stick to a writing schedule

Just for March 2007, I’m ‘transferring’ my entries about this goal to ‘Write 100 words every day’... see my goal list.

Recently, I have been working on a children’s story for a competition. Entering competitions is a great way of making yourself write more.

Still, I have struggled to find the motivation to stick my bum on a seat and get the first draft done.

I have found a solution. Rather than spend a morning at home with all the usual distractions, I went to my library.

I discovered that my local library (pictured) has an internet cafe and, as a member, I can use it for free. However, all sessions are strictly timed. So at the weekend, I booked a timed session, and wrote my first draft online using Google’s internet word processor www.writely.com. The timer, which counts down in the corner of the screen, was a great way of making sure I kept working.

With five minutes to go before they cut my connection, I finished a first draft!

Setting targets is a good way of sticking to a writing schedule, and having ‘false’ targets imposed with a timed internet session is a great way of kick-starting yourself. This is particularly useful when doing first drafts, where it’s all about getting the story on the page without worrying about the details just yet.

Now I just need to edit…!