Yesterday I reached a milestone in my current work-in-progress: 70k words. Not a big deal? Probably not. But it is for me because I never thought I’d write any story over 50k. When I bemoaned this fact to an author/publisher I met at Hypericon, he suggested I add a new character. It worked. Actually, I added three characters. The trick was to integrate them into the novel so their presence was organic to the plot.
My goal is to finish the first draft of this novel by the end of the month. One inspiration keeping me on target is the “Don’t Break the Chain” calendar. According to The Writers Store, the calendar is inspired by Jerry Seinfeld. For every day you write, mark an X on the calendar. The idea is to keep the chain of Xs intact. In other words, “don’t break the chain.”
Since January 5 there’s a continuous chain of green Xs on the calendar taped to the wall in front of me. Granted, there are 340 days left, but my goal is to keep up this level of discipline toward my writing. And anyone who knows me knows I like to challenge myself.
If you’re interested in obtaining your own calendar, The Writers Store offers a free PDF download. And the good news? You can start any day of the year.
1 comment:
my trick: aim to be consistent. Whether you write 300 words or 1 000 words in a day, the point is that you've had your bum on the chair.
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