Hitting that Word Count...No. Matter. What.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

**reposting of an earlier post**

Word count

Possibly the most two hated words in all of the writing profession for those days when the words... Just. Are. Not. Flowing!

Every word feels like having a finger nail pulled, a stitch tightened in your skin without pain killer, wisdom teeth being extracted while being WIDE AWAKE. Ahhhh!

Save me from word count!

90,000 words, that was the goal for the recent WIP that I finished just last month. There were times when I would look at my counter and go, "3,200 MORE?? It was 3,2001 just a few minutes ago!"

Word Processor can be your greatest asset or your worst enemy and I think we all have those days.

Below are 10 tips to help you conquer that writer's block of word count. These are proven (for me), they work (for me) and I wouldn't have gotten my novel done without them

10: Pray over your words. Most won't be kept, you might delete them moments after writing them, but they are words. God will give you the inspiration, you just have to believe and trust that He will.

9: I want you to not for one second think that this novel will never make it. Tell yourself it will be the next #1 New York Times Bestseller. I did. And who knows, it just might be. The point it, don't dwell on what needs to be changed, just enjoy the flow of words. It will help immensely.

8: I know many of  you are working writers or stay at home with your kids. But have you ever noticed how quickly 100 words can be written? If you single space your pages, it is only about one paragraph. Do you know how fast 100 words adds up? You would only have to carve 10 spaces out of your day to write 1,000 words.  While the kids nap, during your lunch break. While supper is cooking, while your mother in law rants on the other end of the line about her next door neighbor's howling cat. It is faster than you think and I bet in the few minutes you find, you will get more than a 100 words written.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

7: Carrots, lots and lots of carrots! I am serious, it is my think food. For those days that the words are locked up tighter than a drum, rejoice over every 100 word count. Reward yourself, read a chapter in that book you can't stop thinking about. Stand up, stretch, grab a carrot stick, spend just a minute or two away from the screen. Then go back and write another 100.

6: Format your page. When I wrote my last novel, I did everything in single spaces. For some reason it just helped me feel like I was writing more. I wasn't concerned about page count, just words. I loved seeing those single spaces of nothing but words filling those pages.

5: If at all possible try to find a quiet place to write. With summer upon us, that might be easier than during the school year. And just enjoy the words. If you aren't what is the point of writing, I mean really?

4: I would suggest not reading any writing books during this time. It will just make you think of everything you need to change, instead focus on the words. Who cares if you have to go back and delete? Who cares if those words never see the light of publication? If God gave you this story idea, than write it! Anything else is a disservice.

Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net

3: Unplug the Internet and move far, far, far away from that deadly temptation. It will steal your writing time and suck away all enthusiasm and desire to write. When I get ready to write, I bundle my laptop and move to my bunkhouse outside, away from all electronics. It does wonders for my word count.

2: If music helps you enter your story world, than by all means plug some in and let it sooth your writer's mind. The inspiration to write my novel was a few select songs by Sara Evans. I listened to those six songs over and over again. And it put me in the mindset to think about my heroine and her situation.

1: Set a deadline for yourself. My deadline was to be done my birthday which is the middle of July. As that deadline loomed closer and closer, all I could think about is, what if I didn't make it? It pushed me to write more, to have creativity flow and (that along with prayer) worked wonders for hitting that deadline. In fact I got it down by the middle of June. : ) But I also say that don't stress if you don't hit that deadline. Summer is still a time to enjoy, so enjoy it and don't worry if that word count isn't hit. You want your family to love your writing, not resent the angst it throttles around your loved ones.

That is my strategy for hitting your word count. It works for me and hopefully something will give you insight to help you as well. I would love to hear what you do to help hit that word count.

**I'll see ya'll when I get home from work tonight!!**

What's Your WPH (words per hour)?

I remember when I took typing in high school. We worked on typing fast and increasing our wpm (words per minute). While I can now type 70 wpm, I sometimes struggle with my WPH...words per hour.

I know many of you have heard about #1K1HR on Twitter. You type in the # hashtag, then 1K1HR and write as fast as you can, trying to get 1000 words on the page in one hour. There is even a 1K1HR Facebook page where you can participate if you aren't on Twitter.

While I was re-reading From the Inside...Out: discover, create, and publish the novel in you! by Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck, I read something that helped me break down writing a novel and the WPH I need. Here is what I found:

Let's assume you have 12 weeks to write a 30-chapter book, with approximately 3000 words per chapter. That's 1500 words per scene. That's six pages per writing session, 180 minutes per scene. That's thirty minutes a page. ( p. 74)

Just think...if you were able to do 1000 words in one hour, you could do this:

Time Writing Per Day	Words Written Per Day	Days to Write a Novel
1 hour a day	1,000	90 days
2 hours a day	2,000	45 days
3 hours a day	3,000	30 days

You may not write fast and that's okay. Some days I can spit out those 1000 WPH, and some days it just doesn't happen. But having a goal and having a plan of action is important as we set out to write our stories. You know the old saying - "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." You gotta have a plan!

What is your plan? Or what is your average WPH?

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is wife to "Pastor John" and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Sticking To Your Budget!

You’ve been put on a word budget and each one has an assigned value.

Sweating yet? The word “budget” pops up and the inside of your hands go moist. Your breath gets heavy and you have a sudden urge to pace. You can’t sit in one place and when your child skips in asking for a Popsicle, you march them right back out.

Being put on a budget?

Yeah, you’d rather have your toenails pulled out without anesthesia.

And yet when we sit down to write the next Great American Novel, we can be some of the most verbose, slack-jawed, quick-finger-typing maniacs that use every “and”, “was”, “that”, “just”, “because” and the list heads into infinity.

Our characters don’t just have “dialogue”, they chat amongst themselves for pages at a time about everything from what they ate for breakfast to the new haircut the lady in the fourth pew back in church got last Friday.

They don’t just drive to their destination, they observe all the lovely sagebrush whirling by their window, they see the deer leaping gracefully across the pasture and combine that image with the art gallery painting they saw last week on their date with the guy who was a total jerk and should have dumped yesterday.

I’m exhausted!

The typical novel is 90,000 words. Think about it, that’s not that many words. Yeah, when you’ve written the first 10K it can seem that way, but get halfway through the manuscript and suddenly you realize you still have a whole plot thread that STILL has to be resolved and you have NO IDEA how you can possibly close the thread in the next 30K.

It’s time to go on a budget.

When the goal is 90K and you end with 120K you need to go on a SERIOUS budget. The best way is to go through your manuscript with an eye for a few key things. As you edit you will see more and more that will need to be cut and condensed, but to cut a big chunk of those words that need to go now, here are a few tips of things to look for.

Before you start cutting your precious words think about it this way: you have been given $90,000 to spend on your work. $1 per word. WHICH ONES WOULD YOU CHOOSE? It puts it into perspective. If each “was” was worth $5 would you use as many? If each dialogue section could be totaled at $100 for a conversation about breakfast, would you include it?

Hopefully NOT!

Think of each word you write as having a value and you have to PAY for the privilege of using that word. Choose wisely, because you don’t want to miss out on words that can catapult your manuscript’s value.

“Grape-shot Budgeting”

·         Most “that’s” are NOT NEEDED. Don’t hyperventilate. Read it out loud and you’ll agree with me.

·         Condense dialogue. All “well’s” and “just’s” for example need to go. Make your dialogue punchy and filled with cutoffs and fragments (when it works). It heightens the tension.

·         Don’t describe something UNLESS it matters to the plot. If your heroine is driving across the desert should she give a detailed history of sagebrush? Hmmm, probably not.

·         Don’t let your character go on for pages and pages of introspection. Put action into those sections and once you state a point, DON’T keep going.

·         Cut ALL backstory and include as slivers through the stories. Your readers will be more intrigued and most of that backstory is more for your benefit than the readers anyway.

Grape-shot when fired scatters and takes a chunk out here and there.  When you go through that first couple of edits on your manuscript, these are some of the things you need to keep an eye out for. As the edits get more micro, you’ll still be deleting and tightening, but you aren’t going to dump all those excess words in one round. This is just a good start.

Take each word into careful consideration. Is it worth its weight to be included in the story? Does it truly contribute to the book? Those might seem like overwhelming and weighty questions, but once you start editing you will realize it has become second nature.

Word Budgeting is a great concept to keep in mind when you go through those edits. It can be hard to cut those words we spent so much time writing. But if each one has a value and that value equates the difference between a contract or not, which would you choose? Yeah, the love looses the shine really fast.

No go find a budget and stick to it!

**Photo courtesy of oranyan.com

It’s Not About the Overall Word Count

Writers are obsessed. Like the artist with his paints, the jeweler with his beads, the carpenter with his tools, writers are obsessed with words.

Some people can’t. get. enough. words.

Some people have to pinch….and pull….and fight those words into existence, but they are the happiest when manipulating them around the page.

But it all comes down to one thing: we love our words! And our words form a certain equation. 90,000 words strung together in a coherent thought make an average novel. We KNOW, we UNDERSTAND that those 90,000 words will guarantee us a novel of considerable length, the kind we are most often used to reading.

But what happens when we start to edit those 90,000 words? We start to lose them. Sure, we lengthen some plot threads, but most often (okay ME) have to cut words. Gulp. The last week or so of editing, not a day has gone by that I haven’t deleted 1000 words.

Now a good many of those are recovered in other areas of my novel, so the loss isn’t as great as it sounds every single day, but just before my finger punches that delete key, I pause. This will affect my overall word count. I won’t have 90,000 words anymore, I’ll have 89,395 word novel.

My novel will be gasp….INCOMPLETE!

I eye my word count number with a jaundice eye at the bottom of my screen (Word can be a blessing and a curse and I’m more prone to say curse)

I’ve just deleted 500 words, where are those new magic 500 words to replace the ones I’ve lost? So I type and I get lost in the glory of creating new prose.

But the problem is…nine times out of ten, they are filler words. And I have to go back and hit the delete key again.

Sigh.

I’m back to square one, back to biting my nails because my word count is going to fall short of my goal.

So where do you draw the line?

You have to be aware of your word count, yes. Because a 90K novel that ends up being 50K is not going to make it. (let’s hope we don’t write that much fluff on the first draft) BUT, don’t get so caught up in the word count that you FORGET how important it is to make sure you write the RIGHT words.

Don’t let the worry that you will cut too many words make you forget that we want the words we write to be the absolute best they can be.

Which would be the better option … to cut a section that bogs down your plot and takes it nowhere fast….or keep those words because you want to keep a certain word count?

Puts it into perspective, doesn’t it? I know at least for me, personally, it makes it a lot easier to hit that delete key. It’s making the work TIGHTER. It’s making the writing STRONGER and the writer more AWARE not to write such blah the first time around. ;-)

But this is what the editing and revision section is for. So realize that when you sit down to edit that the delete key is going to play a role in your day. Look at your writing over all, what is coming up next and what just happened and be prepared to analyze and consider what needs to be completely deleted or just rewritten.

There is a time for both. Don’t forget that latter option.

So go forth and edit and remember the delete key is not one to be dreaded. By the time you need a new computer, the key should be smooth and void all letters. ;-)

Writing Time Management for the Harried Home-Writer

I am the last person you would expect to see this post written by. But as a writer who can have a hard time staying focused, writes or participates in four blogs, tries to stay on top of social media, chores around the house, the last minute substitute jobs and squeeze in half a dozen book reviews a month, I might have a few suggestions.


I might not have kids, but I have enough to replace them. Ha! Someday this list of activities is going to need to be scaled back, but until then…


Here are a few suggestions (10 to be exact), but please know they aren’t mutually exclusive and you might find that NONE of them work, but you won’t know something unless you try, which brings me to number one…


1) You won’t know something unless you try

You won’t know if you can write a 1000 words in a day or edit for hours on end until you TRY. The best way to figure out what works is to just do it. If it doesn’t, maybe you will figure out what WILL work. Trial and error.






2) For the times you work, turn off all social media


During those times, no matter how long or short, turn off the social media. For me I exit out of Tweetdeck. It automatically loads a new tweet when it comes through, so I often get rid of it. I do leave the internet connected, because I’m weird and like the chocolate in the freezer, if it’s there I don’t want it.






3) Set time constraints


I literally work in 15 minute increments. I set the timer, don’t TOUCH my email during that time and edit for 15 minutes solid. I can easily be distracted when I’m editing, and this FORCES me to keep my tail in the chair and work. 15 minutes is an easy goal for me to reach and when I reach it, I give myself a little reward.






4) And no, it isn’t chocolate…


When those 15 minutes are up, I can then check my emails or blogger feed. I have set a goal for myself to get my WIP edited by the ACFW conference. At the pace I am at, that means I need to be editing at least three pages a day or more, five days a week. Which means my blogging day (Friday) has been taken over to do my edits. So during those moments between 15 minute sessions, you’ll most often find me blogging. I take a few minutes and write a post, start one or answer a comment. I have over two weeks scheduled for OEA and almost all of next week done for my personal blog. Keep these breaks realistic. 5-10 minutes at the MOST. Otherwise you can get carried away.




5) Set a writing time


This one might be harder for many moms and working writers to put into action, but I bet if you look, it’s not as hard as you think. I write everyday (or rather work on my computer) from 7:30 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon. I blog, check my social sites a couple times and work on my writing. I try to stay off of Facebook as much as I can during that time. During blogging, I keep my time short, though I don’t view it as detrimental to my writing time as Facebook. If it starts infringing, it’s back to the bottom of the list.






6) Work in short sequences of time

This pretty much goes hand in hand with the 15 minute session tip. If you can’t find a few minutes during the day to sit and WRITE, then have the computer out in the open and give yourself permission to scribble something as you walk by. If you are going to be serious about this, then you have to be willing to write on the go. We don’t always get the perfect sit down and write time we want.






7) Set priorities


What is your goal for today? Write 500 words? Edit a page? Then make sure you do it. Because if you get too far behind on your goal, then you will be even LESS motivated to work on it the next day. No one expects you to answer an email the minute you get it. Your fiction is more important and if you have 15 minutes to work, don’t spend it checking email.






8) Keep moving


During those periods of writing, keep moving. Every hour or so stand up, move around and keep the blood moving. You are more prone to want to work longer if you take a few breaks to move around. So start the laundry and then power walk back to the computer. ;-)






9) When life happens…write anyway!


Picture this…I have a perfect day of writing planned. Then the phone rings and someone is sick and I need to sub. First...THANK GOD for the work, then…oh BEHIND ON WRITING. Some days are not going to be writing days and you have to give yourself permission to accept that. But don’t give a flimsy excuse that this will just have to be a “no writing” day. And if it is a “no writing” day, then hope you get a good day in tomorrow. If you can legitimately scrounge up even an ounce of energy to work, you need to do it. Develops good stamina for a deadline someday. ;-)






10) To avoid spending those 15 minutes staring at the screen…


Have a few notes from the previous day on what you wanted to work on today. When I start my edits, I go back and read what I changed the day before (usually five or so pages.) Fix spelling errors, awkward sentences and keep going. You’ll be on a roll. Chances are you will spot mistakes from the day before. Repeat this process every day.




What are your suggestions for writing in time crunches?

Setting Manuscript Goals

With each new manuscript I write, I learn more about myself as a writer. I learn my strengths and weaknesses, and basically what makes me the most productive as a writer. And we all know as writers, being productive in every sense is a good thing.

So what are good goals to set before beginning each manuscript in order to be the most productive we can be?

Word Count

Before I begin writing, I estimate approximately how long I want my novel to be. It doesn't have to be exact, though a general range is a great idea. I also estimate the approximate day I want my novel to be finished, and from that I establish a word count goal I need to meet each week in order to finish that novel on time.

For my current WIP, I made a spreadsheet for the first time with Xcel. With it, I am able to simply and quickly input my progress each day and let it tally (weekly and overall) my progress. It's been a great tool to keep me on track.

Know the Story

Whether a beginner or a long-time writer, being more productive with your writing time means knowing your story. For some of us, extensive plotting is involved and for others, it's a lot more basic.

Regardless of how extensive our approach, there are a few elements of a story it truly helps to make a goal to know before beginning.

Goal and motivation for main characters - it doesn't have to be a major outline or character sketch, but at least a general sense of what our characters want and why they want it.

A general feel for the direction of the novel - major plot points and even a vague idea of the ending.

Your purpose in writing the story - to reveal a theme, to entertain, to touch readers, etc.

Small Goals

I've learned some of my weaknesses as I move from one manuscript to the next and one of my big issues is repetitive words. I've begun keeping a sheet of words I use too often so that I can either try to avoid them or be able to look for them when I'm doing the edit.

We all have our weaknesses, so being aware of them is so valuable. And...that brings me to the next goal.

Improving From the Past

Again, we learn from each manuscript we write. Becoming aware of these mistakes, whether through our own realization or through advice from critique partners or editors, is so beneficial as we continue our writing journey. We can make general or specific goals to grow from what we've learned and make every additional piece of writing better than the last.

These are just a few tools I use as I begin each new story. I'd love to hear goals you set as you begin each new manuscript, and what helps you to be as productive as you can be.

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

If you write something every day you are always moving forward. 500 words a day you will have a 90,000 word novel in a little over 6 months. If you write 100 words every 2 hours you could have those 500 words in a day very easily- 100 words types up fast- especially if you know what you're going to write next.

If you were to write 1,000 words a day you could have a novel written in just a little over 3 months.

Writing a novel isn't daunting, finding the time isn't as hard as you think. The hard part is being willing to plunk thyself in a chair and being willing to let the words flow. You have no excuse for writing a book. Nothing except yourself. Don't stand in your own way anymore.

Hopefully this week on the Alley we will have motivating ideas to jumpstart that new manuscript or a new thought on an old revelation that will turn the corner on your current edits...

Being a mother and a writer has it's own set of challenges, hear what Angie's perspective is in her post This Mama's Writing Habits

Julia has the tips you need for Writing During the Difficult Times

Be prepared to be transported around the world as Sarah takes us to Paris in her post, People Watching in Paris. (yes, she does intend to flaunt that trip)

Let It Stew is the topic of Wendy's post on allowing our ideas for the plot and the characters that will fill them "simmer" before launching off. Sounds yummy (and perfect on a cold day :-)

Make 'em baaad. Well not, bad, but certainly not perfect. Cindy has a post on making your characters flawed and quirky in Tall, Dark...and All Wrong

NewsStand

The winner of Alice J. Wisler and Bethany Pierce's books is...Lgm52!!!!

Be sure and leave a comment for a chance to win two books from the Heartsong line!

Julia has an interview and giveaway on her blog with author, Kathi Macias on Tuesday, don't miss it- 3 books will be given away!

Please be sure and pray for Krista and her family as new devolopments have been unearthed and Annabelle could possibly need a heart transplant.

Check on yesterday's Seekerville post for contest updates around the web for getting your work in front of judges!

ACFW's Genesis contest is now OPEN! You have until 8:00 a.m. pacific standard time on March 4th, to get your entry in. Click above for more details.

Casey is giving away a bracelet on her Facebook Bug's Beads Page. Click to check it out and find out how to enter (you might have to scroll down a short ways)

Adam and Andrea Graham on the featured authors next week on Operation Encourage an Author

The Quixotic Pull of Your Future Novel

Ever hit about 35K on a WIP and get smacked over the head, lovesick for a new idea—a new novel? This has happened to me almost every single time I reach the midway point.
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Finally I decided to discuss this quixotic pull with a fellow author. It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try to unearth the reasoning behind why I’m so easily seduced by a fresh set of characters and a compelling plot as soon as I hit halfway.
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Together my friend and I settled on a few reasons why this might be happening:

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A Pleasant Distraction at the Perfect TimeA novel gets a lot trickier to stick with once you’ve passed 30K. Conflict needs tightening. Characters need motivation. The plot must move fluidly. The prospect of being introduced to potential characters that have nothing to do with a dragging plot pace is extremely tempting. I find I must be wary of usurping ideas that come on too strong. They might simply exist so I’ll deviate from my WIP.
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Think a stellar daydream during third period calculus. It’s worth it to plug through the problems.
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Stalling PointI’ve actually stopped writing two novels because I ran smack dab into the vacuum. You know the vacuum where you run out of creativity for a novel. Ideas had been sucked from my brain. How did I remedy that problem? I invented a cast of characters that knew how to stay around for the duration. Rarely would I advise someone to bail out on a WIP, but if you’ve reached an irreversible stalling point, then take on the enticing project with gusto.

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Losing that Lovin’ FeelingRemember how you felt when you fell in love for the first time? I swear that’s how writing a rough draft feels for me sometimes. The woozy lightheaded zone. Craving to learn every single thing about my characters. Forgiving their flaws only to write them all down and save them for later use. Smitten until page 109. Then the butterflies flutter away from my stomach and the gloves come out. At some point I find myself fighting through, working hard to make it to the end. When the romantic notion of my story arc flees, much like what happens at varying stages of all relationships; I must learn to stay the course.

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Characters Can’t Be ControlledLet’s face it characters have an uncanny bent toward rudeness. They barge. They storm. They interrupt dinner and bedtime. They’re desperate to have their stories told. And their timing by no means lines up with our timing. They visit when they visit, suitcases clutched in both hands. I’ve found the best thing to do when I’m flooded with descriptions of Bob and Betty is to take notes. I’ll spend months taking notes on characters. Dozens of characters that have made a sudden appearance in my brain have been duly noted, but not all of them have made it to the page. At least not yet.

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A Great IdeaAnd then there are moments when I truly stumble across a solid idea with flourishing characters. An unforgettable plot. Is it wrong to tackle two novels at the same time? No. Separate notes have helped me keep my facts straight and my timelines from looking more crooked than Nanny McPhee’s nose.

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Has this ever happened to you? What explanation do you have for the quixotic pull of a future novel while you’re hard at work on your WIP?

*photos from flickr

Top Ten Ways To Get Word Count In During The Holidays

For those of you who are attempting to write 50,000 words during the month of November for NaNoWriMo, you might be wondering how to get your word count in during the busy Thanksgiving Holiday. Well, I'm here to tell you...I don't know. Seriously, I'm so far behind on my word count that I've been wracking my brains, trying to figure it out myself.

After a bit of brainstorming, here are a few ways I've come up with:

1. Get up early and stay up late. Yeah, I don't like this one either. It makes your Cranky Pants beg to come out of the closet. Maybe do one or the other, but still, it's not optimum if you are having family come in. Sometimes these get-togethers are stressful enough without the bad attitude that comes with little sleep.
2. Hole up in your room during the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day. Hubby won't mind...he'll be yelling at the tube with the guys anyway.
3. Have your witty cousin write your story for you while you take a nap and sleep off the turkey "sleep" hormones. What? Not everyone has a creative family member? Awww, that's so sad.
4. Cry "Headache" when the family wants to go see the traditional Thanksgiving Day movie, then whip out a couple of #1k1hr sessions while they are gone.
5. Be strong and say a huge NO to the Black Friday shopping spree. Spend the early morning hours writing, and be thankful you still have your fingers! There are some crazy shoppers out there that will scratch and claw for their bargains.
6. Claim that you are really, really tired from all the cooking and go to bed early, sneaking your laptop into bed with you. The family will want to stay up watching movies and eating, while you get some quiet time to write.
7. If you live in Texas like I do, you can go sit in the piles of leaves in the backyard and write, surrounded by the pretty fall foliage. (Notice I did not say beautiful. Hey, it's Texas...not Boston!)
8. Say you have to run to the store for last minute food items. Sit in the parking lot with your laptop and write for an hour or two. You can claim the supermarket was packed with last minute shoppers!
9. Ditch the traditional huge Thanksgiving meal and have turkey or ham sandwiches. You can buy Little Debbie snacks for dessert...or little fruit turnovers if you are feeling sad about not having pie. A new tradition is set and instead of cooking, you have time to write!!!
10. Just give in, forget NaNo, and enjoy Thanksgiving with the family. It only comes around once a year and NaNo is just a motivational tool anyway. No monetary prize involved. I set the rules, right?

So there you have it, my Top Ten ways to get some word count in during the holidays. What kind of tricks do you have for writing during the Thanksgiving holiday?

How a CPA Writes a Novel (Because I Know You're DYING to Know!)

Did you know it's entirely possible for a book to be written in an Excel spreadsheet? Okay, all you pantsers, stop snickering at me. I'm serious.

Since Pepper shared her writing process last week and Julia has been talking about storyboarding, I thought I'd share a little piece of my writing process today.

When I first started writing novels, I stumbled upon Randy Ingermanson's website Advanced Fiction Writing. At the time, it seemed like a coincidence. Now after meeting Randy, I know it was all part of his greater plan to take over the world. :)

He's known for this thing called the Snowflake Method of planning a novel. Since I like order in my life, I lapped it up like a thirsty dog, only without the loud slurping. When I got to the part where he talked about outlining scenes in Excel, I knew I'd found my place (can't help it...I'm a CPA).

From that point forward, I started outlining my books and scenes in an Excel spreadsheet. For each book, I have columns with the date of the scene, the chapter number, the POV character, a summary of the scene, the word count, the plots/subplots (more on that in a future post), and more. For every version of my manuscript, I have a separate tab in Excel.

I even created a tab where I track my daily progress. I have a line for each date and I log the time I spend drafting, editing, etc. Then I have a column where I track my scene goals for each day. So if I'm starting the editing process, I might have Scene 1a on Monday, Scene 1b on Tuesday and so on. I refer to my word counts on the other tab to help me gauge how many scenes I can complete each day.

Now I know this method wouldn't work for everyone (All you pantsers have glazed eyes right now. Am I right?), but I think it's important to track our goals and progress somehow. Before I started this process, I wandered aimlessly without a real target. But now that I treat my Daily Progress tab like a time clock, it helps me stay focused.

Does the idea of using a spreadsheet to plan a novel scare you? How do you stay focused on reaching your goals?

*Keyboard image: br3akthru / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Minutes image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hitting that Word Count. Every. Single. Day.

Word count

Possibly the most two hated words in all of the writing profession for those days when the words... Just. Are. Not. Flowing!

Every word feels like having a finger nail pulled, a stitch tightened in your skin without pain killer, wisdom teeth being extracted while being WIDE AWAKE. Ahhhh!

Save me from word count!

90,000 words, that was the goal for the recent WIP that I finished just last month. There were times when I would look at my counter and go, "3,200 MORE?? It was 3,2001 just a few minutes ago!"

Word Processor can be your greatest asset or your worst enemy and I think we all have those days.

Below are 10 tips to help you conquer that writer's block of word count. These are proven (for me), they work (for me) and I wouldn't have gotten my novel done without them

10: Pray over your words. Most won't be kept, you might delete them moments after writing them, but they are words. God will give you the inspiration, you just have to believe and trust that He will.

9: I want you to not for one second think that this novel will never make it. Tell yourself it will be the next #1 New York Times Bestseller. I did. And who knows, it just might be. The point it, don't dwell on what needs to be changed, just enjoy the flow of words. It will help immensely.

8: I know many of  you are working writers or stay at home with your kids. But have you ever noticed how quickly 100 words can be written? If you single space your pages, it is only about one paragraph. Do you know how fast 100 words adds up? You would only have to carve 10 spaces out of your day to write 1,000 words.  While the kids nap, during your lunch break. While supper is cooking, while your mother in law rants on the other end of the line about her next door neighbor's howling cat. It is faster than you think and I bet in the few minutes you find, you will get more than a 100 words written.

7: Carrots, lots and lots of carrots! I am serious, it is my think food. For those days that the words are locked up tighter than a drum, rejoice over every 100 word count. Reward yourself, read a chapter in that book you can't stop thinking about. Stand up, stretch, grab a carrot stick, spend just a minute or two away from the screen. Then go back and write another 100.

6: Format your page. When I wrote my last novel, I did everything in single spaces. For some reason it just helped me feel like I was writing more. I wasn't concerned about page count, just words. I loved seeing those single spaces of nothing but words filling those pages.

5: If at all possible try to find a quiet place to write. With summer upon us, that might be easier than during the school year. And just enjoy the words. If you aren't what is the point of writing, I mean really?

4: I would suggest not reading any writing books during this time. It will just make you think of everything you need to change, instead focus on the words. Who cares if you have to go back and delete? Who cares if those words never see the light of publication? If God gave you this story idea, than write it! Anything else is a disservice.

3: Unplug the Internet and move far, far, far away from that deadly temptation. It will steal your writing time and suck away all enthusiasm and desire to write. When I get ready to write, I bundle my laptop and move to my bunkhouse outside, away from all electronics. It does wonders for my word count.

2: If music helps you enter your story world, than by all means plug some in and let it sooth your writer's mind. The inspiration to write my novel was a few select songs by Sara Evans. I listened to those six songs over and over again. And it put me in the mindset to think about my heroine and her situation.

1: Set a deadline for yourself. My deadline was to be done my birthday which is the middle of July. As that deadline loomed closer and closer, all I could think about is, what if I didn't make it? It pushed me to write more, to have creativity flow and (that along with prayer) worked wonders for hitting that deadline. In fact I got it down by the middle of June. : ) But I also say that don't stress if you don't hit that deadline. Summer is still a time to enjoy, so enjoy it and don't worry if that word count isn't hit. You want your family to love your writing, not resent the angst it throttles around your loved ones.
That is my strategy for hitting your word count. It works for me and hopefully something will give you insight to help you as well. I would love to hear what you do to help hit that word count.

Also, I am away on vacation right now, so I won't be here to reply to your comments, but the other lovely ladies will be. I will be sure and read them when I get back, I look forward to hearing your thoughts!