Write…or Regret It
Have any of you sweaters seen the Write or Die website? It’s a little internet tool that encourages — even forces — you to BICHOK.* There are different modes you can set it for, depending on whether you need a little gentle prodding to stay focused, or whether you need the threat of something serious to keep you typing. In kamikaze mode, if you ignore your words for too long, they begin to erase themselves!
Here’s a YouTube demonstration of Write or Die:
I’m not sure I can make the commitment to kamikaze mode myself — deleted words? When I accidentally close without saving it can send me into a depression! (This is why I use Scrivener now instead of the evil Word. All it took was one “corrupted” file and I was a convert!) But I know a lot of people who use tricks to make themselves stay focused on the writing.
Maybe for you it’s an egg timer. Maybe it’s a carrot at the end of the stick: write for thirty minutes, then check your email. No matter what kind of trick you use, all that matters is you get the words on paper.
Yes, we’d all like to be the kind of pure, muse-driven author who sails through hours and hours and pages and pages every day. But this world is filled with commitments, distractions, and speaking as someone with a PhD in procrastination, sometimes I have to trick my brain out of its acquired ADD.
So today, try a trick. Try Write or Die, or an egg timer, or promise yourself that you can’t go to the bathroom until you’ve finished a few pages. Make it hard.
Your book is worth it.
Then come back and tell me what you did and if it worked!
___________________________
* Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Yikes, I need some kind of trick today! I’m not doing so well…
Not sure I’m ready for Write or Die kamikaze mode though… although some of my writing seems so dire sometimes, maybe it should be auto deleted.
November 14th, 2008 at 7:58 am
My mind drifted something fierce before I began writing with the aid of a timer. I do better setting mine for 10-15 minutes at a time because it forces me to write fast and gives my inner critic no chance to interfere.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I found this stopwatch last week:
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/large-stopwatch/
that’s handy for timed sessions.
I also do sprint writing with CPs on IM or in a chatroom. I think there’s a secret competitor in me who doesn’t want to look silly for writing nothing in the 15/20 minute stints
November 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I love that stopwatch, Kim! I have one as a Widget on my Mac, but unless it’s “active” it doesn’t buzz, so obviously I can’t set it then go type. But yours works really well. I’ll have to try it combined with Heather’s plan of attack.
Heather, are you being distracted any by the Lich King?
Portia, I know what you mean about Kamikaze. I’m not that brave!
November 14th, 2008 at 9:44 am
It’s an intesting aid. I don’t know how likely I would be to try the Kamikaze mode, but it’s something I might use when I need a push…maybe later once I’m ready to write for the day.
November 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I am a recent convert to word sprints. I’ve been doing them since starting NaNo and it really helps to get the words flowing, I think it’s knowing there is at least one other person writing with you that helps. A little friendly competition is always good.
For longer term goals I find little rewards helpful. I set up a reward system for NaNo this year, nothing big, but little things I think about but never get around to buying. Last week it was a couple knitting patterns. This week, it’s fabric.
Oh and as a big spanking reward for surviving the month I ordered a couple books that won’t ship until the end of the month when I’ll definitely need a break.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Cynthia, what’s a word sprint? tell me more!
November 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Word sprints/wars, egg timers - they don’t work for me! I get in the zone, and then when I have to stop, I get thrown out and disoriented and then I have to get back in again, which wastes time. For me I need to buckle down and just start writing; once I’m doing it I’m okay. Tricks to do that would be not opening the internet browser, setting aside a little time in the mornings before work (30 usually) to start writing so when I have to jump in for the long haul on my lunch break I’m encouraged that I already have progress for the day…That and I LET myself look at distractions when I find my mind wander. This is key, actually. If I try to force myself to work, I rebel mentally. So if I say, okay, this scene is dragging, and read an inspirational writer blog, it fuels me up and I look at the scene, maybe tweak it, and dive back in.
November 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
When you and another write at the same time. Timed sessions, for Kim and I it’s about 15-20 minutes at a shot. At the beginning and end of that time you post your wordcounts. See how much you’ve done. LOL. It helps a LOT.
Kim’s link to that stopwatch, fabulous! Now I don’t have to watch the clock while I’m in timed writing mode. I just wait. It’s fabulous. *WEG*
November 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
[…] main post today is at 70 Days of Sweat. It’s about the tricks we use to keep ourselves […]
November 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I tried Write or Die yesterday, in Kamikaze mode no less. It made me write over 3k which is a really good writing day for me. So yeah, it’s awesome, but you really have to focus or your words will get deleted. I’m using it again today and maybe every day if it keeps working this well for me.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Jen, you are far, far braver than I!
Thanks for the explanation, guys! I’ll have to try that. We used ot do it in the chat room at the chick lit chapter.
November 14th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I do word sprints with the Endurance Writers group. Every Friday they have all day sprinting, but generally you can find someone to sprint with on other days as well. It’s all done over Yahoo IM. It’s nice to know you aren’t working alone and get that “water cooler” type break where you can chat. I enjoy it immensely.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Hi Diana,
Jaye and Leah and I are doing word wars on AIM (I’m open to additional wars in our off times, by the way–hint). Lowest word count in thirty minutes must share embarrassing secret. Oh…the juiciness.
Mark
November 14th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Well, I managed to get my quota done today, but it took me until evening to get stuck in.
I think I’m going to have to join in someone’s word wars… when I did a few chat challenges at Romance Divas, I found them very helpful.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
My AIM is my email…
me@markhenry.us
I’d be open to a word war from 1:00 - 4:00 PST. M-F
November 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I used Write or Die for the first time today. I love it. I couldn’t believe how easily I got through 500 words- 10 minutes! It sure does make word counts seem a lot easier to tackle. I’m actually very proud of myself, I am over 7,000 words which is high above my goal (something that never happens for me!)
November 15th, 2008 at 2:48 am
Due to unexpected family things I was unable to write Wednesday and Thursday. But today I made myself work even when my eyes didn’t want to stay open. Four more pages, better than nothing!
November 15th, 2008 at 3:36 am
I always put on a timer when I write, since I focus better, and tends to procrastinate less. I usually get 200-300 words in 15 minutes with the timer function on my cellphone, without a timer I *might* get that in thirty minutes.. if I am lucky. So having a timer really helps me
Plus wordwars in FMchat, but… I tend to be more distracted then
November 15th, 2008 at 5:58 am
I used to use a kitchen timer sometimes, to do timed writing sessions. I think I ought to use that technique again.
I know some people have success with writing on a different device ie. Alphasmart or something like that, which isn’t connected to the internet. But I need to be writing in my actual WIP document, as I easily forget what I’ve written and I constantly need to dance back and forth within the text to check things. And all my documents are on my lappie, which is connected. I have tried working on my Alphasmart, but it’s only good for notes really. My actual writing mojo is synched to my laptop somehow…
November 15th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Thanks for the tips everyone, will be sure to try out timing myself!
What I’ve done when I’ve found myself staring at a wip in the hopes of the thing miraculously writing itself is given myself the order (and permission!) to write something, meaning anything.
Not the perfect sentence or paragraph, not even something that would necessarily fit the wip. Anything, stream of consciousness. That is often enough to get me going, and then I’ll either kill those darlings or file them away.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:33 am
The biggest thing that helps me is remembering that I am allowed to put “add transition” tags and the like, rather than forcing myself to see how one scene flows into the next right away. Also, I save treats (peppermint patties during NaNo) for after I make my word goal.
I have done word wars before, and they help, and I think I will be trying a timer. However, Write or Die is not, I think, for me, because then when I copy & paste my work into Scrivener (which I also use and love) I have to go reformat everything.