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Tag: writing tips

7 Ways to Write More Words and Read More Books

Tracey Dyck 19 Comments

Before we dive in, I’d like to highlight some great editing tips Jenny Frietag @ The Penslayer compiled this week. You can read the post HERE. I was thrilled to see a piece of my own advice included!

The end of November is drawing near, folks, in case you haven’t noticed. Which means thousands of writers are striving to meet their fifty thousand word goal in the days remaining. I am not among that huge tribe of crazy (that is, crazy awesome) people, but perhaps I’m absorbing some of their excitement, because I’ve been more productive this month than I have been in the last two months combined. Hooray!

Whether you’re doing NaNoWriMo or not, if you’re a writer, you probably want to write. (I should hope so, or else why call yourself a writer?) And quite possibly, you want to write more than you are currently doing. But life is busy, isn’t it? How do you find the time?

However, not all of you reading this are writers. But there’s a 98.239% chance that you are a reader.* Life is busy for you as well. Things like school and work and obligations crowd out less urgent things like reading.

*I would be surprised if this blog attracted someone who didn’t care for books in some way.

So what are we busy readers and writers to do? I can’t promise a magical solution to clear your schedule, but I do have some lil’ tips to share that can help you put more time into your creative pursuits.

Step 1: Recognize that time is not a thing to be found or made.

You can’t find time–you already have it. Nor can you manufacture time. You have twenty-four hours every day. No more, no less. The most productive writers and most prolific readers out there don’t have more time than you do! They’ve just found a way to manage their time wisely.

Time is a resource, just like health or finances. So evaluate where you’re putting it. Figure out what’s nonnegotiable, such as sleep, work, school, time spent with God, building and maintaining your relationships, etc.

Step 2: Manage your free time.

Everything outside of those nonnegotiables can be moved around or minimized.

I keep my Goodreads status updated, so obviously I have time for it. Likewise with the shows I watch, blogs I read, and YouTube videos I consume. All good things, but also all potential time-suckers.

For a few days, pay attention to all the little things you do, then decide whether those are things you want to spend time on. Trust me, I’m as guilty of wasting time as anyone else. (I’m trying to break some bad phone habits, to be honest.) But you might be surprised how quickly those little things add up. Five minutes on your phone five times a day is twenty-five minutes, you guys–almost half an hour.

Step 3: Find the blank spaces in your day.

This will look different for everyone. For me, I read during my lunch breaks at work, even if it’s only a few pages. My brother and I take turns driving to school, which gives me forty free minutes to read when he’s the driver. Three days of the week, my college schedule is such that I have a couple free hours over suppertime, so if I don’t have homework, I usually answer emails and blog comments, draft a new post, or write.

If you’re in a waiting room, that’s another chance to read. If you have a few minutes between activities, you can scribble out some plot points so that later, you can jump right into your next writing session without staring at a wall for ten minutes.

Step 4: Carve it out of your schedule with a ruthless knife of terror.

If you’ve done all of the above and you STILL DON’T HAVE TIME (oh, excuse me, haven’t managed the time) . . . you may have to carve out a block of your day to curl up with a book or write a few pages. Don’t feel bad if you have to schedule this stuff in.  If to-do lists and planners are your thing, penciling in your hobbies might be the trick to finally doing them.

Step 5: Hold yourself accountable.

Whether it’s the satisfaction of checking off that box or buying a new book once your current read is finished, find a way to reward yourself for sticking to it. Writers, what motivates you? Some of my writer friends like to forbid themselves from using the internet until they’ve written X amount of words each day–for them, social media is a nice little break before jumping back into their manuscript. Or maybe taking a walk, playing with your dog, grabbing a snack, or indulging in stupid YouTube videos is what will drive you to reach a daily goal.

It’s also a good idea to find someone who will keep you accountable, someone who will ask you what you’ve written this week. Knowing you have to report to them will give you that extra drive to keep going.

Step 6: Short stuff.

Obviously if you read shorter books you’ll read a larger quantity of books, and if that makes you feel better, no problem. But that’s not really the point, because you’re still not reading more pages . . . So I guess that’s not super useful! But reading in short bursts whenever you have a minute helps.

In writing, don’t underestimate the power of word sprints/word wars. I’ve found that I can write more if I set myself a series of ten or fifteen minute sprints, with the simple goal to see how much I can write during that time.

Something the 100-for-100 challenge taught me was that even if you’re crazy busy, you can still write a little bit. And we all know that a lot of little bits add up to a big bit.

Step 7: There’s a time to just do it, and there’s a time to relax.

Sometimes you have to work at getting around to the things you love. Silly, I know, but that’s how life is. And if you’re fighting to guard your reading/writing time, great. But don’t become so task-oriented that you suck the joy out of those things. Don’t write just because you scheduled it 7:30-8:30 every Wednesday night, and you have to write five hundred words or ELSE. Don’t read just because you have to get through six books a month to meet your Goodreads challenge.

Do it because you actually want to.

Really, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to shut off your brain after a long day, and watching a movie instead of writing. You need to unwind too, or your writing will suffer. And don’t be so wrapped up in making progress that you kill the book you’re reading. It should be recreational, after all! Take it easy now and then.

All you NaNo’ers: this is the month to power through and meet those goals, yes! But don’t do it at the expense of your health or peace of mind. Take a day off if you need to, even if it means working extra tomorrow to make up for it. The world will not end if you don’t write 1,667 words today.

So why are you still hanging around Adventure Awaits? Go write that book! Or read it, whichever you choose.

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The Writer’s Life Tag

Tracey Dyck 19 Comments
Time to make a dent in my pile of accumulated tags! Way back in spring, fellow bookdragon Christine Smith tagged me for the Writer’s Life Tag. It sounded like fun, since who among the writing community doesn’t like chatting about each other’s methods and habits? Yet despite my enthusiasm, I somehow forgot about it, and went on my merry way for half a year. #oops
But here I am, digging it out at last! Pull up a chair, honorable questers, grab a cup of tea (or coffee, or juice, or Viking-worthy ale if that’s your thing), and let’s talk.
picture & graphic belong to Christine Smith

Write-fuel: What do you eat/drink while writing?

I’m don’t usually munch and write at the same time, because crumbs in my keyboard = blegh. But I often have water nearby, or sometimes tea. My go-to flavor is vanilla chai. If I’m really in the zone, I sometimes forget to drink, though.


Write-sounds: What do you listen to while writing?

Recently, I haven’t been listening to anything besides whatever background noise is going on. It’s been a while since I was holed up in my room in front of my laptop–these days I write wherever my family is (usually I’m curled up on the couch or parked at the dining room table) or during breaks in college. But when I do listen to music, it’s movie soundtracks or instrumental albums. Some favorites are the Narnia soundtracks, the Divergent soundtrack, Epic Music I and Epic Music II by indie composer Jonathan Maiocco, and music by Two Steps from Hell.

Write-vice: What’s your most debilitating distraction?

Emails, blogging, Goodreads . . . let’s just say the internet in general! There are always little things to check or take care of instead of writing those words, and they can either break my momentum or keep me from starting to write at all.

Write-horror: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you while writing?

I know plenty of writers have horror stories about losing their work and whatnot, but that’s only happened to me once, and it was only a page or two. So I’d have to say the worst thing would be the times in high school when I got so wrapped up in my story that I lost track of time and neglected to put supper in the oven or change a load of laundry. My family has had to change supper plans at least a few times on account of me!

Write-joy: What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you while writing, or how do you celebrate small victories?

Every time I get caught up in a story, in a stream of words and images and emotions–when I’m so focused, the outside world barely exists–it’s euphoria. I will slog through pages of uninspired words for a moment like that.
It’s also very encouraging to receive feedback from beta readers or blog commenters, people who have read something I’ve written and care enough to share their reactions. It’s the best feeling to know that they’ve been made to think, to feel, to see things in a new light, or to draw closer to Jesus . . . through a story I penned. It blows my mind every time, and I have Him to thank.

Write-crew: Who do you communicate with or not communicate with while writing?

When I’m actually, physically writing . . . I speak to no one, if I can help it. Human beings are distracting. But outside of writing sessions, I talk with a number of friends online and “in real life” (I don’t like that term because it implies that my online friends aren’t real as well, but I’m too lazy at the moment to come up with a better name for it).
“In real life,” my closest friends aren’t even writers, but they love me enough that they’re fascinated by my authorial rambles and enthusiastically support these dreams of mine. I’m also blessed with a few friends who do write, and they’re fun to bounce ideas around with.
Online, my main writing buddies are most often these lovely gals: Christine Smith, Deborah O’Carroll, and Mary Horton. Not to mention my broader network of bloggers and commenters who are always up for a writing-related chat!

Write-secret: What’s your writing secret to success or hidden flaw?

Let’s talk about both, because while I certainly don’t possess the key to conquering the writing universe, I have learned a few things along my journey thus far. And contrary to the brave face I may wear online, I am flawed. (I try to be genuine, but it’s easy to highlight the good stuff and filter out the bad.)
Secret to success: keep at it. Yes, there are times to drop a manuscript entirely or take a break from it, but I see so many young writers flitting from one story to another with the attention-span of a butterfly. They’re missing out on what can be learned from actually finishing a story, typing The End, bringing character arcs to completion, and tying up a plot. And if you never reach the end, you’ll never edit. If there are things to be learned from completing a book, then there’s ten times more to be gleaned from navigating the editing process!
Hidden flaw(s): I’m a relatively slow writer (though I’m not sure if that’s 100% true or if I would actually be faster than I think if I could devote full-time hours to writing). I often find research to be a drag and may procrastinate in getting to it. I struggle with self-doubt–sometimes while pushing through a messy first draft, and sometimes while staring at the fifth-and-still-vastly-imperfect draft and hoping that if I stare hard enough, it will fix itself. I’m still finding the balance between beautiful prose/immersive description and action/dynamic plot. Perfectionism gets in my way. But I’m working on all these things, slowly but surely!

Write-spiration: What always makes you productive?

Goals, just like Christine said for herself. A plan of action, self-imposed deadlines, the satisfaction of seeing progress being made. I’m always motivating myself, not necessarily with rewards, because the accomplishment is often enough for my task-driven personality. If I don’t set goals for myself, I don’t get anywhere and have little drive to keep writing when it gets tough.

Write-peeve: What’s one thing writers do (or you do) that’s annoying?

I am as guilty of this as anyone else out there: talking about writing more than actually writing. Whether it’s reading yet another blog post on the craft, or emailing a writing buddy, or coming up with a blog post about writerly issues–those are all good, helpful things, but they can take over the place of real writing. And the best way to become a better writer is to simply write.
There’s a place for talking, but if that’s all you do…

And now I tag . . .

And you, should you so desire! If you do the tag, leave me the link in the comments! Happy writing to you all, and especially those of you participating in NaNoWriMo.
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Guest Post: Interview with Christine Smith

Tracey Dyck 42 Comments

I’m super-de-duper excited to welcome a special friend to Adventure Awaits today: Christine Smith from Musings of an Elf! I’ve been blessed to know her for a couple years now, and she is such an encouraging ray of sunshine everywhere she goes. Enthusiastic, kind, perceptive, and an awesome writer to boot, she brightens her corner of the internet . . . and a whole lot of other people’s corners, too. I’ve had the privilege of beta reading one of her books (in novella form and as a full-length novel), and she’s returned the favor for me.

So it’s really about time I feature her here on my blog, and what better topic to discuss than her writing life? Ladies and gentlemen, I now give Christine the floor!

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Christine Smith is a twenty-something,
homeschool graduate who still believes in fairies and has every intention of
owning a pet dragon someday. One day she thought it’d be fun to write a book.
Fifteen years and much caffeine later, she’s still writing. Stories are her
life—reading, writing, watching, whatever it may be. She writes primarily YA
novels, and refuses to stop, no matter how old she gets. She loves tales grand
and epic and whimsical and beautiful. But her greatest love is her Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. Her favorite adventure of all is letting Him sweep her
off on His beautiful plan for her life. You can find Christine at her
blog musingsofanelf.blogspot.com,
where she muses on those many peculiar things writers think about.


1. How long have you been writing? Was there
a certain point in your writing life when you decided to pursue it as a career?
Can you share a little excerpt of your work-in-progress? (We’ve got to start
off with a bang and cover all the basics!)



I’ve been writing for 15 years, since I
was 9 years old. I always loved reading and just stories in general, but it
never occurred to me to try writing my own until I discovered a contest to
write a short story involving a horse in some way. It sounded fun, so I
couldn’t help but try it. Well, what was supposed to be a short story, turned
into a full novel, and I completely abandoned the whole contest thing and
instead happily became a novelist writer for fun.


The thought of publishing had always been
in my mind from the very beginning. But I never really…did anything about it.
I just dreamed and hoped. I called myself a writer, but I really only wrote
occasionally and never once read books on writing or learned the craft too
much. But then NaNoWriMo happened. I participated in my first NaNo in 2010 when
I was 18, and, oh, what a magical experience. I lived and breathed my NaNo
novel for 30 days, and managed to finish it soon after NaNo ended. Before, it
took me yeeears to finish a novel. But this one I wrote completely in under 3
months. I was in awe that I was capable of such a thing. And LOVED it. NaNo
taught me I could finish books, AND that writing was absolutely what I
wanted to do with the rest of my life.

After that NaNo, the thought of
publishing wasn’t a dream, but a tangible goal. I started following writing
blogs, making writing friends, reading articles on the craft, writing more
books and more and more. My books before this were cringe worthy, but
slowly and surely I saw improvement. I still have a long ways to go, but now,
yes, I definitely am pursuing it as a career. Writing is my world.

My current work-in-progress, Burning
Thorns, is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and the book I hope to start
pursuing publishing with first. Here’s an excerpt:

“Palms still spread out in front of
him, chest heaving, and blood pounding in her ears, Rose looked into his face.
“Dragon?”

He blinked, over and over, face scrunched
as if a war wrought inside his mind. Slowly, the untamed gleam in his eye
faded. For the first time since he attacked, he looked at her. He saw her.

She took a shuddering breath. A thousand
words she longed to say stormed in her throat, but only one broke free.
“Please.”

His charred lips parted, trembled, like
speaking pained him. His eyes roved over every inch of her face. They gazed
deep, piercing, hungry. Searching for something. She could see him now. Not the
dragon, but the man hidden underneath, so desperately trying to claw his way
out.


2. What does a typical writing session look like for you?

I really don’t do anything specific or special. I work best with goals, so if I
set out to write, I usually give myself a word limit I have to write before I
can stop. 500 words, 1k, 2k—something like that. Otherwise I’d just write like
100 words before quitting. If I don’t have a goal, laziness always wins. But if
I do have a goal, I obsess over it and have to make it. (I guess
that’s a good thing…?)

Once I sit down to write, I usually put on the playlist I made specifically for
the book, open the story and outline if I have one (some books I pants, some
books I plan, it just depends), and just write. I always have a beverage
by me, whether it be water, coffee, tea, coke. Just something to keep me
hydrated. I also have to be alone to write. If people are around, I get too
distracted and can’t immerse myself in my story. So pretty much always I write
in my room by myself. Well, except for Navi—my poodle/writing buddy. 😉 I tend
to get most of my writing done during the afternoons. Though I think my best
scenes come from when I write at night.

3. If you can manage to choose, what’s your favorite part of the writing
process—first draft, editing, etc.?

Does finishing a first draft count? Because that’s my absolute
favorite feeling. There’s just nothing like realizing that story that’s been
roaming your brain for months or even years is finally on paper. All those
hours and hours of work done. And, to me, the first draft is the most special.
Because with any other draft, you’re working with what’s already there, no
matter how much you rewrite it. But the first draft came about from an entirely
blank slate. And isn’t that a magical feeling? Making something utterly new
from nothing.

So yes, finishing a first draft is without a doubt my favorite part of the
writing process.

As far as editing vs. drafting. I think I’ve decided I enjoy them about
equally. They both have their pros and cons, though I may lean toward first
drafting a smidge.

4. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your writing journey.

Well, I guess I already did, talking about my first NaNoWriMo. So I’ll tell
you about my most recent turning point.


I just finished doing the first round of edits for Burning Thorns and having my amazing beta-readers (one of which is our very own Tracey here!) go through it. I’ve never before had a whole group of people read a full novel by me. It was an entirely new experience, and one of the best I’ve ever had. Ever since, I’ve had a huge support system, encouragement, so much great advice, and people helping me reach my goal of publishing. Publishing has always been a terrifying, overwhelming idea. But suddenly, with people supporting me and pushing me forward, it feels real and doable and exciting.


Moral of the story is: Find writing buddies! They’re the best things in the world.

5. As a reader, do you prefer series or standalones? How about as a writer?


This is a tricky question. Once upon a time, I was alllll about them series. I
hardly even touched standalones. I wanted a huge, epic plot and to be immersed
in it for long amounts of time. BUT, back in the day, I didn’t actually have a
whole lot of reading material. *gasp* I know, craziness! Used to, if I found a
series, I was ecstatic because it’d assure I’d have lots of books to read for a
while.

Then I got older and discovered magical things like GoodReads.com and thrift
stores and library sales and made writing/reading buddies who gave me 3892348
recommendations of books to read.

Now, I’m drowning in books. Which is the best thing EVER. Obviously. But…it
also means I have a TBR stack the size of Mount Everest and not nearly enough
time to read it all. And thus series are more daunting because it’s a
commitment, when I could just go through a bunch of standalones quickly
and lessen my to-be-read stack a bit.

BUT, whenever I do take on a series, my long-time love for series
returns and I wonder why I ever put off reading them. Disappearing inside one
storyworld for a long time is my favorite. It’s like I get to spend weeks in an
exciting place with dear friends, and I love it.

SO. Loooong story short, I think I like series best because I do prefer much
bigger, complex plots. But for some reason I procrastinate reading them.

Now then, as a writer. I pretty much only have experience writing series.
*sheepish grin* Technically Burning Thorns was supposed to be a
standalone, and still absolutely can be, but I also have a whole line of
fairytale retellings set in the same world floating through my brain. Whenever
I TRY to write something short, it becomes this monstrous, complicated series.
It’s a problem. >.> But, I kind of like it, too.

Basically, I just like long, epic plots—to read or write.

6. What’s a struggle you’re facing as a writer right now?

Self doubt has always been a huge one. But, again, my writing friends
are working on stomping away that self doubt because they’re the sweetest
things in the world.

As far as actual writing problems, worldbuilding has never been a strong suit.
I can come up with a thousand million plot ideas, but actual interesting worlds
to put them in? Nada. My worldbuilding always ends up sooo boring and/or
cliché. My brain just refuses to come up with fun, clever things. *glares at
useless brain* So that’s definitely something I want to strive to improve on.

Also, if you can’t tell by my ridiculously long answers, I’m not always good at
summing things up quickly. Eheheh.

7. What are you really excited about in your current writing life?

That the first round of edits for Burning Thorns is FINISHED. But
even more than that, that I’m not scared of editing anymore and actually ENJOY
it.

See, I’ve spent basically my entire life completely petrified of editing. Thus
I write a dozen first drafts, but never…actually…edit anything. Which is
like the biggest part of being a writer. Heh. But I finally took the
plunge and edited Burning Thorns, and all my fears were for naught.
Because I liked it. I LIKED EDITING. It was the most shocking and
wonderful writing revelation I’ve ever had.


8. What are some pieces of writing advice that have stuck with you?

Oh goodness, so many! Basically everything I’ve ever read on
the Go Teen Writers
blog. When I
started reading that blog was when my writing really started to improve.
The Go Teen Writers book is also my go-to for all things writerly.

Let’s see…

One day I stumbled upon this quote on Pinterest and it has never left my brain
since.

“The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write
about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the
road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off
the resonance.” -Richard Price

It’s such a simple but powerful, story changing thought. One of my most
favorite writing quotes, without a doubt.

9. If one of your existing characters had to show up in every single
story you ever write, who would you choose and why?

Bwahahaha! I love this question! XD

It’s really hard for me to not have all my characters in every single
story. They become such a special piece of my heart, it’s hard ever saying
goodbye. Which is probably why I love series so much, now that I think of it!

But, shockingly, I actually know exactly who I’d choose. Cael.

Cael is a sometimes villain/sometimes antihero/sometimes who-even-knows-what
from my Colors of a Dragon Scale series, a high fantasy, dragon rider
story. Cael wasn’t even supposed to exist. But one day he popped in my head and
completely took over everything. As in, the whole plot ended up
centering around him pretty much. Even though he didn’t appear until the 5th
book. O_O Only Cael can manage that, let me tell you.

He looks young (but looks can be deceiving *wink, wink*), has white hair
(because, ya know, white hair is awesome (though there is a reason, I
promise)), and somehow manages to be both the villain and best friend to one of
my protagonists.

The thing about Cael is he’s honestly NICE. Not your usual dark, brooding
villain/antihero type. Sure, he causes sooo much trouble, but he’s quite polite
about it and does actually care about people. He’s charismatic and fun
and nice and complex and, honestly, the character I’ve had the most fun writing
out of all my many, many beloved characters. (Sh, don’t tell the others.) I
actually feel comforted whenever he’s around. Even though, ya know, HE’S
TRYING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING. It makes no sense. >.> But that’s Cael for
you. He’s a walking conundrum.

So yes, I’d have so much fun putting him in all my stories. Even though he’d
steal the show in every single one and probably cause all sorts of horrible
disasters…

10. One of the things you really excel at is characters—making them deep and
relatable. You make me feel strongly in one way or another about each one!
What’s your secret?

*blushes and flails* TRACEY. The things you say! I don’t know about all that.
Goodness. I don’t think I have a secret! o.o

Um… It may have something to do with my personality type…? I’m super in
tune to people and just…get them. I understand people and what they
feel and why they feel things or do something. I’m not book smart AT.
ALL. But I guess you could say I’m people smart. It just comes naturally. Also
it’s one of my favorite subjects. I get absolutely obsessed with studying
personalities and just PEOPLE. (Reading about the Myers-Briggs personality
types is one of my favorite activities. #nerd) So I guess that could be it. I
just understand people, and it shows through in my writing.

Thank you so much for having me over at Adventure Awaits, Tracey! This was a
BLAST.

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Thanks for such awesome answers, Christine! I loved getting this window into your writing life, and I’m sure all you questers did as well. (That quote in #9 . . . wow. Just wow.) Be sure to leave a comment here for Christine, because she’s taking over the blog for the next while! She’ll respond to comments (but who am I kidding, I won’t be able to resist piping up too), and answer any questions you may have. So ask and comment away!

Also, on Monday the 19th, she’ll be featuring me on Musings of an Elf, so stay tuned for that as well. It’s going to be fun!

UPDATE: Here’s the link to that interview in which I chat about my writing process, a few of my favorite characters, and what my dream guest list would be for a seriously epic, authorly tea party!

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100-for-100 Challenge Report (aka i’ve fallen and i can’t get up)

Tracey Dyck 39 Comments
[source]
Thursday, September 8th was the final day of the 100-for-100 Challenge hosted by Go Teen Writers. In case you’re unfamiliar with that, it’s a challenge to write at least 100 words daily for 100 days.
So. Since the beginning of the summer (June 1st), I have written every day.* Um, wow. And I don’t mean wow, look at me, I’m such a fabulous superhuman writer. Because I’m not. (More on that in a minute.) I mean, wow, did I actually manage to follow through and beat the challenge? I honestly thought I would fail.

*Minus the twelve grace days I took. Participants were allowed one grace day a week, and one grace week throughout the duration of the challenge. I saved my grace week for family holidays, but we never took any, so I just kept writing.

In a way, the challenge seemed to drag on and on. Around the half to three-quarters mark, it felt like it would never end. But then I think I just fell into a daze of writing exhaustion and typed with numb fingers until, oh look, it’s over. And in a way, it passed quite quickly, and it doesn’t feel terribly long ago that I started out.
A hundred days is a long time to sustain something. So I thought I’d recap the challenge by sharing with y’all what I did to stay on track (in hopes of bolstering your own writing habits and figuring out how the pumpernickel I did it myself . . . because if I don’t write it down, I won’t internalize it). And I’ll also share the pros and cons of writing daily. I sense lists coming up! Because lists are life, am I right, my questing quizzle-birds?*
*What those are, I have no idea. Somebody make up some facts and add them to Wikipedia, quick!

I like charts almost as much as lists, so before we get to those, here’s my word counts for the challenge, if you’re interested:

How I Survived

  • I set a timer on my phone to go off at 8 pm daily. I’m often busy earlier in the day, so if I hadn’t written anything by the evening, I had that automatic reminder to get cracking. Most days when my alarm started tinkling sweet music, I had not written a single word. I wasn’t always able to put in my daily words right when the alarm went off, either, but having it ring near the end of the day kept that goal hovering at the forefront of my mind the rest of the evening. Some nights, I sat in my PJ’s on my bedroom floor to throw out a hundred words before bed. There were even a few nights where I’d already turned off the lights before I remembered, shoot, I haven’t written yet! Let’s just say there were a couple bleary-eyed, my-brain-is-dead writing sessions this summer.
  • That’s basically it.
  • But a one-item list is lame, so let me think about this harder.
  • . . .
  • . . .
  • Little is okay. Only two days did I break into a four-digit wordcount. Only twice! And only twenty-two days saw me crest 500 words. To say it another way, the only way I could manage to keep this up all summer was to be okay with producing small bits at a time. I just didn’t have the stamina to come up with a ton of story every day. But even a couple paragraphs moves the book forward. It’s that forward movement, that momentum, that’s important.
  • I let myself write junk. On busy days where my creative juices were low and the words just clunked together like tin cans in a dryer, I refused to freeze up. I wrote down those ugly tin can words because they were words. When I sensed the pacing doing weird things, or plot holes forming, I left myself notes and plowed onwards. To keep my momentum, I didn’t have time or energy to go back and fix things. Besides, this is a first draft. It’s not supposed to be pretty.
  • I slacked on research. You guys know this book (The Prophet’s Key) involves globetrotting and consequently, research. I had some stuff done beforehand, but once the challenge began, I very quickly realized that my schedule didn’t have time for in-depth research AND daily writing. So there are plenty of places where my description is nonexistent, where I made up placeholder names and directions, and where the timelines are simply not discussed because I have no idea how many days the characters have been traveling. It was about getting the story down, not about getting all my facts right. That’s for editing.

The Pros of Writing Daily

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  • Momentum. If you push yourself to add something to the story each day, you keep yourself from getting stuck. With that self-imposed challenge hanging over your head, you force yourself to push through, even if the result is messy. This makes it easier to pick up again the next day. The work is fresh in your mind, so moving your characters one step further doesn’t take so much forethought.
  • Productivity. I wrote 32,768 words this summer. It’s not as much as I expected, but it’s probably more than I would’ve written had I not participated in the challenge.
  • You realize how valuable a few minutes are. It doesn’t take long to write 100 words. I’m not the fastest writer, and I usually did it in five to ten minutes. Some days I wrote two or three times the minimum in that timeframe. You don’t need three hours of free time to get writing done! Yes, those long stretches can be great, but writing is sustainable even when you’re busy. A few minutes before you go to work or school, a bit of time snatched over a meal break, a quarter hour in the evening . . . It’s doable.
  • You form a habit. Eventually, it became more natural to sit down to write every day. I don’t think I’ll keep writing each and every day like this (which I’ll explain in the con list), but now I know I can write little bits more often.

The Cons of Writing Daily

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” -Alfred from Larryboy and the Fib from Outer Space
  • Some of your work is going to be horrible. Like I mentioned earlier, some days I just wrote filler. I’m not real happy about that, but there it is. Yes, first drafts are messy, but at the same time, I feel like I just made more work for myself later on.
  • Burn-out. To be honest, I’m relieved the challenge is over, because I’m feeling kind of dry. I am so ready to take a break now, which college is forcing me to do. Having to come up with another piece of the story on a daily basis sometimes stretched my creativity and even my desire to be writing.
  • If you’re not careful, you can get wrapped up in hitting your wordcount goal instead of enjoying the process. I’m a goals person to begin with, so it was easy to fall into the trap of focusing on numbers rather than immersing myself in the experience of creating something from nothing. Parts of this draft probably suffered for it. But at least it’s written. You can’t edit what’s not there, right?
  • You may train yourself to write in spurts, so when it comes time for a long haul, you’re not strong enough. It’s like sprinting every day instead of training for a marathon. Since the challenge ended, I haven’t yet tried to write for a couple hours at a time, but it may be a stretch when I do. I’m not sure if my brain will, after writing a couple hundred words, say, “Okay, I’ve done my due diligence, goodbye.” (Though this might be remedied by writing several spurts in one day? And decreasing the intervals between spurts day by day?)

My conclusion is . . .

I’m glad I participated in the challenge! It feels good to have beaten it, and I’m over 30k words further in my story than I was at the start of summer. But am I going to keep writing every single day? Probably not. I’ve come to appreciate the value of breaks. A good balance for me personally would be writing four to five days a week, if I was a full-time author. As it is, present circumstances may allow only one or two days a week.

But I don’t regret participating, and I may even join in again one day! It was a good motivator to keep plowing through a difficult, stubborn first draft.

Did any of you participate in 100-for-100? Have you ever? Would you ever consider it? What do you think about developing a daily writing habit?

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