How to boost the word count
November 3rd 2007 22:00
Whenever I find myself with a few spare hours at my hands, I sit down and boost my word count. I wrote over 4,200 words in 5 hours today. Here's how I do it:
I decide how many words I need to write for the day, a figure that is reasonable within the available time frame. There is no point in aiming too high - that would do more harm than good. My goal for today was 3,400 words.
I sit down and write for 45 minutes. During this time, I turn of instant messaging, don't check my e-mail, don't answer the phone - I don't even go to the bathroom unless it is really inevitable. Also strictly forbidden: counting the words - I only check how much I wrote when the session is over.
When the 45 minutes are over, I give myself a break and do whatever I like. I went for 15-minute breaks today. When I have more time, I prefer the breaks to be 30 minutes long.
After the break, I do the next 45-minute session. This goes on at least until I make the word count I set for myself.
If I want to continue writing after that, that's fine. As long as the ideas keep coming, it wouldn't make sense to stop. But if I can't think of anything new, I know that I can go and surf the net without feeling guilty.
I decide how many words I need to write for the day, a figure that is reasonable within the available time frame. There is no point in aiming too high - that would do more harm than good. My goal for today was 3,400 words.
I sit down and write for 45 minutes. During this time, I turn of instant messaging, don't check my e-mail, don't answer the phone - I don't even go to the bathroom unless it is really inevitable. Also strictly forbidden: counting the words - I only check how much I wrote when the session is over.
When the 45 minutes are over, I give myself a break and do whatever I like. I went for 15-minute breaks today. When I have more time, I prefer the breaks to be 30 minutes long.
After the break, I do the next 45-minute session. This goes on at least until I make the word count I set for myself.
If I want to continue writing after that, that's fine. As long as the ideas keep coming, it wouldn't make sense to stop. But if I can't think of anything new, I know that I can go and surf the net without feeling guilty.
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