Writing Regularly

[mixa]

Hello,

Is there anyone on this forum that is writing regularly everyday at the moment and keeping to at least 1000 words a day also.......

If so, please share some of your inspiration on how you are doing......please

 

[Dragonlady]

Well I've been trying to do that over the last few weeks, and I've had a few stretches where I've managed, but even though I've just finished my degree and in theory have nothing better to do, things always seem to need doing. I don't force it, I write as much as I can then have a break and do something else that needs doing or get a cup of coffee, then come back to the writing, until I run out of time or inspiration or reach my target, but finding the time can be a challenge

 

[Birol]

Yes, I do.

As for motivation... I do it because hard-won experience has taught me that not doing it is a bad thing and doesn't work out well for me. With the current novel, I know if I don't finish it by mid-August, I won't have time to work on it for several months, at which point past experience has taught me that I will lose the flow of the story and it will take additional time to get back into it. If I write 1K in it each day now, I should be able to finish it by the end of July.

It's okay to give yourself little rewards or forbid yourself from doing something you enjoy if you fail to perform the task you've assigned yourself. For example, you're not allowed to watch TV at night if you haven't done your 1K or you're not allowed to come to Chronicles until you've finished your 1K. The secret is, if you do something like this, you must hold yourself accountable and withhold the reward from yourself if you fail to achieve your goal. You can also promise yourself something pleasurable at certain milestones. For example, when you reach 10K, you can buy any CD you want or take a break and read that short story you had set aside.

 

[lin robinson]

Every day except Sunday, when I go into town and pay for breakfast and buy an American paper where the stories are halfway believable and make grammatical sense, have an ice cream, take a swim out to the reef.

Othewise, yeah. Writers write every day. Musicians play everyday. NBA players dribble and shoot every day.

Isn't that how it works?

 

[dustinzgirl]

I prefer to write irregularly....more fun that way...



I write non fiction about 5-12 hours a day, depending. I write fiction about 1-5 hours a day, depending. Fiction takes more energy and tires me out quicker.

Make sure you all re using good posture and resting your eyes for 10 or so minutes every our or two. Otherwise, you'll regret it when you are old.

Stop counting words. I know if you have a hyper affective disorder or OCD that will be a bitch, but seriously----my fiction has done way better since I quit trying to count (but, I have a hyper disorder, and tend to focus on counting to extremes---just a step below OCD, I count letters, syllables, repetition, how many words on a page rhyme, ect, ect).

Once you save yourself from the thought that you HAVE to or you SHOULD write a certain amount every day, and instead just take a few hour chunk of time for creative activitiy (not writing, it could be outlining, developing characters, drawing maps, doodles, creating worlds, ect)....you will find that not only is your writing improved, but since you have a specific time every day where you work on fiction then you will begin to write more.

at least thats how it works for me.

 

[Birol]

The trick is to write consistently and to have daily goals to which you are accountable, whether it is writing a set length of time each day or a set number of words each day. It is important to know your own strengths and weaknesses and be brutally honest about them.

What dustinzgirl describes works for her. It would not work for me. I would spend all my allotted time doing research and none writing. Time and me, we just don't connect. Just like dustin finds counting words slows her down, trying to work by a clock hinders me. But this is what makes us individuals.

I'm much better at being task oriented, which when it comes to working on longer fiction and making certain I progress with it each day in addition to any school or NF projects I'm working on, means word count.

The important thing is not whether you set goals based on word count or time, but that some time each day is spent writing, actually writing.

 

[lin robinson]

I prefer to write irregularly....more fun that way...

Have you tried eating more prunes?

Stop counting words.

REALLY! Where is that at? Do musicians count notes?

The trick is to write consistently and to have daily goals

That's one trick. There are others. Nobody has the big picture on this stuff. I once talked to two big, major world writers on two consecutive days. I asked both about their writing habits. One eats, brushes teeth, sits down and writes for 4 hours, then goes out. The other one screw around living his life until some peculiar pressure builds up, then goes to a city where he doesn't know anybody, holes up in a hotel and blast the books out in a couple of weeks, then goes home and putters around until the next one.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I personally believe that a lot of the important work of writing is done subconsciously. If your subconscious hasn't brought the project to term, there is no point trying to put the words on paper (because they will be the wrong ones). Some people have very active subconscious minds that are working all the time. So it's just a matter of making the time to sit down, open the gates, and let everything the subconscious did overnight pour through onto the paper.

For other people, it's more like a long, slow, gestation process. If that's how it is for you, when the baby is ready to be born, you'll know. Which is not to say that you can't work on other projects to improve your writing skills in the meantime. But forcing one particular project, before it's ready ... in my experience, not a good thing to do.

 

[dustinzgirl]

REALLY! Where is that at? Do musicians count notes?

Musicians count notes, but not all musicians all the time. But they don't count how many notes they have written in a day, they count notes so thier music doesn't sound like crap since music is math with sound....

PS: I'd also like to add, that this is only my opinion, and by no means meant to diminish anyone else's opinion. It just works better for me and this is how I personally view the subject at hand.

Anyways, besides teh point. Writing is NOT ABOUT VOLUME everyone. It is about writing for the sake of doing something you love and want to do.

Think of it like most other things. If you tell yourself you can't or you should do something---eating, exercising, ect, the likeliest is that you will do exactly opposite of what you think you should be doing (that's not me, thats a proven majority of the human psyche). So, if you tell yourself that you have to write 1000 words today, you won't want to write. Why? Because now you are taking away the beauty, the fun, the joy and you are putting it into a little box and saying "You can only have fun if you do it in 1000 words" Dude, how boring is that! Nobody likes that.

Better way to do it---set a block of time without the TV or other interuptions just for doing creative activities that are writing related...planning, outlining, scribbling, developing, creating. It doesn't even have to be actual writing, and if you get 100 words scribbled down the first time out, great....Next time you go at it, those 100 words will turn into 1000 all by thier lonesome, as long as you are consistent with your time and you keep asking yourself the important questions that a good writing tries to answer: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

Writing is not counting words. No where, until you are done with your story, should writing be about how much you write and not about why and how you write.

There are markets for every freaking number of words on the planet:

500 and less, flash fiction
500-1500, short fiction
1500-5000, short story
5000-10,000 novellet
10,000-40,0000 novella
40,0000 and up, novel

So who cares if you do or do not write 1000 words today? That is insignificant since you can find a market to publish any story of any word count as long as it is a GOOD STORY, and that will only show if you really LOVE TO WRITE.



PS: I'd also like to add, that this is only my opinion, and by no means meant to diminish anyone else's opinion. It just works better for me and this is how I personally view the subject at hand.

 

[Lith]

But forcing one particular project, before it's ready ... in my experience, not a good thing to do.

But then there are those of us that work better under pressure, which is what a specific word limit is designed to induce- it's a deadline that forces us to quit dilly-dallying about insignificant things. But the important thing is your experience- only by trying the different writing methods will you really know what works for you and what doesn't.

So, if you tell yourself that you have to write 1000 words today, you won't want to write.

I've found it to be the opposite. I know I can do it, and it's usually only after I start writing at all that I find I enjoy it. And if I didn't have a limit, I'd just put it off another day, since it would be so little and I could just write it later. Only the days start to really pile up that way.

It makes you wonder if there really is any use in writing advice at all, since we all contradict each other so much.

 

[Leo Medici]

I agree with not counting words. Some writers have the choice of locking themselves in a strange city for months at a time. The common person doesn't. I think that every writer should write for at least 1+ hour per day. But no less than one hour. If you do that, then it doesn't matter if you get 1,000 or 2,000 or 7 words. And the fact is that no matter how many words you write from scratch, they are all going to suck anyway. Your first draft is going to be horrible. That is why you edit at least 1+ hour per day at the very least. Ideally, you will edit 10 hours for every one you write. I tried 1,000 wpd but it started being nothing more than a chore. I kept telling myself, "Okay, so 400 words to go... 300...," and so on.

 

[JDP]

I personally believe that a lot of the important work of writing is done subconsciously. If your subconscious hasn't brought the project to term, there is no point trying to put the words on paper (because they will be the wrong ones).

I would certainly agree with this; I find that when I'm writing, I spew out all the details and plot I have onto the page 'til I'm just dry retching, then leave it for a while. My subconscious works out the next steps (including events that I hadn't seen coming) and I'm off again.

I think that you can help this, though, by writing regularly. I found that while I was doing this, my subconscious kicked into overdrive at night, leaving me ready to get stuck in the following morning.

Sometimes, however, the next section just wasn't ready yet, so rather than sit in front of a blank screen, I'd do something else. Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT saying to give up as soon as it starts getting a bit difficult - just that you should pay attention to the voice in your head that's actually doing the writing.

P.S. Sorry, that spewing thing wasn't the most pleasant of metaphors.

 

[Dragonlady]

I personally believe that a lot of the important work of writing is done subconsciously. If your subconscious hasn't brought the project to term, there is no point trying to put the words on paper (because they will be the wrong ones).

I would certainly agree with this; I find that when I'm writing, I spew out all the details and plot I have onto the page 'til I'm just dry retching, then leave it for a while. My subconscious works out the next steps (including events that I hadn't seen coming) and I'm off again.

I think that you can help this, though, by writing regularly. I found that while I was doing this, my subconscious kicked into overdrive at night, leaving me ready to get stuck in the following morning.

Sometimes, however, the next section just wasn't ready yet, so rather than sit in front of a blank screen, I'd do something else. Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT saying to give up as soon as it starts getting a bit difficult - just that you should pay attention to the voice in your head that's actually doing the writing.



I'd agree with this, sometimes the story needs working out before it can get writing, but if my writing muscles aren't practised, it can be painful! If my story isn't ready to be written I write random character sketches and things that may one day become short stories to get to know the characters. Caring about the characters is one of the best motivations.

 

[Theed]

When I was writing without editing I tried to keep pace at 1 words a day. Some days it was 500, others it was 2500. Some days it was absolutely nothing, not because I didn't want to write -- because when I looked at that blank piece of paper, everything I tried to write was just too forced.

Now editing, I'm not sure what the pace is supposed to be on that, but I found it fine the first time around. I went through the completed novel in pretty good time. Now the second time around, it's a little different. I find myself slower, much slower in fact.

My problem is I don't usually start writing until 1 am in the morning. Oh, the pain this causes waking up.

 

[Interference]

When I was writing without editing I tried to keep pace at 1 words a day.

I can just about match that - if I put my mind to it

I heard once that you should practice writing every day, doesn't matter what, a diary entry, a laundry list, whatever. I keep my word-count up by contributing to fora. I usually stop when I reach 1000 words exac-

 

[Theed]

I can just about match that - if I put my mind to it

I heard once that you should practice writing every day, doesn't matter what, a diary entry, a laundry list, whatever. I keep my word-count up by contributing to fora. I usually stop when I reach 1000 words exac-

What can I say, I set low expectations.

Darn that k key.

 

[Triceratops]

I've been pulling marathon shifts for the past 2 1/2 years. I've written six books altogether, one non-fiction and five novels. I've just started on my sixth. I have about four false starts that total half a book. One novel is repped, I sold two, and just turned in a fourth to my agent.

I'm at it 24/7 with no letup or days off. It's only because I've only started hammering keys again after a 17-year hiatus. So you might say I'm trying to catch up where I left off, and it's in total desperation. Plus I'm 55 years-old, so my competition is out there. The only way I can take them on is to show fierce discipline and pass them up. I don't know if it's going to work, but I have made tremendous strides in just this short time.

I average 1,800 words per day and rarely go below or over that mark. It's just my exhaustion threshold. Now when I'm editing a book, that can take a full month with as many as 10 passes. Editing is grueling for me. I loathe it. But what is writing without rewriting, wot?

Whenever i get jammed up I read someone who I really admire. That puts me back into my proper frame of mind.

A little trick I use: I'll write for a solid hour, then I'm allowed to go on the internet to poke around for 15 minutes as a reward. That's my piece of candy. It also makes me feel like I'm not alone so much, like somebody is watching me over my shoulder. Then it's right back to another hour, and so on and so forth. The internet is like doggy treats. Too much time on the internet is a full meal with no calories or vitamins. Limit yourself.

Only when I'm totally wiped do I contribute to my book marketing and promotion, trying to secure reviews, draw attention to my website, or get in on all the free display sites I can. That includes writing posts in groups, like I'm doing right now.

My typical day is 12 hours in front of the screen. Not easy at all, and I don't recommend it. But it works for me. I'm just driven.

Tri

 

[Culhwch]

I heard once that you should practice writing every day, doesn't matter what, a diary entry, a laundry list, whatever. I keep my word-count up by contributing to fora. I usually stop when I reach 1000 words exac-

Yeah, I've heard that too, but I think a lot of forms of writing - laundry lists, for instance, but also diary entries and posts here and elsewhere - aren't going to, in general, challenge you so much as to make you a better writer. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's going to hurt, but I think at best it will keep you on an even keel, exercising those writing muscles without ever truly flexing them or straining them. I think to steadily improve (which is what I need to be doing quite badly) you need to get in the game and push yourself. You need to write prose everyday or close to it. I try to do that, and I go through periods where I do, but sometimes the slackness takes over.

I like Tri's suggestion of the internet as a reward, actually. This place eats my writing time like it's been starved for a year...

 

[vintagefury]

Hi New poster here. Just recently climbing out of a three-year writer's block, and feeling fairly pleased with myself at the moment.

As for writing every day, something, anything... I have mixed feelings about it. For some people, it may cause burnout far too early. For others, it helps push you through when you're feeling lazy and would rather slip back into spinning idea-threads rather than doing the effort part of the whole process.

I suppose saying there's one overall rule for writing is a bit misguided, though well-intended. Yes, just about every author worth his salt will command two things: WRITE and READ. But write within your capacity. If it's a to-do list and forums post that helps you get by without fraying your ends, fantastic. If you have a set word limit, no more, no less, every day, and that's what keeps you rolling, wonderful.

You do have to write. Can't call yourself a writer if you don't. Just meter yourself to your own tastes

... in my noob opinion, at any rate.

 

[Culhwch]

Well, there's no such thing as invalid opinions, just invalid people... Kidding, of course. Welcome to the forums, vintagefury. You're absolutely right. There is no one magical way. WHatever works, works, I've found.