In each of my manuscripts, I have probably five rough spots to write through on a first draft.
These scenes usually have difficult transitions or lots of characters to keep straight (like a party scene), or different elements to include—suspense, humor, etc.
Frequently, when it was time to write these scenes next, I’d reached my writing goal for the day. So I made plans to tackle the scene the next morning.
Guess what I didn’t want to do the next day?
I did write the scene. I always do because I have to in order to stay on track. But it took most of the morning to get around to it. My word count ended up being smaller because my procrastination ate into my writing time. It was just harder to get going.
So now I do a couple of things to make sure that I don’t stall.
First of all, I do more outlining than I ordinarily do. I’ll map out exactly what I want to accomplish and ideas for doing it. Basically, I do all the brainstorming for the scene.
Next, I don’t stop writing for the day when I come up on these scenes. I’ll at least write the transition into the scene. If I’ve got a little extra time, I’ll do even more than that. If I’ve already written the segue into the trouble spot, then it’s much easier for me to hop into writing.
Any other tips for dealing with procrastination and keeping your momentum going?
Posts
