In the past my goal was usually to write 1,000 day/ 5 days/week. A "real" writer should be able to do that, shouldn't they? It's amazing how often we get caught up in the "shoulds" of all the roles in our lives. What a mother-daughter-friend-employee - should do.Cat Shields suggested I try 500 words instead. And you know what? That simple change of 500 words/ day as a goal has changed my output. Now, when I only have a half hour, instead of thinking "i don't have time to write 4 or 5 pages" I think "I could get half my goal accomplished." So far, I've exceeded my goal every day this week. And I'm starting to use smaller pockets of time to write.
Wow, funny how a little shift in mindset changes a failure to a success.
8 comments:
That is AWESOME advice! I'm gonna try that as soon as I've moved house and am settled again. Sounds like a cop-out but I've learnt I need to power down at the moment :) Go you!
So glad to hear that you're writing every day, Anne. And that 500 is a doable number. I know many times I get caught up in the excuse "There's not enough time" and end up watching TV for a half an hour. I think I may adopt your "Joy of 500" :)
Keep going, your New Year is off to a great start!!
So happy to hear about your progress. Most days what stops me is the overwhelming size of the task. If I tell myself to write a hundred words at a time, it's all I need to get started. And isn't getting started the hardest part?
Rachael, good luck with your move. Sometimes you can only do what needs to be done. The writing will be there waiting for you when you have a chance to take a breath.
Janet, so far so good.
Cat, so true. Writing a whole book just seems so daunting. But writing a page or two seems possible.
Hi Anne - glad to see you are meeting your goals. I agree completely. I can't think in terms of word count, but I do think in time alottments. My goal is 30 minutes. And if it's a crazy week, then it's 15, but that's rare. The point is, I can always squeeze in 30 minutes, and often, once I'm there, I really there for 45 or longer. Baby steps!!! But you can walk a whole mile with those.
Anne, this is the best advice I've heard in awhile. I usually set goals that I want to achieve, rather than ones that are more realistic for how I write. So right out of the gate I usually have this feeling that I'm behind -- before I even get going!
Anyway, this week I'm going to try your method. And by just saying that, I already feel better about my goals! :)
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