It's almost November! Sure, the holidays are coming, but ask a writer why November is exciting and you'll probably hear, "NaNoWriMo," which stands for National Novel Writing Month. Most of us call it NaNo.
I'm not participating this year, but I apply some useful NaNo tips every time I write a first draft. My favorite tip is to pre-plan how long it will take me to write my book. It's pretty simple. I take out an index card and my calendar, and I assign a word count goal for each day and a target word count for each week until the book will be done.
When I'm actually writing, I highlight each day in either pink or yellow. Pink is for the days I meet or exceed my goal, and yellow is for the days I don't meet my goal.
This method keeps me on track. I write my books in a much shorter span of time when I map out the goals. Try it!
For my writer friends, are you doing NaNo? For everyone else, are you excited November is almost here? I am!!
Have a terrific weekend!
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2014
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Pressure Cooker of November
I blinked and almost missed it. November!
How did November, that crazy pressure cooker of a month, fly by so quickly?
I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but I did set a goal of adding 40,000 words to my current manuscript. I'm on track to meet that goal. Yay!
Goals I'm not on track to meet? Just about everything else!
Yes, I still have Halloween decorations up. No, shopping isn't even close to being done for Christmas. In fact, I just started. Christmas cards? Haven't bought 'em.
To make matters worse, I keep thinking I should be making the most of Cyber Week, where Christmas shoppers supposedly find great deals on the Internet for gifts. The whole thing confuses me. I go to a site, say Target.com, and I don't really know which toys are deals and which aren't. Some sites, like Old Navy, offer a blanket discount on your purchase. Too bad the items I'm interested in are sold out.
No matter. I'll shop eventually. The tree will go up with all its lights and bulbs this weekend. And I'll break down and buy some Christmas cards at some point.
November is busy, and it's easy to feel like I'm not getting anything done, but when Christmas rolls around, I know I'll somehow have shopped for all the gifts, the house will twinkle with pretty decorations, and my manuscript will be tucked away, all written, ready to be revised in the new year.
That's the nice thing about pressure cookers--they gets things cooked quickly!
How are you doing on your goals?
Have a fantastic Wednesday!
How did November, that crazy pressure cooker of a month, fly by so quickly?
I didn't participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but I did set a goal of adding 40,000 words to my current manuscript. I'm on track to meet that goal. Yay!
Goals I'm not on track to meet? Just about everything else!
Yes, I still have Halloween decorations up. No, shopping isn't even close to being done for Christmas. In fact, I just started. Christmas cards? Haven't bought 'em.
To make matters worse, I keep thinking I should be making the most of Cyber Week, where Christmas shoppers supposedly find great deals on the Internet for gifts. The whole thing confuses me. I go to a site, say Target.com, and I don't really know which toys are deals and which aren't. Some sites, like Old Navy, offer a blanket discount on your purchase. Too bad the items I'm interested in are sold out.
No matter. I'll shop eventually. The tree will go up with all its lights and bulbs this weekend. And I'll break down and buy some Christmas cards at some point.
November is busy, and it's easy to feel like I'm not getting anything done, but when Christmas rolls around, I know I'll somehow have shopped for all the gifts, the house will twinkle with pretty decorations, and my manuscript will be tucked away, all written, ready to be revised in the new year.
That's the nice thing about pressure cookers--they gets things cooked quickly!
How are you doing on your goals?
Have a fantastic Wednesday!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November: Plateaus
You're chugging along, working hard toward an accomplishment, but then for some reason, your progress halts. You're still putting in the time, but where are the results?
Does this happen to you? I know it applies to many areas of my life: exercising, improving my writing skills, maintaining a clean home, staying on top of my kids' chores, reaching out to my loved ones, and so forth.
The problem with plateaus is that they often progress into downhill slopes. If we aren't careful, all the hard work we put in to reach that point will disappear.
This month we're exploring methods, tricks, and bribes to keep climbing instead of standing still.
All of you who are participating in 2010's NaNoWriMo, best wishes to you! I hope you all meet your goal!
Do you ever find yourself stuck on a plateau? Is this time of year ripe for halting your progress?
Join me on Friday when we'll discuss ways to overcome plateaus in your writing.
Does this happen to you? I know it applies to many areas of my life: exercising, improving my writing skills, maintaining a clean home, staying on top of my kids' chores, reaching out to my loved ones, and so forth.
The problem with plateaus is that they often progress into downhill slopes. If we aren't careful, all the hard work we put in to reach that point will disappear.
This month we're exploring methods, tricks, and bribes to keep climbing instead of standing still.
All of you who are participating in 2010's NaNoWriMo, best wishes to you! I hope you all meet your goal!
Do you ever find yourself stuck on a plateau? Is this time of year ripe for halting your progress?
Join me on Friday when we'll discuss ways to overcome plateaus in your writing.
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