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I was asked today how I manage to write novels while working full time, and since work is a little quiet today (oh the irony), I thought I& #39;d share the answer with you guys: small, achievable goals.
A thread.
A thread.
So here& #39;s a secret about me: my daily word goal is 200 words. No, that& #39;s not a typo. I meant to say 200. A tiny, why-even-bother number.
Except, 200 words a day has translated to 3 full novels over the last 6 years, plus two half novels (1 abandoned, and 1 wip), as well as countless rounds of edits, revisions, pitches, concept chapters, synopses, bios etc. etc.
Small. Goals. Work.
Why?
Because they& #39;re achievable on my *very worst day*.
So those days when my boss is an ass, or I was out late, or I& #39;m sick, or just tired of life - those 200 words still get done.
Why?
Because they& #39;re achievable on my *very worst day*.
So those days when my boss is an ass, or I was out late, or I& #39;m sick, or just tired of life - those 200 words still get done.
Most days, I write more - I& #39;d say it& #39;s more like 300-400 on work days, 500 on weekends. Often, just forcing myself through those first 200 inspires me to keep going.
But when it doesn& #39;t – when I have to fight and claw for every word – I can still make my goal.
I still feel accomplished.
And more importantly, I don& #39;t feel like a failure.
I still feel accomplished.
And more importantly, I don& #39;t feel like a failure.
As a writer your brain is going to spend all its time conspiring to make you feel inferior; don& #39;t give it another way to do that by setting yourself up for failure. Work out what& #39;s *realistic* for you and make that your goal. That& #39;s how you form a *sustainable* habit.
Aiming for the moon is great and all, but absolutely pointless if you burn up in the atmosphere and give up before you ever get there.
Here& #39;s another tip for forming a habit: accountability.
Here& #39;s another tip for forming a habit: accountability.
When I first started, tracking my word count in a spreadsheet worked wonders for getting me to write every day because I loved typing in the numbers and seeing the overall word count grow.
These days though, it& #39;s my writing group that keeps me accountable. We meet once a month so my goal is to have at least *one* new chapter to share each meeting. Often, I& #39;ll manage two. (Sometimes I accidentally vomit 16k words on them in one go - but let& #39;s not talk about that.)
The really important thing to remember is that your goal is whatever *you* need it to be. It doesn& #39;t matter how many words Stephen King writes, or JK writes, or that dick, Bob, in your writing class who can write a book in a week.
Eyes on your own paper. Find your natural rhythm and don& #39;t let anyone shame you for it.
I am a slow writer.
I have always been slow, and I probably will always be slow.
But I get the work done, and that& #39;s all that matters in the end.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
I am a slow writer.
I have always been slow, and I probably will always be slow.
But I get the work done, and that& #39;s all that matters in the end.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
Holy Batmans! This really grew legs!
Luckily for you all, I suck at self promotion things, but if you enjoyed this thread, you can check out some of my other craft based tweets here: https://www.katedylanbooks.com/resources/ ">https://www.katedylanbooks.com/resources...
Luckily for you all, I suck at self promotion things, but if you enjoyed this thread, you can check out some of my other craft based tweets here: https://www.katedylanbooks.com/resources/ ">https://www.katedylanbooks.com/resources...
