Cake or Death for Writers

With NaNoWriMo and the Golden Heart deadline coming up next month, there's been one topic on my mind: word counts. Or, rather, the best strategies for hitting my goal word count. Here's the deal, friends, I've done something slightly moronic. I entered not one, not two, but three manuscripts in the Golden Heart. It should be noted that I do not, at this time, have three physical manuscripts.

I have one that's all polished and shiny, but the other two are in disrepair. Let's put it this way: If they were houses, Ty Pennington would have already shown up at my door with a wrecking ball and a team of sympathetic designers. Sadly, there is no Extreme Makeover for manuscripts, so I've got a month and half to get these books in shape, with only my own rudimentary tools. The grand total adds up to 80,000 new or totally revamped pages. Yikes! This all begs the question: Are there any secrets in hitting our goal word counts?

Turns out that yes, yes there are. We writers do love our strategies, after all, be they for crafting believable characters, forming a seamless plot, or just getting the pages down.

Fast Drafting: The scariest thing a writer can face is a blank word document. So, for those just starting out on a draft, Fast Drafting can be a godsend. It's a two-week blitzfest of writing - writing your first draft as fast as you possibly can, not thinking about how awful it is or all the little parts that you're leaving out. For outliners, especially, this can be a great method, because you don't have stop and think about what comes next - it's there on your outline! If you're more of the slow and steady writer, like I am, this sounds absolutely terrifying, but a lot of writers swear by it.

Daily Goals: For many writers, it helps to have a daily goal they must meet. They can write the number down on a calendar, their foreheads, wherever, but they must get __x__ number of words each day. It can be a little amount - just look at the 100 words a day group - but the theory is that any word count gets you further toward your goal and gets you into the habit of writing every day. If all you need is a routine, rather than a kick in the pants, this is a good - and rather obvious - way to do it. It's amazing what can happen in little increments of writing each day, if you have a goal in mind.

Butt-In-Chair: Like I said, some people (read: Mary Beverly Danielson) need a little more motivation to hit that word count. Enter the Butt-In-Chair-Hands-On-Keyboard method of writing. You have your daily goal word count, you have a few hours to burn, and you sit down. You cannot do anything else until you've hit that word count. It sounds a little extreme, which is why the few hours of extra time are needed. I find this method charmingly intertwined with the lesser known No-Cookie-Until-This-Chapter-Is-Written strategy. When I'm forced to write in order to do something else (as in: I can't go to dinner with that cute guy tonight, until I have 2000 new words!), I can move past any writer's block standing in my way. If you're the kind who needs to barrel through, like I do, it might also help to keep a pen and notebook handy. When starting at the blank screen gets monotonous, putting pen to paper can jump start creativity. Or, at least, turn off that internal editor so you can make your dinner date.

Write-or-Die: If even the BIC method isn't kicking that case of writer's block, the evil geniuses at Dr. Wicked have the website for you: Write or Die. You enter your word count goal and time goal, then select the level of punishment you want the program to give you if those words stop coming. The modes and consequences are:

• Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing.
• Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write.
• Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself
• Electric Shock Mode: Something truly evil will happen to you. No, I don't know what it is, but it will be BAD.

It sounds a bit out there, but trust me when that sound starts, your hands start flying.

And the absolute best way to keep your word count going? Keep your blog posts short and sweet, saving the good stuff for your WIPs...however many you might have.

So, what are your favorite tricks to get the words flowing? Did I list your favorite method, or is there another secret to your success?