Tuesday Tips

Hey Ferb, I know what we're going to do today.  I would like to begin a regular post on Tuesdays giving tips and links of great writing or inspirational ideas.  Unfortunately, I haven't been wasting devoting time lately surfing the web, so I'll give my humble tips that have helped me out most lately.

I have an eensy-weensy tendency to procrastinate when it comes to writing.  But I am goal-oriented, and I know there are no magic writing wands, so I've had to figure out ways to motivate myself to meet my own set deadlines.  The following are a few ways I use to keep my fingers moving on the keyboard:

When I don't feel like getting started, like many writers, I set a timer for however long I feel I can write.  If it's 10 minutes, then that's all I commit to.  To be perfectly honest, though, I don't actually use a timer.  It's too, well, time consuming for me to locate one either real world or online.  So, I just set a time goal on the computer clock in the bottom right screen.  Usually, I keep on writing past the ten, but if I feel like I'm forcing myself to write, I can reward myself afterward for making it for my set time.

Another handy-dandy thing that has helped me at different times is a website I found called http://www.750.com/.  It's a site that encourages people to write 750 words a day.  Using the site, I've twice met deadlines I didn't think I would ever meet.  I like to use it when I have a scene to write, but I'm not motivated to get going on it.  The 750 words gives me a goal, and I often push myself and am pleasantly surprised sometimes with what I write.

You may have tried one or both of these before, but if you haven't, it's worth a shot.

Happy writing!

Bad Writer; Good Writer

How bad do you beat yourself up if you don't meet your deadlines?

I didn't meet my deadline, but I did make progress. My story went from floundering to flying along and, given another week or two, it will be ready to submit. What was it that got me BICHOK (Butt in chair, Hands on keyboard)? Twitter! No, really, I'm not joking.

I was taking a "break" from writing when I came across a tweet that praised a writer's website called www.750words.com. Nothing special, but when you set up an account, it keeps stats for you and encourages you to write 750 words each day (you can easily write more, if you want, then cut and paste into a word document). It's very much like NaNoWriMo, but a daily goal, rather than a monthly goal. Plus, it's small enough that you can easily meet your goal within an hour if you really work at it. It keeps track of your overall time, your words per minute, your breaks, even some categories that show what you focus on most. To make it even more useful as a writing tool, it shows the words you repeat often.

Is it the end-all, be-all for writers? No, it's probably not even something that I'll use every day, but it does add an element of fun.

All this brings me back to deadlines. Although I didn't meet my goal, I feel better about my progress and, yes, I have a new deadline (probably a little more realistic this time). If I write 1000 words a day for the next ten days, I'll finish my short. Wish me luck!

Happy writing.