The New Year has begun, now two days
into it, and already I feel behind. I want to write at least 1000 words a day,
but so far I have been doing housework, shopping and organizing. Sometimes I
think I sabotage myself by noticing all the things around me that need to be
done. It’s only the second day but my mind keeps telling me to get it right from the start. This is a
new year with a lot of projects mulling in my head, and I want to make a good
effort. I will use a schedule just so I don’t get into the bad habit of wasting
time. So here goes:
· Write every weekday from 7 am until
1000 word goal is attained or noon, whichever comes last. I will test the waters to see if I
can attain that in the allotted time. If I need more time I will adjust. If I am
on a roll I will allow myself to continue. Writing new material more frequently
is a major goal I have for this year. I am trying not to define it too rigidly
but I need to discipline my writing time.
· Monday Wednesday & Friday
afternoons are reserved to write blogs & catch up on social media.
This blog will be written on
Wednesdays - my other site will have posts on Mondays & Fridays.
· On all other days I will edit my
current book manuscripts in the afternoon - taking one chapter per day. So on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
& Sundays, and any other time I can spare in between, I will be editing.
I hope my husband understands I have
no time allotted for cooking or cleaning. I will try hard to get groceries and
do laundry. It won’t be easy and unfortunately I am one who gets distracted
easily. I hope the schedule will work because I really want to forge ahead with
full steam this year. In order to help myself I will be taking the following
steps.
8
Simple Steps to Help YOU Write
1. Do not open email until the writing
is finished.
2. Do not go on the internet until the
writing is finished.
3. Do not go on the phone or text until
the writing is finished.
4. Utilize story boards and outlines to
help the story stay focused.
5. When stuck and waiting for the right
idea – jump ahead and work on another part and revisit the scene later after
time to incubate.
6. Do not stop to research a point–
instead make a note and jump over that spot to the next lines. Later go back
and research and revise as needed. Use the NaNoWriMo approach –keep moving
forward and then revise and update the ideas later during the rewrite and when
there is time to delve into the research. Use the editing time allotted.
7. Remind myself that good work takes
time to develop.
8. Keep a positive attitude.
Happy writing
to all!
Look for my post on Friday Jan 4th at my other blog site. http://zguta.wordpress.com
I will remind myself of these 8 steps as I set goals for writing. Thank you for sharing. It's so hard to stay focused when life knocks at the door. :)
ReplyDeleteElisabeth, this is wonderful. Minimizing electronic and social media distractions is a big goal of mine in 2013. I admire your decision to not pay attention to either until you reach your daily writing goal. We can do this!
ReplyDelete