. They've left me with threads that appear to be untieable - an almost-stolen camera, a basketball player with a bad ankle, two or more of the characters turning psychic, and the villain suddenly coming out and announcing that he's gay. Ah, kids these days! (It's a young-adult novel, of course - at least I think it still is.) I've completely lost control ... but while they're not watching, I'm going to step in and take over and show them who's boss. Yeah, right.
45,413 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 20 10
Bribes:
It's a bit of a private one between my husband and I :)
What is really helping me is the desktop edition of Write or Die! It flashes red at me, and then CRIES (I chose the crying baby sound). LOL!
----------Twitter: Sarah_CB
Plurk: sarah_tm2ts
NaNoBlog: thewriter.sigsnmore.com
PersonalBlog: http://tm2ts.sarahsmidntfantasy.com
GoogleWave: tm2ts_blog@googlewave.com
50,363 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 00 11
Not really a tip, but a funny story about the bribe cookies from the Caffeinate and Chat. My goal for eating the cookie is hitting 7000 words. My husband was trying to encourage a wrestle-fest with the baby on the couch. So I turned to him and said "You should be encouraging me to write. At 7000 words, we get to split the Snickerdoodle." (Snickerdoodles are his favorite cookie.) He was about to respond with something, but before he could, Elisebeth grabbed his face and growled "Cookie!"
So my bribery cookie has been pretty motivating for more than just me.
----------30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair
45,413 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 05 15
So my bribery cookie has been pretty motivating for more than just me.
LOL!! That is too cute and too funny!
----------I wanted to go to the C&C, but I've got the flu that turned into a chest thing and I didn't want to risk being contagious! :)
Twitter: Sarah_CB
Plurk: sarah_tm2ts
NaNoBlog: thewriter.sigsnmore.com
PersonalBlog: http://tm2ts.sarahsmidntfantasy.com
GoogleWave: tm2ts_blog@googlewave.com
39,210 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 10 01
I work from the iron-clad rule that there is no such thing as writer's block. But there is such a thing as pre-writing, some forms of which over come the inertia that is called "writer's block."
The most effective way to override inertia is to free-write. Just hit the keyboard. Even type the same word over and over again. This always gets the story going for me in about three hundred words. Then I just hit "delete" and get back to the story. Sometimes I don't hit "delete" because the freewriting will tap into a voice or something that I need. I may keep the freewriting until the end of the day and then delete it.
Beer works too, but the side effects are annoying. Had some Michelob Porter last night that gave me the trots. Maybe I should switch back to straight whiskey, eh, Lissa?
----------Beauty is truth. Truth beauty
51,256 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 20 07
Fred--when in doubt, drink what your character is drinking.
I'm going to illustrate the secret of my success right now-- it's been a long week, I'm tired, I work again in less than twelve hours, but I haven't written any yet today, so before I go to sleep, I'm writing for at least 15 minutes, hopefully more! Write everyday even if you are ahead, that is my (current) secret!
----------Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.
5,897 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 09 14
My motivator is that after 750 words, I force myself to stop. No more writing. By then I've killed myself and written myself into such an exciting spot that I can't bear to stop. But I have to. If I am in mid-sentence? I stop anyway. I have to wait five minutes until I write any more, and if I start writing after that five minutes, I have to write 750 more words before I can stop again. That way, I really want to finish that one sentence, but I can't unless I want to write 750 more. So I do it and end up doing okay.
-----------Klane
50,363 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 13 25
Halloween candy rewards stopped working. I don't really care all that much about chocolate now. So instead, I've been using things like trail mix (much better for me than straight chocolate), cans of soda (even if it is diet and caffeine free), workouts (you'd be surprised how much you enjoy working out when you have to earn it), and Facebook games.
I didn't like being behind, so I managed a couple of really awesome days so that I got caught up. But then yesterday wasn't all that great, since the baby was wanting my attention A LOT. But it was okay because I'd been pushing myself to get ahead and ahead and ahead. So I was a couple days ahead when I had a crappy day and that made it mostly okay. And I'm having another good day today, it seems, so I should be able to push even further ahead.
And I think being ahead is the best thing you can do. Not just because it gives you a cushion for bad days (or weeks), but also because you just sort of get a rush from being ahead. Doing 1667 words every day can feel like an accomplishment, and really, it is. But doing 5K in a day is a totally different feeling. Pushing beyond the bare minimum and trying to finish in 25 days or 20 days instead of 30. That's a whole different kind of euphoria.
And it gives you a nice cushion for slow days.
----------30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair
51,256 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2009 - 18 43
Tonight's goal is that for every 500 words I add to my novel, I can have a 15 minute break. If I write fast enough, I could have more breaks than writing sessions.... or not. I'll have to see how it goes. But unlike the years when I could spend all of Veteran's Day writing, this year I want to either spend it with my spouse or child or both, as time is precious midweek. So, more late night writing for me!
How is everyone else doing? Any more success secrets?
I better go get writing because I can't have a snack/drink break until I log 500 more words!
----------Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.
50,183 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2009 - 19 57
If it has not been fifteen minutes since the last time I looked at my word count, I wont look again. I'll keep writing. No waiting until the fifteen minutes is up. It's for every fifteen minutes of writing, not sitting. Since I started late, I've been booking it to catch up! It is not easy!
5,897 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2009 - 14 09
My brother's in the ywp and he says his rewards are being allowed to use the restroom after every 100 words :s Don't think that will help any of you.....but that's his advice.
-----------Klane