Summer Challenge Week 6: Hot and Tired
June is over and we're well into the second month of the Summer Challenge. And I don't know about you, but my self drive and momentum is just about gone.
I'm tired, hot, and sweaty. (And you might be enduring heat much worse than me!) So, sitting down and writing feels like the least desirable activity ever.
How do you keep writing when your motivation is literally sweating away?
For me (and hopefully for you) the best help has been to get social about it.
Remember that camaraderie we offered as part of the challenge? That whole idea of writing not being an entirely solo mission?
I'm talking about writing sprints.
Now, some people are wary of sprints. Perhaps you write slowly, or don't like the idea of competing for word counts. Honestly? Same Here! For a long time I stayed away from them because of all that. Nothing made me feel worse about a writing session than having other people constantly reporting their high word counts and seeing how pathetic my own efforts seemed in comparison.
But here's the good news. You don't have to follow writing sprint 'rules.' Perhaps we'd all be better off if we called them Focused Intervals instead.
Here's some ways you can flex the method to suit your own needs.
Ditch the word counts. Instead of reporting a word count at the end of each interval, try reporting one thing you're pleased with. It can be a great line, a plot problem solved, or even 'opened the document and made words.' That's all great achievements and matter more in the long run than any specific word count.
Vary the amount of time. The standard is to do ten to fifteen minutes, but I personally do better with 25 minute intervals. Maybe you'd have fun with setting the timer for five minutes! Or uneven numbers, 14 minute sprints? Why not?
Mix up the activities. Say you reach out to a friend and ask to write together. And they say 'I'd love to, but I really need to tidy up my house/pay some bills/do boring work task.' No problem! You can do any of those tasks as a timed interval too. Last week I was doing data entry for work while an online friend wrote. Great for both of us!
Overcome Starting Inertia. If you're struggling to start, tell yourself you only need to write for 10 minutes and then set a timer. Maybe you get on a roll, maybe you quit after the ten. Either way, it's a success!
Hopefully something here is helpful for you and you're able to make some progress this coming week!
