3 Strategies To Keep You Writing

     Writing is work, and as with any type of work, different routines work differently for different people--but over the years I've found a number that work for me, and may work for you as well.  These 3 strategies are good for generating ideas, developing your characters, and increasing your word count and quality.

1.  Write in the mornings

     Generally, the later in the day it is the harder it is for us to get our write on.  There's a certain amount of energy we have each day that is expended in every activity, and our creativity sometimes corresponds to this energy--in the morning, we theoretically have the most energy.  Whether this is practically true or not, it generally is true that our minds are clearest in the morning, before we have time to clutter our consciousness with worries and concerns and problems galore.
     If you develop a morning routine in which writing is one of the first things you do, you'll find that you make more progress--you're able to write more words quicker, and the stuff you come up with isn't terrible.  You don't have to spend the rest of the day worrying about it, either--if you accomplish your daily writing goal earlier on it's done and over with, and you can put your mind to other things.  Plus, there's less chance that you'll be too tired by day's end to even get started, which is always at risk; it's really easy to get tired and say "I'll do it tomorrow" (which is, of course, where creativity goes to die).


2.  Tell yourself the story

     When I say "tell yourself the story," I mean out loud--talk to yourself!  Narrate dramatically while you're in the garden or practice dialogue in the shower, act out all the parts if it feels right!  Speaking out loud is how we organize our thoughts.  It helps clear things up and gives a sound and feeling to the language you use.  It also engages a different set of creative pieces in your brain, since you're focused on sound and flow rather than visual appearance; it's like slam poetry, only with prose.
     And don't worry about other people thinking you're crazy.  Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

3.  When you're stuck, write the easy scenes

     I like to write in chronological order.  I usually know about how my endings will turn out, but holding myself back from working on it gives me something to look forward to--an incentive, if you will ("come on, Coates, two hundred more pages and we can write that silky smooth fun part, you can do it!")--but when I get stuck, really, truly stuck, I find it can help to skip around and write the parts of the novel you know will happen, but haven't gotten to yet.  It helps to get the creative juices flowing, and can sometimes reignite your passion for a project you've grown a bit cold for.
     It doesn't have to be perfect or line up with where the story eventually ends up exactly since nothing is perfect in your first draft, but it gets the thoughts out and leaves room for new ones.  They say that while you're working on something your subconscious mind is always trying to solve problems in the background, so this lets you act productive while giving yourself some problem-solving time.
     Plus if tomorrow you come down with amnesia, you'll know what general direction your story is headed in!

     There are millions of writing strategies you can take advantage of, and I encourage you to try as many as possible--what you're doing now may work best, but how will you know until you compare it to what else is out there?  Maybe your current methods actually suck ass, or maybe they've done great for you--but you might still be able to do better!
     What strategies work best for you?

A Few Ways To Elevate Wordcount

     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!