Congratulations, you have been writing this story now for one month. Let's think about that. 30 days or so. Have you made the progress you wanted? Are you finding your writing time each day? I keep asking the same questions. If you have spent one month and are still on chapter 1....then you need to see what you can do to change things on the dial. If you want to write, you will make time for it.
I use my planner to remind me to write. I add it to each day. I have a planner that holds all my home stuff and all my work tasks and I add my writing items there too. The thing is, I don't always complete everything on my chore list but I have been known to write something on my list just do I can check off it got done. Once, when my husband asked about what I had been up to, I showed him a full month in my planner. He was astonished. But truly I am a nerd.
If you are not making progress, it is time to see why not. Even at the very least in 30 days, you should have a couple of scenes. See what you need to do this coming month to find that writing time you may have not gotten in month one. Seek out that approval from Family that the hour you choose each day you are not to be bothers. No coping out to nap or relax until that one hour is done. No backing down our of fear you story isn't good enough. Just keep writing.
For those of you on track, you should have around 6 chapters or at least the idea of what you need for chapters 4 through 6. If not full there then keep going. We should be working on teawking our way through chapters 4 thru 6 and by all means if you have gone further, keep pushing.
Week 5: 1) Review your outline and notes related to chapters 1 through 6. Jot down thoughts and ideas you should add, delete or just tweak. Highlight problem areas in you story but don't worry about corrections now. 2) Focus on the reread of chapters 4 through 6 when you have them done. Fluff where needed and fix typos where needed but it is still not time to fully edit. It really can bog down progress if you stop to edit as you go. REMEMER YOU CANNOT EDIT AN UNWRITTEN STORY....FINISH THE BOOK! 3) Once you have finished the rough draft through chapter 6 then it is time to think about the "saggy middle" issues of your story as you begin to write chapters 7 through 9. Yes we are going to assume for some we may be hitting that point. Saggy middles are where we can get bogged down with things that have to be said or things that need to happen to get the story falling into place for the big climatic things that are coming. But word to the wise. A saggy middle is boring. If a chapter seems blah...it probably is...fixx it. Every scene should push the story forward and keep the readers attention. Ask yourself if I removed this scene would it hurt the story? If your answer is yes then great but if your answer is no then cut it or fix it. (Another hint, whenever I cut a scene or any writing I do, I save it in another file for possible later use.) I heard an author once say don't fall in love with a scene, fall in love with the story. This can be very true. You may love a scene because you are closer to your characters than your readers may ever be but look at each scene and make sure it is vital to the story and not just because your like it. Share your favorite advice about writing. We are in the middle of our stories....how do you plan to keep it interesting? How are you going to write this story to keep readers engaged? Put those characters through Heck, make it seem impossible for them. Toss them all kinds of curve balls and you'll keep readers on the edge of their seats. While we will be heading toward completion of chapters 7 through 9....as a reminder we may all have a different number of chapters. Since we are playing with 3 chapters at a time and or a chapter a week I think we should say we have February to complete through chapter 9. That would mean we have 3 more weeks here for chapter 7, 8, and 9. So focus on your barriers that keep you from writing. Plan your writing hours for this month with at least 1 hour a day. Get your other life things done so you can work on your story. Negotiate your plans and write them down. Are you logging your writing time still? It can show you where you need to tweak your plans. Write down a daily word count in your notebook if that helps you. I use my story bard because I am visual and it can show my progress, but everyone has their own way of doing things. Share thoughts or hints on what is helping you most. I need noise most of the time. Weeknights are busy here at home and when writing there can be interuptions. I adjust accordingly for my writing time. I like the TV on for noise but it can be distracting. I turn it down sometimes or Mute as needed. But when I get to the weekends when I am off work I am able to find quiet time early mornings. I have teen girls who sleep late and a husband who may do the same or be off to his own things early Saturday mornings. I like to set a timer and rear end in chair one hour at a time. And sometimes I can look up and I have wrote for 3 hours. JUST DO IT! Sometimes I use Saturdays to get all my chores done so that Sundays I am free to write longer. But other times I promise myself finish a scene or chapter a day and that's it for the day. Progress is all we are looking for like this weekly blog to help us all finish the book. Hint: DO what works for you. Share your ideas of what has worked for you on pushing for writing time. Where do you write? Music you listen to? Tools you use? Share a picture of your writing space. Smile because you are writing. And for those who have not kept up. IT IS OK. Just keep reading and plug along at your own pace with this blogs helpful reminders. These posts are made to help no matter your progress.