NaNoWriMo Day 8

As the title suggests, it's day 8 of NaNoWriMo and I've completed my daily word goal and actually came in with an extra 1,037 words.

It only took me a little over 2 hours to get my 3,000 words in. How did I do this? I'll share a secret. But I suppose it isn't much of a secret. @NaNoWordSprints likes to do a lot of 5, 10, and 15 minute word sprints. But I've found that when I'm just opening my scrivener file for the first time in the day, it takes me anywhere from 10-15 minutes to actually focus enough to seriously write.

When I hit the fifteen minute mark, that's when I usually start panicking a bit. "Oh my gosh, how am I going to beat Teri Brown in this sprint if I don't get writing? And fast?" Maybe not those exact words, but that pretty much conveys my thought process for the past few days. At the end of the hour, I've usually hit my stride and, if I'm in a good spot, can keep going. If I'm still kind of hiccupping, a short break can be necessary. But, at the end of the second hour, more often than not, I'm in a good place.

Now, don't get me wrong, there have been those days where I'm like, "Phew! Hit 3,000 words. Hallelujah." Again, that isn't my exact thought but it's pretty close to the relief I feel at having hit that word goal.

My second secret? Long word sprints with people. No, I don't mean sitting next to someone (that has never worked for me). I mean tweeting something like this:

Anyone up for a 1 hr. sprint at :20? #NaNoWriMo #NaNoWordSprints

— Stephanie B (@Chasm_of_Books) November 8, 2013

Finding even one person will help you focus even more because then you're really racing. You have someone on the other side writing at the same time and you are in direct communication with them (not via @NaNoWordSpints).

Don't get me wrong @NaNoWordSpints is awesome. It totally saved me back in 2011. But the more I write, the more I become aware of the best ways to help myself succeed.

If you're curious, then my grand total so far is 27,000  words and I was just cruising along. I could write more and I want to. I'm really in the zone. I've infiltrated my novel's brain. But, unfortunately, work calls and I must leave my novel behind for a bit.