Writing Calendar: Keeping Count of Your Writing

writing calendar

As part of my New Years resolution, I decided to try and write every day. I'll admit it: I'm not a disciplined writer. I try my best to get work done, but between school and work, it was hard to make time. Now, I've got a lot of time on my hands, and there's really no excuse. I applaud those of you who can write 3,000+ words a day while balancing kids and jobs and what have you. That's amazing. As for me, I decided to take one small step at a time, and start with a simple 500 words a day.

Jeff Goins, whom I love and admire, created this program called My 500 Words. It's a 31 day challenge where you simply write 500 words a day. As Jeff says, "It takes me anywhere from 30-60 minutes to write 500 words. And if I keep up with that pace, I’ve got a book in 90 days." Above, you can see a glimpse of my writing calendar. As you can see, vacation kind of got in the way, but I'm not punishing myself. I just picked up where I left off. And that's good!

Writing Calendar

My writing calendar is based off of word count, and I've got the system down. The idea came from writer Laini Taylor, who recently posted her methods on her blog. I'm the kind of person that does well with visuals, so seeing my progress in front of me really kickstarts my writing.

Here's how my system works:

1. Word Count Colors. I found this little marker/stamp at Target that has three colors: magenta, yellow and orange. If I write my 5oo words, then I get a magenta dot. Yellow is for 1,000 and Orange is for 1,500. I write the exact number of words on the day, so I can tally my words for the week.

2. Cupcakes. Math lesson: 500 words a day for 7 days equals 3,500 words for the week. If I reach that 3,500, I get a cupcake sticker. Pretty cute, huh?

3. Congratulations banner. Not pictured above, if I reach 14,000 words for the month, then I get a "congratulations" sticker for the month.

There's no "right" way to make a writing calendar, but it helps to make it fun! The main ingredients are writing and reward. Celebrate your work! You deserve it!

Do you have a writing calendar? How has it improved your writing time? Comment below!

How Writers Can Use Pinterest

How Writers Can Use Pinterest

Who doesn't love Pinterest? Want to know more on how writers can use Pinterest? You've come to the right place! 

There’s a difference between distraction and inspiration. It’s a very thin line that exists between them, and I'm pretty sure that line is called Pinterest. When I spend hours on Pinterest, looking at home décor and thinking, “Oh, if only I had the money!” or at stick thin models thinking, “OMG all I need in this world is a turban headband and an oversized sweater,” that’s distraction. Sometimes though, I make Pinterest work to my advantage.

I’ve got a secret board that I call, “Book Board,” which is extremely original, I know. That’s where I’ll put everything that really inspires me, like settings, what I think my characters might look like and pictures that I feel could feed into my story somehow. Pictures evoke emotion, plain and simple.

When I used to scribble story ideas when I was younger, I’d get wrapped up in Google Images, trying to search out exactly what I wanted everything to look like. Characters. Their cars. Their makeup. I'd spend hours. That’s distraction. Now, I only refer to Pinterest when I really need a jumpstart to the writing. Use it for good, my friends.

There are so many reasons why Pinterest can be a writer's best friend! Here are my top 5:

1. Writing Tips. 

There are some great articles out there for writers, and Pinterest is a great way to find them. Need editing tips? Here's one I found. How's about organizing? Check this out. The awesomeness is endless. If you want help, you can follow my writing tip board here.

2. Book Lists.

Looking for your next book? Or maybe some book reviews? If you're like me, you may like pretty pictures. And Pinterest has some awesome book cover art, like this one here. You could even do something really neat and make a board for all the books you've read that year! And the ideas just keep on coming.

3. Quotes.

Who doesn't love quotes? I have to say I'm pretty proud of my quote board, and I'm always adding to it. It's a great way to keep you inspired, and to get some advice from the greats. You can even make your own quotable pins over at Recite This!

4. Writing Prompts.

Sometimes you really need a kickstart to get into writing, and prompts are a helpful way to do that. Pinterest is always keeping writers up to date with original prompts. Here's a perfect board to follow.

5. Inspiration Board.

Again, we're back to the book board idea. I keep mine private, but there are plenty of writers with boards upon boards just for world building! It's awesome! Here's an example.

Are you on Pinterest yet? Let's be friends! Follow me here. How are you using Pinterest as a writer/reader? Comment below!

New Year, New Ink

photo copy 2

So about that novel… how's it coming? It's a new year everybody! Let's ring it in with pens in hand! Let me start by saying that traditionally, I don't believe in resolutions. By their nature, I feel like they're just set up for failure. I like to think of them more as goals. For instance, don't say "I'm going to lose weight this year," but instead say, "I'm going to get a gym membership. I'm going to eat less cake for breakfast." Things like that. Plans of attack, my friends. And a whole lot less cake.

So without further ado, I'm going to break some of my rules here and make my own somewhat lofty, somewhat concrete writing resolutions:

Writing Resolutions

So these may seem like the "I wanna lose weight" instead of the "Gym membership" example, but I think it's good to start big and narrow them down from there.

How is your New Year going? Keeping up with writing? I encourage you to create your own writing resolutions today! Feel free to share in the comments!

My Top Ten Writing Pitfalls

Writing Pitfalls 2

Ever get stuck in a writing rut? Need help to dig yourself out? Welcome to the club! Here's where I struggle, and how to fix it! 

You know that moment where the will is there but it's hidden behind layers and layers of procrastination? Sometimes, I find myself at my computer or sitting with my notebook in front of me for two hours straight, thinking, ok just one more cute baby youtube video. Spoiler alert: it's never just one more video. I just spent five minutes on tumblr before I got to this sentence. See? It's a sickness.

Here are the top ten things that keep me from writing, and what to do about them:

1. Social Media. So this is naturally number one. I'm on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. and usually all at the same time. Social media is awesome, but it's also a time-sucker. Try to limit yourself, and then stick to that time frame. I promise, there is always another status to read.
2. Work. To all my 9-5ers, kudos to you for trying to start a writing adventure. I'm currently working up to ten hours a day, five-six days a week; and I'm not going to lie, it's exhausting. Welcome your weekends. Perfect writing time. And if you can manage to spend an hour or two writing on the weekdays, you'll be better for it.
3. School. Homework, projects and papers. Don't you love them? To all of you college people, embrace that time. Aside from classes, college typically allows for a flexible schedule. Just stay on top of your school work, and then get busy with your writing time.
4. Sleep. One of my favorite things! Sometimes, if you don't get enough, any time you have for writing will come from a super sleepy brain. So my advice? Get plenty of sleep. Your writing will thank you.
5. Other People. Let's go get dinner! Let's go out! Let's go to a movie! Sound familiar? Friends are awesome. The best, in fact. Give yourself permission to be a loner sometimes though, and keep your writing on track.
6. "Writer's Block." I use quotes because I don't believe this actually exists. You may not feel that you have any ideas, but should that stop you from writing? No. Just scribble down some words and let the ideas flow.
7. Over-planning. This happened to me a lot at the beginning of the novel process. I had all of these ideas of where I wanted the novel to go that I neglected the actual writing part. Planning is good, but there needs to be a balance. Always write.
8. Relax writing. If it's been a long day, I like to write in bed. Lounge writing, you know? This never works out well, because guess what? I fall asleep. So get dressed in the morning, get to a desk or a table and get working.
9. Too much talk, no action. There are plenty of people who call themselves writers or say they want to write a book, but often, they don't actually follow through with it. So don't be a talker. Write!
10. Writing. Didn't see this coming did you? So for any freelancers or bloggers, this is especially important. Don't let work writing get in the way of creative writing. Keep it organized!

I hope that you found this helpful, and that maybe you're a little closer to a little distraction-free writing. Learn how to make time to write here.

Discussion Time: What are your top writing pitfalls? What's keeping you from your goals?

Why You Should Write Your Novel on Paper

Now that you've started your novel, what's the best way to write it? Here are some reasons why I recommend paper before you jump to the computer! 

Note: This post was last edited on April 3, 2016. 

When I first start a novel, I write the first draft completely by hand. Why is that? I found that writing on paper helped me to quit analyzing and create faster. Skeptical? Allow me to convince you.

Studies show that writing longhand fires up the brain differently than computer writing does. According to the Huffington post, handwriting is important for brain development and cognition. Translation? Writing longhand can release your creativity in ways computer writing cannot.

Let's dive into the benefits of writing on paper, shall we?

SPARK YOUR CREATIVITY

When I first started writing, I used Microsoft Word.  I quickly realized that screens are draining. There’s a reason you’re supposed to be technology-free before you go to sleep. Screens are not our friends.

Think about it. Have you ever realized how blinding white a Word document is? Does it make you tired or is that just me? That doesn’t do much for creativity, I’ve found.

When I can't make it work on the laptop, that's when I pick up the pen and paper. The tactile movement, the distraction-free nature, and the feeling of connection encouraged my story.

Creative boosters that also come with writing on paper: 

• Margin writing. If I'm writing a scene on paper, I get tons of ideas. I use the heck out of my margins, writing ideas for future scenes or characters, and brainstorming when I need it.

• Instagram-worthy notebooks. This may be trivial in the grand scheme of things, but overall, having a pretty notebook really amps my excitement to write.

• Page-flipping, line-filling greatness. There's something amazing about the feeling of flipping a page filled with your own words. This is a great way to see your progress in full scale!

PREVENT SELF-EDITING

There is no “delete” key when it comes to pen and paper. When you write your novel on paper, it allows you to get everything out in the open before your brain kicks in to fix it.

All the misspellings, all the unfinished ideas, all the questions are welcome on the page. It starts with a big mess. Editing comes later.

Here are a few ways to "edit" without editing:

• Scratch it out. One strikethrough, and that's it. That way, you can still read the words when you go back through again.

• Use margins for notes. Like I said above, if you need to make a note, use your margins! If something isn't working in your scene, write it down.

• Move on, man. Is your scene derailing? Stop and take a breath. Skip a line and move on to the next scene.

TAKE IT WITH YOU

Notebooks are portable, people! When it comes to writing on the go, it's much easier to carry a notebook along with you than it is to lug your laptop around.

Tablets work, of course, but then there's the keyboard. Also, you never have to charge a notebook. Hooray for eternal battery life!

TRANSFER YOUR TEXT, GET IDEAS

There are plenty of good things to be said about the process of transferring scenes from paper to print. It gives you new ideas, a new way of seeing things, a fresh look at what you’ve already written. For me, this is the point where my story begins to take shape.

If you're looking for a program to organize your scenes, I recommend Scrivener. (Not an affiliate link.) Scrivener allows for a post-it note organization tool that lets you easily move your scenes around in the order you choose. 

There's no "right" way to use the program, and it helps to take your novel-in-progress to the next level.

BE ONE OF THE GREATS

There's something connective about writing on paper. It brings you back to a time when writing was more organic, where you didn't have instant access to research, where all that mattered was your brain and what you could do with it.

You can write a great book in any way. But this way? It joins you to some of the great writers of the past. And that's pretty powerful.

Thanks for reading, my friends. I hope you dive pen-first into writing. 

Discussion Time: Have you ever tried to write your novel on paper? What are your pros and cons?