I’ve started NANO several times and for some reason, the thought of 50000 scares the pants off me. But I’m not giving up. My best word count was 35000 which for someone who works full time, wasn’t a bad showing.
#10 – Write consistently. I don’t care if it’s every day or every Friday. (For NANO November – that means every day.)
#9 – Realize, if you’re going to meet your dream, you’re going to be sacrificing something else. Adding something new into your schedule is hard. Get over it.
#8 – Treat your writing time like a job. Would you be successful at your job if you showed up when the muse hit you?
#7 – Set writing appointments. Mine is 5:30 in the morning and write for 30 minutes before I get ready to go to work. (If I miss too many appointments, I have to work out during that time.)
#6 – Get an accountability partner. Pick someone who won’t let you get away with not reporting or whining.
#5 - Speaking of whining… “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, their yours.” Richard Bach.
#4 – Look for delegation opportunities. Or get the kids busy…
#3 – Turn off the internet. Yes, that means Facebook too.
#2 – Sprint. I really love sprinting. And it sounds like exercise. “Sorry, can’t do dishes, I’m sprinting.”
#1 – Reward your muse. When you reach your goal - dance. No seriously, get up and dance. I don’t care where you are. Or how bad a dancer you think you are. Your muse will enjoy it.