After going through a serious writing drought this winter
and spring, I’m making myself write every
day this month. My goal for each day is 500 words. So far, I’ve met or exceeded
my goal every day except for one, and I’m proud to say I’ve reached 7,000 words
this morning on my newest work in progress. This new project is a young adult novel told through two different perspectives
(I like to say that I write really small – flash fiction – or really large –
novels—but nothing in between). It’s
realistic fiction…mostly. There is definitely a science fiction element going
on, a little bit of weirdness and mystery that I’m pulling in. I don’t want to
say too much just yet, since it is very fresh and still forming in my brain, but
I am so excited to be starting on something new!*
Since I’ve been struggling with making time for my writing
lately, and I’m sure others do, too, I wanted to share some techniques that
have been working for me this month.
1. Achievable Writing Goals. 500 words a
day is not too overwhelming. (This blog post will likely top out at 600 words...and 5 or 6 awkward gifs.)
Picking a word count that I can easily handle (and complete in less than an
hour, if needed) has been enormously helpful.
via GIPHY
2. Writing in the Morning. I find that if
I get my writing out as soon as possible (certainly before noon; before 10am if
possible), I don’t struggle with as much writer’s block and I don’t forget to
do it.
via GIPHY
3. Double-timing Brainstorming. I spend a
lot of time with my sons. I find that I can let my brain wander when building Hot
Wheels race tracks for the hundredth time with my 3-year-old or while breastfeeding the baby. This helps me think through scenes, characters, and plot issues so that I
can come to my laptop ready to let the words loose rather than stumbling
through these brainstorming elements during my writing time.
via GIPHY
4. Scheduling that Works for Me. I’m not
sure if this is a legitimate diagnosis, but I swear my brain is more creative
during the summer and early fall. I do my best writing and lesson planning
during these times. Attempting a writing challenge at a time like this works
best for me. (As opposed to, say, April, when I’m burned out, or November, when
I’m super busy —I know, I know, NaNoWriMo, I love you, but your timing is
flawed for my teaching schedule.)
via GIPHY
5. Playing Games. I like to play little
writing games with myself. For instance, I’ll set a timer to ten minutes and
make myself write that entire time without any breaks. I might put down some bizarre
or low quality writing on the page, but at least the words are out there: it’s
a start. Or I’ll tell myself that I need to finish a certain scene today; regardless
of where it is in the novel, I’ll only work on that scene. Outside of my
writing time, I try to take my sons to new places or try out new games and
adventures as a family, hoping that it will spike that summertime creativity I
mentioned above.
via GIPHY
I’m taking my writing challenge one day at a time, and I’m
hoping to have a ton of beautifully-crafted prose by the time I’m done. Just kidding! I anticipate at least a pile of decent, re-workable stuff with some quality nuggets to build off of. First
and foremost, I love writing, and I needed something to get me back into it
after a busy school year. I’m hopeful these techniques will make June a fun and
fulfilling month of writing.
*A note about my Northwoods
Barista Mystery Series: Jordy fans, don’t worry—I’m not giving up on
the series yet! The third book is in progress—right now, it’s a rough
collection of an outline, notes on the suspects and crimes, and about 10,000
words of the typical sarcastic comments, over-caffeinated thoughts, and
questionable detective skills that are a trademark of my narrator Jordan
Nimsby. It’s coming together, and I will definitely spend some of my June
challenge with Jordy, too. I hope to have the next book ready for release in
Spring of 2019, if not sooner. I will keep everyone updated on this blog.
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