Since I’m doing Camp NaNoWriMo a word that’s constantly on my mind is: Goals! I’m talking, of course, about word goals. I’m drafting a novella for Camp and my overall word goal is 30k by the end of the month. This leaves me with a daily word goal of an, in my opinion, reasonably leisurely 1k per day. It doesn’t really take that long to write 1k. But in spite of that, some days (when I’m stressed about work, when I’m not feeling well etc) it’s just hard to get those words out. During those days, particularly if I can’t find any wordsprints on Twitter while I’m trying to write, I tend to resort to playing games to keep my pace up. It’s a sort of miniature reward system. For every hundred words I write, I play one round of a game. I’m not talking advanced games, here. I’m talking about those cute little browser games, the sort that you can play one round of in just a minute or two. I’m not sure why, but this little routine keeps me working on off days. And fairly often, though not always, after a few rounds I’ll find myself looking up to realize that I’ve typed 300, or 500 words since my last game. So whatever the reason behind it is, it seems to work for me.
A good tip, Emma. Maybe the distraction – and pleasure in playing the game – eases the pressure and allows your creativity to flow again. Good luck with achieving your goals!
Thanks, Teagan!
Yes, that might be it. If I’m slightly distracted it’s easier to type without thinking too much, and if I’m in an off mood thinking too much makes me unproductive.