I appreciate all the comments telling me to relax or meditate or forget about work… you guys are sweet, really, I was, however, hoping for more of a drill-sergeant-like approach. Like “unless I write 1,000 words a day, I have to [insert humiliating spectacle here].”
Come on, people. Let’s be creative!
Because hte week’s almost over and I am growing a bit concerned about my lack of output. I am having structural issues that I know I just need to ignore for now and fix later, but they keep staring me in the face every time I open my file.
Oh, and I’m not getting my car back for another week. AGH! Poor Nikita! I miss her.
June 17th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Every 50 words wins you an M&M/Skittle/treat of choice that you get to ingest immediately.
Hungry? WRITE MORE!
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June 17th, 2010 at 10:03 am
If you don’t write 1000 words a day you must go out in the front yard and sing “I’m a Little Teapot” as loudly as you can.
or
You can go to your neighbors with a business card telling them you are a unicorn hunter and you need to search their houses for killer unicorns. Also give them a briefing on what do to should they spot a killer unicorn.
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June 17th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I know the feeling. I cannot move past structural issues until I fix them. I say, suck it up and fix them and then by the time you’re done, you’re going to be excited to work on new parts of the book. Not to mention, this will save you from rewriting later on since the book will be structurally sound and you won’t be cutting scenes cause they no longer work later.
Also, I might add, meeting this deadline now will help you immensely with dealing with OTHER deadlines in your future!!! heh.
Marianne (who is finishing and passing in The Camelot Code today if it KILLS her.)
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June 17th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I know what you mean! I’m crazy with this revision right now. I actually wrote a (very) short story just to get my head out of the book and provide a little distance/clarity. It didn’t work. *sadface*
Public accountability is the best motivator for me. I really hate having to tell my husband that I didn’t make my word count. So how about this…post your daily word count to LJ or your blog!
Added incentive: I’ll post my daily word count as well. Because misery loves company.
Extra added incentive (because you really can’t have too much): If we write 1000 words a day then we get a treat of our choice. (I have a bag of Dove dark chocolates taunting me right now.)
If we don’t make our daily word counts, well, honestly publicly admitting failure is about as humiliating as it gets for me, though that teapot song idea was good, too. *grins*
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June 17th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
I’m particularly qualified for this sort of thing, being a mother you know…
First off, it’s a GOOD THING you don’t have your car because that keeps you home, BIC. Next, I agree with Marianne . . . deal with the structural issues if they are preventing progress. Then, you need to do howevermany gazillion words a day to get on track or else you won’t get your allowance and will have to clean your room. And no dessert either.
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June 17th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
If you write a 1.000 words per day you’ll end up so exhausted at the ALA conference that you won’t be acccountable for your actions. Who knows what possibly harmful actions could occur…Therefore it’s in your editors benefit to keep you in good health.
Good luck!
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June 17th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Just START!! Mary Poppins said “Once begun is half done” and she was right (even though I think she was a witch…). Go drill sergeant on yourself and say “I’m going to sit down, open Word and just start typing.”
Also, what helps me is if I just sit sometimes and close my eyes and write down whatever comes to mind. Usually those turn into some of my favorite scenes. (But I could just be a hippie)
Good luck, Diana!
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June 17th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Yeah, I’m all about the rewards system (candy always motivates me). Also, planning out each day the night before and forcing yourself to follow that schedule.
Also, have you tried going to the library/not working at home? It works wonders for me.
Hope you are doing okay after your accident. Now get to work!
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June 17th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
First, you have to announce contest winners
And if you don’t, you have to write an essay on why zombies are better than unicorns.
Then, if you don’t start getting your word count in, Missy, I’m going to make you a Zombies are better than Unicorns t-shirt and you will have to take pictures of yourself wearing it and post it on your blog!!!
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June 17th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
BTW–I want to go on the record as saying I never did *any* of those things to my kids. Indeed not! I took away their sushi.
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June 17th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Okay, I’ve got one.
:ahem: Ready?
You requested this, right?
:whisper: I haven’t read any of your books yet. /whisper:
See, I always try authors used first and I’ve been waiting for the paperback version of Rampant. To buy used.
So, let’s say if you make the new mid-July deadline, I’ll take it off my PBS wishlist and buy it for realz. With money and everything.
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June 17th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I tend to set myself deadlines/goals in a public forum (like, say, a blog, for example) so that I have all those people just ready and waiting to hold me accountable. I tend not to be affected by deadlines in a general sense, until I connect them to a person on the other side of it. When it becomes about letting that person down, I work like all the demons of hell are on my tail. Just set myself a deadline for finishing my current WIP (three weeks, gack) and so far it’s been working like a charm.
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June 17th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Okay, you’re probably not going to like this one, but you DID ask for it . . .
Since you mentioned “butt-busting” in the last entry, let’s make it literal rather than figurative. If you don’t write 1000 words a day, Sailor Boy spanks you and posts a video of the spanking to YouTube.
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June 18th, 2010 at 8:26 am
Hey, have you heard of something called Write or Die? Carly is using it to much effectiveness. I’m going to try it when I finish these #$!@& revisions and start new work next week!
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June 18th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Just turn off your internet. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you are.
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June 18th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Well, then. If you don’t write a thousand words a day, you must buy a Buck Double Burger combo from Burger King, blenderize it with a leaf/vegetable/fruit from every different species of plant in your garden (or however much you can fit in the blender), and drink it.
Oh, and film it for hilarity’s sake!
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June 18th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Dragonfly’s comment was really good.
Have you tried Write or Die? It’s a great program. There’s something about being timed and knowing that a red screen is going to flash if you’re not typing that seems to make the words come out. It’s true spelling sometimes goes out the window, but this is a quick first draft of a scene that is then edited and fleshed out afterwards.
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June 18th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I am the queen of the timed session. I pick a block of time–as short as 15 minutes, if I’m feeling particularly unmotivated or distracted, longer if I want to really get work done. My maximum has been 30 minutes, since it’s really intense focus time. Then I set the timer, and until the timer beeps I am not allowed to stop working, even if I hate it, even if I know it’s not working right. I have an easier time focusing knowing that a scheduled break is coming up.
Then when the timer beeps I have a little break, and then set the timer and do another round. Last November I wrote 100,000 words in three weeks using this method–and I only wrote a couple hours a day.
Good luck! I’ll be sending you good progress vibes!!!
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June 18th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
P.S. Purple Ranger is entering dangerous territory . . . you might not want the kind of attention you’d get if you put up spanking vids on YouTube! *falling over laughing*
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June 19th, 2010 at 11:55 am
You know, Michelle, Diana DID tell us to “be creative.” My friends will tell you that telling me something like that is tantamount to going to Chernobyl, and pulling ALL of the control rods from the reactor.
It looks as though there is a new anti-spam word in the mix. My word this time was “elise.” A new character in ASCENDANT?
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June 19th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Purple Ranger . . . HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! You sound like my kinda people.
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June 22nd, 2010 at 10:35 am
Thanks, Michelle. If you want to get a look at my geekier side, just take a look at my LJ.
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