|
 |
|
|
Take Your Writing from Zero to 500
By Jessica Broughton of Grrlwriter
In the summer of 2009 when I started my website and blog, I knew that I didn’t just want to be a writer; I wanted to be a prolific writer. I wanted to be the kind of writer who not only wrote every day, but wrote a lot every day. The only problem was that my writing came and went in fits and starts. Some days I didn’t feel inspired to write and then at other times I would find myself going on writing binges where thousands of words would be written. I would look at authors like Stephen King who encouraged writing 10,000 words a day and wonder how I would ever get there. I started looking for ways to get my Muse to show up on a more regular basis, and within a few months I made writing every single day a habit and saw my productivity increase so that now having a 3500 – 4500 word day is the norm. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get started with your writing: 1. Set a small goal. You have to make a commitment to write every day and the best way to do that is to start small. When I started my habit of writing every day I set my goal at 500 words. It was doable within my schedule but pushed me just enough that I felt like I really accomplished something when I was done. Sometimes I was just writing “I don’t know what to write, I’m sitting here at my desk writing…” until I got into the flow of things. 2. Track your writing progress. Once you set your daily goal track your progress. Some writers keep a total of all the words they write, some writers use a simple Excel spreadsheet – but jot it down. Find a method that works for you that you’ll stick to. As much as I love technology, my best tracking device is a giant desk calendar. By handwriting my daily goals I see a chain of writing, and I’m encouraged to write everyday because I don’t want to break the chain; i.e. I don’t want to see a day on that calendar without a word count in it. 3. Go with the flow There are going to be days where you can’t wait to get to the page, and days where you can’t wait to leave it. Just go with it. If, at the end of your 500 words you feel you have more to write, then go for it. If you’re done for the day, then you’re better off walking away for a little bit. I often find that the first 100 words are the worst, and after that I’m just in the flow of writing. 4. Reward Yourself Reward yourself for a job well done. You don’t need to buy yourself a new car for writing every day in a week, but treat yourself to dessert, or give yourself the afternoon off when you’ve completed your 500 words.
5. Step it Up Experts say that it takes 21 days for a new behavior to become a habit and the same is true with writing. Give yourself a month of writing 500 words. After a month add another 100 to your daily count, and do that for another month until writing 600 words a day is normal for you. Make sure that you’re comfortable with your current word count before moving up but it’s also important to make sure that you keep growing as a writer. There are always going to be days where writing feels like a drag, but if it becomes a habit your day won’t feel complete until you’ve done your daily word count. I’m still learning and growing as a writer, but I’m happy to say that just from writing 500 words a day my writing has grown into a habit and a career. I’m working on reaching my next milestone: 5,000 words a day. I don’t know that I’ll ever be as prolific as Stephen King, but I can dream. And more importantly, I can write.
Jessica's professional experience has run the gamut from being an owner of a technology company to working in animation on the Emmy award winning television show "Sid the Science Kid" and the critically-acclaimed feature film "9." When she's not writing she's dancing and when she's not dancing she's writing.
|
http://www.grrlwriter.com
 
Just write!
My desk calendar keeps me inspired to write.
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
 |  | recommended this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | biblefreeorg liked this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | R Foreman liked this intel. Mar 13, 2011 | | | appreciated this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | adac agreed with this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | Pat Carr appreciated this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | nick appreciated this intel. Mar 13, 2011 | | | appreciated this intel. Mar 13, 2011 |  | | Lindsey Rainwater loved this intel. Mar 13, 2011 | | | snowhat appreciated this intel. Mar 14, 2011 |  | | jannepaige agreed with this intel. Mar 15, 2011 |  | | bronnamdi appreciated this intel. Mar 15, 2011 |  | | Vegetable Oil liked this intel. Apr 7, 2012 |
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
This is awesome advice, because whether it is writing or anything else, the more you do of something, the better you get at it. More power!
 | | nick Mar 13, 2011 04:17 |  appreciated |
Thank you for sharing this writing advise, Jessica. I have found that laying out my to do list every day on my daily calendar, helps to keep me on track. I know that it takes time to do this, but every journey takes planning.
Keep up the good work.
Best wishes.
Frederick
Where did you get that sign? I want one! :D
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
I've had that sign for years - I found it at Borders or Barnes and Noble. It keeps me motivated on the days when I need a boost :)
Thanks for the tips! I myself am trying to become a serious writer. Keep up the good work! Also, if you have any more tips that you could write on writing I would love to read them.
 | | snowhat Mar 14, 2011 09:22 | appreciated |
Thanks Jessica for these tips. They are practical and doable.
The copyright for this content entitled "Take Your Writing from Zero to 500" has been specified by the contributor as:
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Details 
This content may be copied and distributed (but not modified), as long as a) it's for non-commercial use and b) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page.
If you use this content according to the license specified, you must link to the following URL:
http://grrlwriter.qondio.com/
|
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
