In October, I committed to participate in Write Till Christmas. This is an event sponsored by my writing friend Kelly Sgroi. She started this program in 2023 with the purpose of encouraging us to add to the word count of any project we've been meaning to get to all year.
Anyone who has ever seen my to-do list knows that my list is far too long for anyone to accomplish. Honestly, I'm not sure 3 full time writers could accomplish my list. I had 4 book length projects that I started the year wanting to work on. By October that number had grown to 5. And I had accomplished mere pages.
So I took a hard look at the five projects. I also had numerous paying deadlines to meet so I knew there was no way I could write a full novel without burning out. Instead, I chose an early middle grade project. I had managed to write about 2 and a half pages on it early in the year. That's not even a tiny bit impressive, but I chose this project because I knew that if I stuck with it I would be able to write a full draft between October 1 and Christmas.
How did it work?
It should have been so straight forward! But one of my deadlines really managed to slam me to the floor. I quit working on Write Till Christmas for about a week. When I met my deadline, I took another day off. As I another full day drew to a close, I made myself write a paragraph. It wasn't a good paragraph but I have to be honest. At this point I can't point to it and say, "Right there! There's the stinker of a paragraph."
Soon I was chugging along and back on schedule. I should explain. When I miss a week at a page a day, I don't tell myself that I have 7 pages to make up. Nope. When I start writing again, I'm starting fresh. So as I started writing again, I was able to accomplish a page a day. The pages once again added up.
Then I got sick. Then my son got it. Soon three of four people living in our house had it. I did not accomplish a page a day every day that week, but I did write a little something. Setting that goal to keep moving forward paid off.
When I was well, I was soon adding a page a day to my word count. By the end of the year, I had drafted a full manuscript at 82 pages.
For those of you who don't know, I write full time. I'm lucky enough to have steady contract work. Those checks keep the lights on but it is far too easy to use it as an excuse not to work on my own writing. Writing a page a day for Write Till Christmas showed me how even small goals can add up.
I'm currently ignoring that specific project. I want to let it cool before I begin revising it. So now I am working through a page a day on a booklet I plan to give away for free. Help! They Want to Ban My Book. What Do I Do? is about what I learned when my book was challenged. I'm revising what I drafted last year and have 8 solid manuscript pages. That's just under half way.
Setting a goal of writing or revising a page a day has definitely paid off for me. On a really wild day I may accomplish two full pages instead. One paragraph, one page or two. Set a small goal and stick to it. The momentum will carry you forward until you have completed something big. It is definitely worth the effort.
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
- Click here to find her newsletter.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
3 comments:
Congrats Sue! Though you had some hurdles thrown your way and some pesky deadlines, you didn't let that discourage you. It was a great idea to pick one manageable project on your writing wish list and go all in.
Thank you, Renee. The end of the year was challenging. Heck, the year as a whole was challenging.
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