Saturday, May 7, 2011

Migraines and Word Count

I feel the beginnings of a migraine beginning as I sit down to write this blog, so naturally they are on my mind. I get frequent migraines which often lead to some serious downtime in bed. So, how do I get my stories written?

I don't always... That is the great thing about not being on the payroll, I don't have deadlines. The drawback of this is that I don't have deadlines!

Being a professional procrastinator, I found that I work better with a deadline. I need someone to keep me honest. That is why I like Nanowrimo, it gives me a deadline and a way to measure how good I am doing. I felt great when I hit my word count in November.

Write-ins help me keep focused. Even if we don't get any writing done at the write-in, I find that I am working when I am at home. Which is difficult to do when I have so many distractions.

Some writers work only at the office. But if you don't have one, what do you do? I know people who work at a local coffee shop or restaurant. Many don't mind if you sit for a couple of hours and work, especially if you buy food and drink.

So, try to be creative and give yourself mini deadlines. You will like the results!

I am going to try to use more pictures, as was suggested on my other blog. And I try to throw in a link or two as suggested by Tiffany Colter, who is the WRITING CAREER COACH.

Pictured above: Braden Grenier at a write-in during Nanowrimo. To purchase Braden's Nano Novel go to Heart of Mold.

4 comments:

April_Baby10 said...

I'm always afraid I'm losing a few more brain cells out of the few I have when I suffer from a migraine. I hope you feel better soon and you're able to sleep yours off.

I think it's important to know yourself, your writing style and habits, and do what's best for yourself to produce results. Like you say, if the results are coming at a fairly steady pace, then deadlines are great. I'm one of the many who sometimes need to take myself to a coffee house or another location to write where I am away from the distractions at home. Other times, during warmer weather, I find sitting outside somewhere by myself is wonderful for writing. Know yourself and do what it takes :)

April_Baby10 said...

Where was the pic of Braden taken? It looks like there's lots of room there for everyone to spread out and write.

Diandra said...

Migraines suck...

I do have an office for myself at home (it is also the room where I store all my books and my altar, and hide if the BF invites guys over). My notebook is always on top of the desk, open and ready to be used, and I try to get up an hour early every work day to get some writing done, and sneak in some writing during the weekend.

The problem with deadlines, for me, is that they seem to lower my creativity - especially with larger projects. If I think, "I want to have the 1st draft done by XYZ", it will be done then - even if it could have been done earlier. Weird world...

My crazy life said...

The nice thing about no deadlines for me is that I don't get that panicky feeling that I will fail. The bad thing is that I may not finish a project.

Cindy, the pic of Braden was taken at the Cambridge Denny's in their back room. We pushed the tables together to form a big square.