Make it count…
One of the most important things about writing a novel is, funnily enough, actually writing. We can get so caught up in the planning, researching, networking and even designing the aesthetics that we forget the reason behind it all.
Everything else is a vessel to share your words. If you don’t put the effort into your manuscript then there’s little point in putting the effort in your cover and interior format.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a plotter or a panster, you need to set yourself reasonable, achievable goals with your word count and do your utmost to meet them.
If you’re like me and you work full time and have other responsibilities, like having two young kids, then aiming for 8k words a day is unrealistic. There are full time authors out there who can make that.
Be flexible in the beginning. If you have a blessed, responsibility free afternoon, sit down and write. See how much you get written and in what timeframe. Use that as a starting point. If you plan to write 5k words a week, then aim for 1k a night. It gives you the wiggle room of having two free evenings during the week in case something comes up or you know there’s a family event planned.
NaNoWriMo usually runs in November but there are a number of resources on maximising your writing time and planning your word count that are free and useful outside of the NaNoWriMo event.
Be your own master. This is a double edged sword. You must try and crack the whip on yourself, make sure you work hard to reach your word count. But no one understands your unique pressures other than you. So if you get food poisoning, the flu, whatever set-back; go easy on yourself. It’s easier to catch up on the missing word count a few days than to make yourself so ill you cannot write for over a week. You can try to enlist your significant other, or trusted friends to keep you on track, but choose wisely because if they’re constantly at you about writing, you can lose your joy in both your writing and your friends.
This is definitely not a “must-do” list. This is what I have found works well for me but it may not suit everyone.
Enjoy and keep on writing.
C x
