Today we look at the second step to establishing a daily writing practice. NaNoWriMo is a good start; keep the momentum going after November.
Day 2: Set a daily goal
Writing is a journey. Some wanderers are comfortable setting out with nothing but a sack lunch and change of clothes, willing to follow the road wherever it leads, as far as it goes. Most of us, though, need to know the destination and how long it will take to get there. We want a map and a daily itinerary.
NaNoWriMo provides this itinerary by mandating that you write 1,667 words per day to stay on target. Your goal can certainly be a number of words, but I find it easier to write in chunks. Sometimes, when I have other things that must be done today, I’ll allot a certain period of time to write. More often, though, my goal will be to write a particular chunk of words in one sitting.
One blog post.
One scene in Chapter 10.
One page of website copy.
My experience has been that counting words instead of outcome creates far too much painful awareness of the mechanics of writing. I don’t get lost in the story or crafting the exact desired result from my copy — I’m sitting there staring at the screen, thinking “Where the heck can I stretch this to come up with 243 more #$%#@ words?”
That way lies flab. Excess. Guaranteed fat that will later require surgical excision.
Set your goal in such a way that you can enjoy the journey. If that means today you only cover 10 miles through the mountains while looking at the scenery, you’ve met your goal for the day.
Tomorrow: Part III. Want the update by email? Sign up at right.
