Twenty Thousand Words and Counting

Now that Nanowrimo is behind us, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Whether you made your 50,000 words or fell short a word or two, the Canadian in me salutes you. You tried, you did your best. No go forth and continue writing!

For me, I've started to see a pattern. One that blogmate Lauren has been helping me to overcome. 

It's the "Twenty Thousand Words" mental barrier. That fifty foot fence that creeps up as you hit that word count and all of a sudden nothing seems good, everything you've written is crap and oh my god there's so much more to write but this is all so fricken boring!

It's that point that Lauren pointed out where you've either reached or are about to reach the end of the first act and that gosh forsaken mother of a second act looks like a never ending ocean with no third act in sight. 

And let's not forget there's that new shiny toy in the window. That whimsical idea itching your brain that's going to be the next NY Times Bestseller.  It's sitting there, cute as a puppy, begging you to play with it instead.

We've all been there and I'm still trying to break that barrier. Luckily I have great blog mates with great tools to help me out. Here's a few that might help you.

Pow Wow with Your Writer Friends

Coffee time, chocolate time, or happy hour.  This is when you need your writing buds the most. Maybe they're going through the same thing or have suggestions on how to overcome it. More importantly perhaps they have ideas that may push your project forward. Worst case scenario? A great night out with the gals (and guys).

Plot with Help

During my pow wow with Lauren, she recommended The Plot Whisperer Workbook by Martha Alderson.  During Nanowrimo, we right like hell, but sometimes we need a break because we're worried we're going in the wrong direction.  But we have no time, cause it's Nanowrimo for gosh sakes! But now it's December and we have some time and this is a good way to plug into some exercises that may help jog your brain or give you a new perspective on your manuscript.

Take a Break! 

Seems counter intuitive but your brain needs a breather. Go to the beach or the skating rink or spend time with family and friends. Your brain is still subconsciously working on that book, I guarantee it. 

Seek Deadline Motivators

Groups like San Diego Writers Ink have page review sessions with professional writers that meet once a week. This might be just the deadline driven motivator you need to make it to that next five pager. Can't go to a professional meeting? Meetup.com is a great place to find like minded individuals in your area who already meet weekly to do the same thing. 

Keep Writing

Self explanatory. It's hard but it's going to feel real good when you write "The End". Then it's onto revisions, yay!