The NaNoWriMo Challenge continues at a pace. This week I had my best writing day (4027 words - yesterday) and my least productive writing day (0 words – today! [edit - after writing this post I then sat down and got 1000 or so words written for the novel. Smiley face!]) so a mixture of emotions really. I felt like I got ahead of the game only to be dragged back to the real world of procrastination and prioritising conflict (which is another way of saying that ‘life was just getting in the way’)
I don’t think I could justify the 4 back-to-back episode splurge of PJ masks that I watched this afternoon though. I’ve struggled to get up at my usual 5am slot this week. Partly because of a string of late nights and partly because somehow I managed to mute the alarm on my watch without realising it. Any Casio specialists reading this, please get in touch!
Anyway, I’ve still been sharing my tips and advice on the NaNoWriMo WIIN (Write It In November) Whatsapp group each morning. This week’s tips were:
Productivity Tip #7 – The Sound of a Writer.
I’m not talking about the tippety-tap of the keyboard. Or the thump thump of a forehead smashing against a table in frustration.
I’m talking about the sounds that you put in your ears while you are writing.
It’s one of the few senses that you actually have full control over while you type. You can utilise it in one of 2 ways.
1. Play Concentration Music
Whether that means you find a classical relaxation mix on YouTube or bust out your favourite meditation CD (if you can even remember what a CD is!), crack on and enjoy. One suggestion from the group was to get Spotify Premium, click on the Browse tab and check out the ‘Focus’ selection for a whole list of mixes and playlists that you can plug yourself into for hours.
Whatever you choose, make sure it’s music only. You don’t want to be writing a romantic love story and subconsciously slip in some Eminem lyrics.
2. Choose soundtracks that match your scene / genre / mood
I used this to good effect for a previous book when I was writing a murder mystery based on a stormy mountain in Scotland. I spent virtually the entire first draft writing period filling my ears with the sounds of rainfall on loop.
Productivity Tip #8 – Chunk Your Targets
My aim is the write 50,000 words before the end of the month. Using a bit of mental arithmetic that works out at 1,666.66666 recurring words a day (so as long as I finish each sentence two thirds of the way through a word then I’m alrig…)
With this in mind I can judge accurately every day to see if I am track to reach my overall target.
Also, it stops me being overwhelmed by the monumental task.
I imagine a conversation with myself at the beginning of the month going something like this:
Jon 1 – Ok, the plan is to write 50,000 words in a month. You reckon you can manage that?
Jon 2 – 50,000 words! Are you crazy!!!
Jon 1 – Alright. How about we just try to do 1,667 words today and see how it goes?
Jon 2 – Yeah, ok. That might just be doable.
Productivity Tip #9 – Cut Yourself Some Slack
I’m not saying it’s time to put your feet up. You're not going to be slacking off.
Before you can ‘Cut’ some slack, you’ve got to ‘Make’ it first. So work your arse off for a day or two to give yourself some breathing room.
I nailed a 4,027 day so that I could have a bit of a break at the weekend.
You’ve got to be disciplined to stay ahead of the game.
That being said, when you do have you pre-arranged slack off time, take it. Recharge your batteries and come back all guns blazing. (I’m pretty sure I’ve mixed my metaphors there. Guns don’t tend to be powered by batteries!)
Productivity Tip #10 – Reference Later
If you are writing a non-fiction book and you need a reference or a quote or you are writing fiction and you just can’t think of a witty simile right now, stress not.
Rather than breaking your writing flow, which is oh-so important to writing a lot of words in a short space of time, just make a quick note and reference later.
Whenever I get to a point like this I just put the following in the text
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (REFERENCE)
When I come to edit later I’ll make sure that I’ve backed up my point appropriately or put down the a simile more cunning than a one liner delivered by Blackadder’s Baldrick.
Productivity Tip #11 – Turn the Wifi Off
Most modern laptops have the option of turning the wifi off (or at the very least turning your laptop to ‘aeroplane mode’.
Or you could do what I’ve done which is somehow disable the wifi completely. I’m currently sat on an undersized stool in the corner of my daughter’s playroom where the modem is so that I can post this blog. Living the romantic writer dream!!
Whatever you do, switch off the internet because you don’t need those beeps and whoops. Or, to follow on from the previous ‘Reference Later’ tip, it will prevent you from being tempted to look.
It will also relax your mind from the constant anxiety of potential emails coming in or those curious internal thoughts we sometimes have, like ‘What is the weather like in Bali right now?’ You won’t be tempted to Google the answer because you won’t be able to (unless you turn the wifi on again but that defeats the point of the tip. Stay strong, people!)
Productivity Tip #12 – Plan for the Next Day
Tonight before you go to bed do two things.
1. Decide WHEN you are going to write tomorrow. Think about your commitments, your work, your plans. And decide which hour or two you are going to devote to completing your writing project. Put it in your diary if you want.
2. Decide precisely WHAT you are going to write. This will get your brain thinking about it before you drop off to sleep. You can let your subconscious do the leg work in figuring out exactly how you’re going to write it. You might even dream about it if you are lucky. Or, I guess, not lucky if you're writing a horror novel!
The next NaNoWriMo post will be #13-17 and should come out Friday. Unless I am in a horrendous digit dislocation related injury. Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen!