Increasing My Daily Wordcount

 

You need to understand two things about me:

A. I used to be a slow writer. I liked to take the time to read and re-read what I had written, revising as I went. On a good day, I would write 1000 words. Not bad, but I wasn't reaching that milestone every day.

B. My goal is to be a productive writer. Writing isn’t a hobby for me, it’s my full-time job. So I need to keep producing stories.

Do you see my problem?

A doesn't lead to B.

If I wanted B, then I needed to up my game. I needed to change my writing habits. I needed to not only increase my daily word count, but make it a regular, every day thing.

 
I’ve been working on that this year. It’s been a slow process, but the change is happening.

It’s a lot like climbing a mountain.

When I start on a book project, I have the story in my head. Not complete, but the big picture. The long view. 

This view can be a bit daunting, can't it? So many ideas swirling around, so many characters. Sometimes, even complete scenes are in my head, begging to get out.

But there is no secret. No Fairy Godmother. No "poof!" and the story is written.

There is no elevator to the summit.

The only way to reach the top of the mountain is to do one thing: Walk the trail. Step by step. Word by word.

BICHOK! Which goes right along with the three D's (see Ruthy's post about the three D's here.)

Are we sensing a trend here? 

I'm learning how to achieve my goal of several thousand words per week. But to get to that goal, I need to use some tricks and tools.

1. I need a map. 

Call it an outline, or a storyline. Sometimes it looks like a stack of index cards. Sometimes it looks like a story board. Whatever method I use, the story goes a lot better when I know the beginning, middle, and end before I begin writing.

2. The first part of the trail is the smoothest, so I use that to my advantage.

Not every chapter will flow easily. I know that. I also know I’ll be revising these first few chapters several times before the end of the book. But writing these opening chapters quickly, even before my story plan is complete, gives my characters a chance to stretch a little bit and let me get to know their voices. 

It also gets a lot of words down in a short time.

I will often write 25% of the book before my characters and story line are fleshed out. If I need to, I can revise and tweak. But I almost always keep going in the direction those first few chapters started for me.

3. Characters are tricky.

They require me to navigate their Lies, their Greatest Dreams, and their Dark Moment Stories. Sometimes I must investigate every nook and cranny of their lives before they reveal their secrets. Sometimes they don’t reveal their inner selves to me until we’re negotiating a particularly difficult part of the story and they let something slip out.

But do I let that slow me down? No! The story must go on. When this happens, I make notes (I keep a pad of paper by my computer to jot these items down,) but I keep on writing. I know I can come back to incorporate the stunning secret that the heroine just revealed!

4. Sometimes, even with all my story planning and plotting, I come up against a stone wall.

I have to try one way, and then another to get back on the trail. But just like this tree sending out roots, I persist until I find that way and continue on. One step at a time.

5. When I hit one of my plot points, I take another look at my map.

Am I heading in the direction I thought I would at the beginning? Do I need to make some adjustments? This evaluation is satisfying – even if the only landmark in front of me is the half-way point.

6. As tempting as it is, I’ve learned not to take too long of a break along the trail.

Muscles stiffen up and the goal isn’t as clear as it was before my rest stop. A quick break for a drink of water and a breather is enough before getting back to that word count.

At the same time, though, I've learned to give myself mini-rewards for mini-goals. 250 words in 15 minutes earns me three chocolate chips. Yay for mini-rewards!

7. Sometimes it looks like I've lost the trail.

What will my character do now? Where is the bad guy? Is the baby awake or asleep (a big problem if one of your characters has a young child!) Did anyone feed the dog? A quick look at the map and a few steps along the trail solves the problem!

By the way, the best way for me to get past a writer’s block like this is to WRITE! I let my characters go, and they usually find their way back to the story.

8. Finally, the end is here!

But the end of the trail is only a new start. It’s time to retrace my steps, revising and editing the story. However, going down the mountain is a lot easier than the climb up. There are still some tricky spots to negotiate, but the big job - the first draft - is done.

How do you keep your word count going? Share your tips and tricks in the comments. We can always learn from each other!