Day 12 – In praise of the Regular

There are all kinds of diet fads, but the only weight loss factor that has been shown to always produce results is portion control. Just eat less. With consistency.

But how boring. It’s so much cooler to talk about “the Grapefruit diet,” “the Zone,” “the Drinking Man’s Diet.” But it’s so simple: if you really want to lose weight, eat smaller potions, day after day, no matter what your eating plan.

Likewise, when you hunker down to write a novel–especially in the 30 days NaNoWriMo gives you–the one factor that will always get you through, no matter “boring,” is…you guessed it, consistency. In fact, that’s all you’ll need. But slide into inconsistency–skip a day or two here and there–and before you know it, you’re hopelessly out of the race.

Todays mini-task is about how to promote consistency in November.

What’s your best work location? For some it’s the library, for others the kitchen table. Some folks work best in bed (that’s where I am right now). There was a period when I did my best work in a certain McDonald’s. It’s your choice – but make it a conscious choice, then stick with it.

Want privacy? Make sure your writing place has doors and that they close properly.

Do you have control over lighting? Set it just the way you want it.

Decide what time of day you’ll write and for how long. For NaNoWriMo you already know you need to produce an average of 1,667 words daily. You should also know approximately how fast you can write. Do the math, and block off as much time as you think you’ll need – 3 hours is about average.

What time do you do your best work? Early? Schedule your writing period first thing in the morning. Late? Schedule it after the kids go to bed. Some folks like to break it up: an hour in the morning, an hour at lunch, an hour in the evening. Stick to your schedule.

Do you have a family? Roommates? Make sure they understand what you’re doing, why, and how important it is that your writing time be respected and that you achieve your goal, no matter how modest, every day.

Decide what time of day you’ll write and for how long. You already know you’ll need to produce an average of 1,667 words daily. Figure out approximately how fast you can write. Do the math, and block off as much time as you’ll need – 3 hours is about average.

There’s a wedding, a funeral, whatever, and you can’t manage 1,667 today? Okay, how about 600? Or 200? Even if you only have 10 minutes, sit down and write for 10 minutes.

Like portion control, consistency is actually pretty simple in concept: make a simple plan, maximize conditions, and follow that plan every day, without fail. If you can pull that off, presto– you’ve won NaNoWriMo.