Reflect, Regroup and Charge!
Hello Kiwi Writer,
Congratulations on making it past the half way mark and solidly on the road to the home stretch. If you're participating in SoCNoC and have broken the 30,000 word mark then you're golden. For those HalfNoC-ers among you the 15,000 word mark is your magic number. This is a marathon not a sprint so continue to pace yourself. If you're behind on your word count then don't panic. There are still plenty of days to catch up and you'll be amazed at what you can achieve as the deadline approaches.
There's all the hints and tips you could need on the blog and in the forums. If you can't find the encouragement or solutions you're looking for then post your own topic in the SoCNoC forum and watch as your fellow participants come to your aid. You are definitely not alone and there's bound to be someone else who's experienced what you are or is experiencing it right along with you.
It's good to take a moment to pause and gather your senses. You've probably been going full tilt or wallowing in the detail of messy plots, unruly characters and vague settings. This is the time to regroup and set yourself up for a rush to the finish line.
1. Back up! Back up! Back up! And I don't mean retreat. Send a copy of your story to another computer, a USB stick, an external hard drive, any online email box, save it to Google Docs, email it to a friend. Every year we hear about a computer failing and words being lost. This year it's a happy story with Commodore only losing the words from her current writing session.
2. Count them words. Count the ones you've written, count the ones you've got left and figure out your daily goal until The End. We all know it can be more complicated than that with days out with family, work commitments and those crazy surprises life likes to throw at us in times like these. You can calculate it all and keep adjusting as you go to work at it one day at a time with Realistic Daily Goals.
3. Bump up your word count, also known as sneaky ways to trick your brain. How many times do you write can't, don't, won't or it's? That one word for every two you could be counting. Do your characters have short names like Beth or Tim? There's a long opportunity for Elizabeth Joan Smith and Timothy Aidain Burrows. Try out other cheats to trick your brain and boost your word count. The trick comes when you see your word count up around where you think you should be. There's a renewed excitement and you're sure to find yourself making up the words you slipped in.
4. Reward yourself. If you've written more words with SoCNoC or HalfNoC than you would have written without them then you are a winner and you should be rewarded. You've already heard about how rewards and bribes can get those words written but you know... you'll be helping the economy too.
Go forth, regroup and charge!
Kerryn Angell