Currently, my freelance writing site, Inkwell Editorial, is holding a tournament for indie writers. The goal of the tournament is simple accountability; to get writers committing to writing a certain number of words per day.
WRITERS ARE MAKING AMAZING PROGRESS -- A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Thus far, the results have been outstanding, ie:
This accountability has helped me add 9500 words to my book already, so that's HUGE for a book that's been sitting for six months.~Participant #3
All of the small concerns that nag at me and usually keep me from writing...and I'm just forcing myself to push through it and write. . . . this is already the closest I've come to a completed manuscript. I also crossed a threshold today from completing an exercise to knowing I'm writing something that has value. . . . This has given me new confidence, which is what I needed after working through a lot of doubt yesterday.~Participant #9
I have . . . created a daily reminder in my iPhone to email you each day with my word count. It’s a small act, but one with big psychological payoffs. If I am finally ready to get serious about writing, then I need to start showing up every day.~Participant #6
I am absolutely exhausted. I didn't start writing until about 9:45 this evening. . . . anyway I still pushed through and managed to get 927 words in tonight.73 words short of my daily goal.~Participant #7
From pushing through writing barriers, to finishing manuscripts that have been collecting dust for months, as I said, the strides writers are making have been amazing.
Here’s the progress that was made on Day 1. Following is what happened on Day 2-3, and this past weekend (where participants aren’t required to write). I sent the following email to the group.
DAY 2 (LAST THURSDAY, 10/13)
Participant #1 (Yuwanda). Daily Goal: 3750 words.
I sent this to you all in an email already, but as a reminder:
Today, I wrote 4037 words; shy of the 6242 that I wanted to write to make up for yesterday's missed word count, but over my daily stated goal of 3750, so I'm pleased.
Participant #2. Daily Goal: 500 words.
He emailed: 1,116 today!
Participant #3. Daily Goal: 1600 words.
Just hit 1687 words on my novel for the day!
Note: This participant always writes in the morning; usually getting her word count to me well before noon (U.S. EST).
Participant #4. Daily Goal: 1500 words.
She missed Day #1 writing: "I thought it started yesterday but missed the email. My excuses are, I misplaced my iphone and my daughter stayed home from school sick :) So, today, my goal is to do a double today."
The next day she sent me her word count for this day, writing: "Yesterday, 10/13- Thursday - 1075 words"
Participant #5. Daily Goal: 3,000 words.
She simply emailed a number: 3158.
Participant #6. Daily Goal: 3500 words.
She sent the following on 10/14:
Hi Yuwanda,
My word count from yesterday (day #2) was 218. Not a lot, but I did the important thing and that was attempt to keep the continuity going. In the evenings when I get home from work, I have about 2 -3 hours of time before I go to bed. Those hours are devoted to life’s daily chores and connecting with family. So, not a good time to write. I am going to adjust my mornings to accommodate some writing time but it appears that my weekends will be when i pump out the most words.
I have also created a daily reminder in my iPhone to email you each day with my word count. It’s a small act, but one with big psychological payoffs. If I am finally ready to get serious about writing, then I need to start showing up every day. I am no different than a bakery owner or other small business: if I don’t open my store (write) and produce a product to sell (books) then I am just a hobbyist.
Thanks again for holding this tournament. I look forward to sending you my Day 3 count this evening.
Participant #7. Daily Goal: 1,000 words.
She wrote:
#7 Reporting!
Ok I am absolutely exhausted. I didn't start writing until about 9:45 this evening. I have found that during the week writing between 8pm-11pm seems to be a good time for me but I admit I'm a newbie and I am still figuring my "writing personality" out. Now that I am working a split shift 4 days out of the week for a now while I working toward making the transition into living life as a full-time freelance writer things have changed a bit since I don't get home until 8pm :-O!
Oh well anyway I still pushed through and managed to get 927 words in tonight.73 words short of my daily goal. It is now 12:09am.
Participant #8. Daily Goal: 3000 words initially; changed that to 1500 after the first day
She wrote on 10/14:
I didn't get any writing (or anything else) done yesterday [10/13]. I went out to run errands, which is tricky in these parts and always zaps my energy. I'm at home today, so I plan to reach my goal today 1500. I'm working with a detailed outline so I'll just pick up where I left off on day 1.
Participant #9. Daily Goal: 2200 words.
He wrote:
Day 2 Results: 4,127 words
Total Words: 5334 Words, 1,207 words ahead of schedule
This is a fascinating exercise. All of the small concerns that nag at me and usually keep me from writing (Will this format work? Could this book get me in legal trouble? Is it too obvious who I'm talking about?) are here in my mind and I'm just forcing myself to push through it and write.
If I can write this book, I can find a safe, entertaining way to make it work, and if I can't use my experiences to entertain, they've effectively been wasted. It's become very important to me that I make this work.
Hope the words are flowing for you as well.
DAY 2 OBSERVATIONS
1. Five us met or exceeded our goals (one missed it by just 73 words (or it would have been six of us). So almost a full two-thirds of us are making our daily goal.
Like I said, “We rock!”
2. This tourney is pushing many of us to write when we wouldn’t otherwise do so.
As #7 noted: “Ok I am absolutely exhausted. I didn't start writing until about 9:45 this evening . . . I still pushed through and managed to get 927 words in tonight.73 words short of my daily goal.”
3. This tourney is helping many of us push past our fears of writing. As #9 wrote: “All of the small concerns that nag at me and usually keep me from writing [are] just forcing myself to push through it and write.”
DAY 3 (LAST FRIDAY, 10/14)
Participant #1 (Yuwanda). Daily Goal: 3750 words.
0 words. Did not write at all.
Participant #2. Daily Goal: 500 words.
317 words.
Participant #3. Daily Goal: 1600 words.
Hit 1666 on the money today only thanks to my fiance. Two days ago, I hated my main characters (terrible for a romance, right?) My fiance suggested a flashback to get readers more engaged in these main characters and it helped me get 3k+ words the last two days.
Participant #4. Daily Goal: 1500 words.
Did not report in.
Participant #5. Daily Goal: 3,000 words.
3811 words.
Participant #6. Daily Goal: 3500 words.
I didn't write at all today, either. No lunch to speak of at work and when I got home, it was straight back out the door again for a social function with friends.
Will definitely be writing in the a.m. and throughout the rest of the weekend.
Participant #7. Daily Goal: 1,000 words.
Did not write today. Arrived home from work around 8:30. Decided to just chill with my hubby who returned home today from being out of town all week. I will write during the weekend to get 1000 words in before Monday!
Participant #8. Daily Goal: 3000 words initially; Changed to 1500 per day after the first day.
Did not report in.
Participant #9. Daily Goal: 2200 words.
Day 3 Result: 2,305 Words
Total Words: 7,639 Words, 1,039 Words ahead of schedule
I'm sure by now this is already the closest I've come to a completed manuscript. I also crossed a threshold today from completing an exercise to knowing I'm writing something that has value. It's a good story with moments that I think will really stick with people. This has given me new confidence, which is what I needed after working through a lot of doubt yesterday.
I'm going to finish this thing on schedule and find solutions to any problem I have after that. Feeling good!
DAY 3 OBSERVATIONS
Only three of us met our goals. I think most of us have weekend on the brain. I went to a bar to hang out after a tough day in Montego Bay on business. Another participant said she decided to spend the evening chilling with her husband (#7).
Conclusion: Friday is a bad day for writing. LOL!
P.S.: Participants #3, 5 and 9 – ya big showoffs! J
UNOFFICIAL DAYS (WEEKEND WRITING)
Note: Remember, the tournament only runs M-F. You are not required to write on the weekends, but some of us did anyway, using it to make up for lost time.
Participant #1 (Yuwanda). Daily Goal: 3750 words.
As a reminder, on Saturday, I wrote:
Today, I wrote 768 words. Why so little? Well, as I talked about in this post (http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-suck-readers-into-your-story-from-the-very-first-page), I hit a snag in the story, and when I do that, I tend to freeze. It takes me a few days to figure it out and write my way out of it.
Today, instead of forging ahead like I usually do, I actually hit Google to do some reading on why I get so tangled up in the middle of a story. I ran across this AWESOME post (http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-outline.html), and actually took the time to complete the steps. Then, I went back to my story and rejiggered the outline. All of this took about four hours.
Now, I know EXACTLY what I'll be writing when I sit down tomorrow, and should be able to easily reach my word count -- if not exceed it.
____________________________
On Sunday, I following is how I fared:
I just wrapped up a very productive day -- I wrote 6,333 words today. Coupled with the 768 words I did yesterday, that brings my total for the weekend to 7101, which means I made up for what I missed last week (I was behind by 5961 words).
Participant #2. Daily Goal: 500 words.
Saturday: 404 words.
Sunday: 214 words.
Participant #3. Daily Goal: 1600 words.
On Sunday, she wrote:
I skipped writing yesterday [Saturday] as frankly I needed a solid day off! However this accountability has helped me add 9500 words to my book already, so that's HUGE for a book that's been sitting for six months. back in the grind today :)
Participant #4. Daily Goal: 1500 words.
No weekend reporting.
Participant #5. Daily Goal: 3,000 words.
No weekend reporting.
Participant #6. Daily Goal: 3500 words.
Hi Yuwanda, 430 words today. Not as much as I would like but more than I honestly thought I would get done. I am learning a lot from this challenge - and one of the lessons is knowing that my enthusiasm skews my ability to have a realistic word count! With this being my first fiction piece, I am also trying to leave the editor at the door while I sit down to write. Not an easy thing to do.
I will be tackling the writing again tomorrow morning, hoping to reach a nice figure like 500 words.
Participant #7. Daily Goal: 1,000 words.
On Sunday, she wrote:
This is # 7 reporting in for the weekend. I just wrote 542 words. This is 458 words short of my 1000 word goal. When I first sat down today to write I was starring at a whopping 72 words that I wrote yesterday and I started to call it quits and just report that this was all I had. I was thinking yesterday that perhaps the outline I initially created in my head at the beginning of this was just to vague. I do still think that is true.
However after starring at the computer screen for a while a few ideas started to flow through me and then into my fingertips and onto the keyboard of my laptop and the 72 words grew to 542.And then the flow stopped. And I am about to retire for the night.
Participant #8. Daily Goal: 3000 words initially; Changed to 1500 per day after the first day.
No weekend reporting.
Participant #9. Daily Goal: 2200 words.
No weekend reporting.
WEEKEND OBSERVATIONS
Five of us got in some writing over the weekend.
I used it to make up for lost time during the week. One participant wrote just over 200 words. The important thing here is to make writing a habit; to prioritize your writing, which I think this tournament is forcing all of us to do.
I know it has for me. I would not be on track to finish my book and get it live on AMZ & B&N this Friday if not for this tournament. It may have taken me another week or two to get it done. But because it kills me to compose an email saying, “I didn’t write at all today,” I’m prioritizing it – and am ahead of schedule.
My book may even be done by Wednesday or Thursday – I can’t remember the last time I finished a fiction book early!
So to all of you, I say thank you. You have no idea how inspiring you’ve been to me. I hope you’re finding it as useful.
CONCLUSION
The next update will be Thursday. Stay tuned!
Best,
Yuwanda
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