Sometimes life happens to a writer and they get behind. Not me, of course! I’d never do that. But some writers do. If you’re one of those writers (poor things), here are some tips I have for catching up on your WIP. I sat in deep thought to come up with these tips, since I never get behind. Especially in the last two weeks. Okay, so maybe I got behind. But I’m almost done with my first draft now (I have a September 1 deadline for the finished product) and here’s how I caught up:
Don’t Google anything. Google will suck your time up like crazy. When you get to the part in your manuscript where you need to make sure the town name you’re mentioning is spelled correctly, just type *** . Later, when you’re caught up, you can do a “find” search for *** and insert the correct information.
When you can’t think of the right word to use, put in ***. Same idea as above. Pretend you’re taking the SAT or some other standardized test---move on to material you do know.
Go somewhere where you feel uncomfortable. If people are looking at you and wondering why the heck you’re pounding away on a keyboard at a park, then you won’t even look up from your monitor--you’ll be so busy ignoring them and focusing on your WIP. Trust me.
This should go without saying, but unplug thyself. Don’t Facebook or Tweet or email or DIGG or blog or…..just write.
Have your parents take your young child for the week. :) (I kept my indentured servant older child here.) Thanks, Mama and Daddy! It was Camp Nana and Papa for my rising third-grader.
Write at the library. This is sort of the same principle as writing where you feel uncomfortable, but with a tinge more excitement. At our local branch, I plug in my USB drive with my WIP on it. I type in my library card number and PIN. And then---there is a countdown clock on the screen, detailing how many minutes I have left (and it only gives 60 minutes.) I have to admit this gives me a nerdy thrill. In fact, I speed-type to see how much I can write in an hour. Such excitement!!!
Hope no one else gets in my predicament, but if you do, give the above tips a try.