Sometimes it isn't all that easy to keep going at a long writing project. When it is a full novel, it is easy to become defocussed, not write for a day or two, leading to three and four..... soon loss of interest sets in, mainly because it is hard to pick up the threads of where we left off.
The easy answer is the hardest to do!
KEEP WRITING.
Don't stop.
This is what I try to do:
1. I write every single day.
2. Set a minimum target.
3. If I can, I go beyond that target so that if I do fall short on one day, I am not behind.
4. I write it on Facebook. Twitter it. "Managed 1200 wds yesterday. etc." It will give me a boost when others comment or like my status. It might spur others on too.
5. I keep a written record. At the end of each day, I write down date, page no, and word count. I can look back and see how I've done each day.
6. When I leave the computer, I space down, and make notes to remind myself what the next thing is. I make other notes too, about what threads I need to pick up on, when and perhaps where.
7. When I go to bed and switch off the light, I spend a few minutes thinking about where I am with my writing. I snuggle up with my characters in my head. If I have a problem about where to go next with the plot, I think about it, and that is the last thought in my head when I go to sleep.
8. I mostly wake up the next morning with those thoughts in my head, which is good, because I might be close to solving the problem. Or it will be solved.
About Me
- Marilyn Rodwell
- The Wedding Drums - my novel set in an early 20C village in Trinidad is almost here. Two young girls, Amina and Sumati plot to escape their arranged marriages and plan to live life following their own dreams. But Sumati falls in love and runs away, putting Amina's plans in jeopardy. Neither of them bank on what is in store for them. Soon they face the adult world of scheming men, corruption, prostitution and violence, and life in the village will never be the same again.
Your working methods are so similar to mine! Do you reward yourself for the work you have done? If not, try it - you'll find you do even better. Sue x
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you Sue! And nice to know your patterns are similar to mine. But I haven't thought to reward myself! Maybe I should. I suppose the reward is when people comment on my FB posts. But the book is not a chapter from the end, so that is my big reward. For now!
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