Monday, November 4, 2024

It's Writing month!

November marks my 19th foray into pouring out a novel in 30 days. 

I used the last half of October to get back into the writing groove, because I'm here to tell you, if you haven't been writing at all seriously in nine or so months, the brain gets a little rusty in that department.

To get back into the swing of things, I set a goal to write (at least) 500 words a day from Oct 14 to 31. Setting a goal lower than I know darn well I can do helped alleviate the pressure of  'having to do the thing'. While it was a rough start and there were three days early on that I wrote less or nothing at all, I did manage to grease the gears enough that my brain and fingers remembered how this noveling thing works. By the end of the month, I was hitting my usual NaNo pace of 1,800 words a day.

I used Trackbear, a nifty new to me app to help set my habit goal that I can also use to set word goals and combine word counts to meet those goals across multiple projects. This is super handy and much easier than trying to math while in writing mode. Check out this free app if your interested in setting writing goals and establishing good wordy habits.

How do I have time to hit 1800 words a day with a job, surprise kids, pets, and all the usual life things?  When I'm in full noveling mode, I write three times a day. Morning (before everyone else is up) tends to be pretty productive. A quick twenty minutes after work but before making dinner. And then whatever time I have between after dinner and before running the surprise kids around / spending time with my husband / becoming unconscious. 

Can I crank out 1,800 words in one sitting? Yes. Can I do that in an hour and half? Sure. Do I like to? No. It's mentally exhausting and hard to maintain day after day. For me, anyway. Your word mileage may vary. Breaking up the word load over the whole day is easier to handle and less stressful. And who needs stress? Save that for your characters. 


If you're not familiar with 
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participating writers.

This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is: What creative activity to you engage in when you're not writing? 

I paint, doodle, go on random new craft binges, and when in the mood, do cross stitch. What do you like to do?

9 comments:

  1. I also go on craft binges, and often on binges for crocheting, but my love is really woodworking small things like birdhouses and wooden pumpkins. Best of luck with your endeavors.

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    1. Those all sound like fun! Fun fact: I cannot crochet. Brain no make hands go like that.

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  2. Trackbear is an interesting app. I used AI to find its Website and learn about its features. Thanks for the info and happy doodling.

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  3. If you knew how long it takes me to do the bare minimum NaNo word count a day, you'd be thrilled it only takes you ninety minutes.

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    1. There are days it takes me an hour to write 200 words, don't get me wrong. ;) I'm not on writing fire everyday.

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  5. I'm like Alex--a very slow writer. I like how you're able to squeeze in short bursts of writing to meet your writing goals.

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  6. I like the idea of setting a doable goal to get back into the swing of things. And the app--I will definitely check that out. My writing as stalled and I need to kick it back into gear.

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  7. I used to cross stitch too. I think you are incredible! You know the saying, ask a busy person the best way to get something done!

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