Camp NaNoWriMo has come, and if you're anything like me, you may be throwing yourself whole-heartedly into the fray. Also like me, you may, at any time of the year, have some trouble meeting your daily word count goals. But never fear! TheSpiderWriter is here, and with a few different methods to help you reach them!
1. Hold yourself accountable.
Yes, yes, this seems fairly self-evident, but for some people it works really well! Just set a goal for yourself, and take something you enjoy doing, then don't allow yourself to do it until you finish. Conversely, you can take something you dislike doing, and force yourself to do it if you don't meet your goal--like drinking straight vinegar or (if you're a vinegar-loving freak like me) playing the game you most hate with your most insufferable family member at least once through.
But if that doesn't work, you can always....
2. Have someone ELSE hold you accountable.
Sometimes asking yourself to not give in to temptation is just too much; how can you resist the siren song of white chocolate chip cookies? How can you say no to a dip in your jacuzzi (u successful author superhero u)? Why would you stick your paper-cut hand into a vat of lemon juice? In cases like this, sometimes a little external motivation is necessary, which means that it's time to bring in a partner in crime. Ask someone close to you to do the "holding accountable" for you--give them the key to your DVD chest and ask them never to allow you into it if you can't show them a verified word count first, or have them wake you by dousing you in ice cold water if you didn't meet your goal the night before.
As long as it gets you working, then it's a success!
3. Pit yourself against someone
For some people, rewards and punishments just don't work. Maybe you don't have the resources available to you to make the reward/punishment system feasible, or perhaps you find the rules a little too arbitrary to follow. Whatever the case, there are alternatives.
Competition is part of nature, and some of us are more competitive than others; writers are usually very self-competitive, so you could do something like try to beat your record for most words in a month; to make it real, set up a winner's wall where you record your score every time you push the envelope, or a shame space where you record each new low.
If that doesn't work, ask your friends and family. There are bound to be other writers in the thick of the it who are looking for the same upper you are. If there's no one around, hit up Twitter or Tumblr or (spirit of the season!) sign up for Camp NaNoWriMo and spend time competing with strangers. You never know who might turn out to be a true fiend at the end of the experience, either.
It's worth a shot!
4. Stay in your lane
It seems like a silly thing, but make sure you stay within your range. I mean, it seems obvious if you tend toward high counts not to pick a battle with someone too low, but don't reach too high, either. Yes, you want someone who's going to challenge you, but not someone who's going to smother you! I've been the person leagues ahead of another, and as much as I try to encourage my friends, it only seems to hurt them. You become daunted by the task ahead and give up, feeling that you'll never catch up to the giants around you.
If your nightly word count is 150, you might want to try to befriend someone whose count is around 200; the competition is more fair and the two of you will be more able to help each other grow and pick up speed. The same is true of the 4.5--6k range, or the 1--2.5k range; the more equally skilled the players, the fiercer and more beneficial the competition.
But above all, my wonderful witticising writers, don't forget to keep your expectations of yourself realistic. You can set all the 100,000 words-a-night goals you want, with all the rewards and punishments and support systems you think appropriate, but all you're going to do is kill yourself.
Unless that goal is somehow realistic for you, in which case please share with me your secrets, as I, too, would like to exchange this mortal coil for the eternal rewards of deification, and would be happy to offer my companionship as compensation.
And the rest of you mortals out there, let me know about all your down-and-dirty tricks--it's bound to help someone!
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