Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Did something new work?

Hi all! Just want to remind you of the competition to win The Treasures of Carmelidrium. Go check it out if you haven't already.

Then, I really suggest that you head over to J.S. Chancellor's blog. She is giving away her oft-pirated book, Son of Erebus - FOR FREE!!!

OK... on to the question that everyone is dying to know the answer to:

How did the pace change work out?

To be honest, I think it is still early to tell.

So far though, this is what happened. I spent a significant portion of yesterday to write. When I finished a scene, I blogged/read blogs/tweeted.

I made sure that the goal was to finish the scene, not say 1000 words. This is to prevent myself from cutting myself off mid-flow. If my flow gets interrupted for a significant period of time (20 minutes or more) the story tends to show it.

I didn't reach the 5000 words I was trying for, as I had (yet again) contracted the flu. By 15:30, I was out.

BUT

By 15:30, I wrote 3921 words. That is not bad by any stretch of the imagination. I expect that I could have gotten to/past 5000 words if I had the energy for it.

On the other hand, I tend to spend too much time on my breaks. It could have to do with the fact that I had the concentration span of a goldfish. So I will probably play with setting alarms for my breaks.

I will give that a shot tomorrow. Tonight, I am planning to go curl up with a book.

How long do you think my breaks should be?

15 comments:

  1. Impressive word count. Not bad. Its good to take breaks so you don't go nuts. Keep it up.

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  2. Great word count! And breaks are important, otherwise you start to spin your wheels. I hope the flu is on the way out and you're feeling better.

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  3. Wow...lots of hard work there. I hope you feel better soon Misha. The flu sucks.

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  4. Wow, you people who aim for thousands of words per day... When I (very occasionally) have the whole day to write, I'm super proud of myself when I reach just 2000 words!
    (Perhaps I also have the attention span of a goldfish... I do gaze out the window a lot...)

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  5. That's a great word count. I think it was Jack London who wrote just 500 words a day...so its not the number that counts so much as whether or not YOU are content with what you have accomplished.

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  6. Still impressed by how much you can write in a day. I don't have a set time for a mini break. Soemtimes I take 5mins other times I take a nanna nap (30-60mins). There's a lot of thinking and daydreaming in between too ;)

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  7. I understand what you're saying about taking breaks that are far too long. This happens to me often especially when the homework/work is not pressing. Currently, I should be writing an article. However, I'm catching up on all the blogs.
    Breaks are hard to gauge. Long enough to feel rested but short enough to not lose your motivation. I wish I could give you a full proof time, but I cannot.

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  8. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes for you in the long run. I definitely need to sort out some sort of structure for my writing.

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  9. Good job! I hope you feel better soon! I don't really set time for a break either, I sort of just go with the flow. If I'm in the zone, sometimes I write for ten hours straight... other times, it's 5 mins... it all depends :)

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  10. Wow, you're doing some really good word counts. I've been editing so long I can barely remember what it's like to pull in a good 2000 words a day. *sigh* And your word count beats that buy a lot!

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  11. Quite good, Misha. 3921 words is good. Thats nearly 4000 words. I think like me your breaks need to be shorter, then perhaps the word counts will go up.

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  12. Great word counts, yes. I just don't write that way, so I can't offer anything except loving the whole process is key.

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  13. Very impressive writing day! Sorry you aren't feeling great. I've only had a handful of days ever that I've written that much, even feeling fine, so good for you!

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  14. I don't think there's a set time for a break. It depends, for me, on what I need to do during that break. Get a glass of water? Start a load of clothes? Go to the grocery store? Read a chapter in a book? Or just sit and stare at nothing while I think.

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  15. Thanks Raquel!

    Thanks E.C. Spinning wheels happen too often with me. :-)

    Thanks Michael!

    Rachel, I used to do only about 2000 words on good days, but with the rewrite, the words doubled. Maybe it's because I now know things much better, so I don't have to struggle as much.

    Excellent point Bish! Thank you. :-)

    Hmm... Lynday, maybe I should do 5 min breaks in the morning and use the afternoons as free....

    That is very important, dr3am3r. I think I am pushing the rests so far that I'm demotivating myself. :-)

    I will definitely keep you posted, Sari. :-)


    I do that too, WN, but my zones wipe me out for weeks afterwards. I want to see if I can regulate it. :-)

    Shannon, as a secret between you and me, the idea of edits terrify me. So I am very impressed with you. :-)

    I think you're right, Rachna. Thanks. :-)

    Em, loving the process is very important. Thanks for reminding me. :-)

    Thanks Hart!

    Helen, I definitely need to think of things to do in between. I need to crit, but reading other voices confuses me when I'm writing. :-/

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Thanks for commenting! I love to read what you think.

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