Saturday, November 23, 2013

Stop Procrastinating

When I don’t want to do something, I find myself massively productive in other areas. If I’m avoiding a task, I check in on Facebook to update my friends on my word count. I decide to do the dishes or even get inspired to cook. Why? I don’t want to do what I need to do.
Breaks Are Important


Never let anyone tell you that breaks are pointless in writing. Can you imagine sitting at your computer from sunup to sundown until you finished writing your 50,000th word? I’d go nuts, too.
Breaks give you perspective. They let you focus your mind elsewhere. They help you tackle your next paragraph efficiently. Breaks are a wonderful tool, but we must use them wisely this month. We can’t write our stories if we spend more time on the internet than writing our stories.


Just Do It


Set a goal. Get to the end of the page. Write a new chapter. Finish the conversation. Finish the scene. Introduce the new character. Get to a point where you feel comfortable stopping, then take a break. Time yourself, or at least keep an eye on the time. If you’re not done for the day (you’ll know if you are), then remind yourself that you have to get back to writing.

Have you missed a TV show that you love? Promise yourself that you can watch the episode once you meet your word count goal. Find something simple that you can reward yourself with for reaching your goal. Let it become normal to sit at your computer and write.

Find something that works for you. Push yourself to get it done. Now, not tomorrow. Do you want to scramble to write 5000 words on the last day? Good. Then write. Now!

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