When are you due?
Egad! More Math??! Last time. I promise. I owe you a break. You’re due.
Deadlines vs due dates
To set yourself up for success, you will need to have a due date as a solid goal. I’ve learned 3 things about writing and goals:
1. what gets monitored, gets done
2. deadlines make things happen
3. like baby due dates, writing deadlines should be set, but flexible
Mindset matters
If you approach this project with the “I will work on it when I can, and I’ll finish it someday” attitude, you will never finish. You won’t. Writing is hard. It takes dedication to push through the days when the words will not come. If you don’t care when you finish, you won’t finish. Set a due date!
On the other hand, if you tell yourself (and significant others in your life) that you’ll start October 29 and be done by Thanksgiving, then you’ve set yourself up for failure and despair. No one can write a decent draft in a month.
Well, okay. Yes, some people do write a complete 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Hence NaNoWriMo. But do you want to rush? Either way, you should set daily goals, weekly goals and a final deadline for your rough draft.
Moving forward
Me? I have had a day job until recently. In the past, I would aim for 750 words per day, 5 days per week. That’s about 3 pages daily. If I start November 1, my 30 weeks ends April 17. I know that if I get on a roll – especially on weekends or school holidays – I’ll end up ahead. But the end of May is my hard deadline.
You? Do the math. Find your goals. Mark them on a calendar, or put them on your phone. Do something so that the goal is in front of your face.
Are you going to knock this thing out for NaNoWriMo? If you have all the work done on your templates, your rough draft will fly off your fingers! Let me know so I can follow you and cheer you on!
Remember:
My FREE novel planning templates are available beginning June 14, 2021 from my Novel Planning page here, along with links to the brief blog posts that explain them. You will also find links to posts describing my additional planning templates that are available here in my Shop.
Ah, to be known as a woman who shows grace under pressure. More and more of late, that is my prayer.
Job 5:8 needs to be my go-to response, “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause.”
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