50,000 Words In Thirty Days...DONE!

They said it couldn't be done... actually I said it couldn't be done, but I DID it! I successfully wrote 50,000 words in one month. That was one crazy ride. So, what lessons did I learn?

Plan Ahead: I didn't get into this event until the very last minute. So I was plotting and writing at the same time, (bad idea).  Allow yourself time to plot, plot, plot. Then, create a writing schedule stating when you will work and what you will work on. You are more likely to meet your goal if you have a plan and a method as to how you'll reach it.

Pace Yourself:  Some days (especially in the beginning) I skipped writing because of my other obligations; you know, wife and mother. I love writing, but if I don't get out and live life, I won't have anything to write about. Unfortunately, I did not make up for those breaks, so I had to put in a couple of 5,000 plus word days toward the end to make it across the finish line. 

Write More on the Good Days: Although I knew exactly how many words I should write each day, to meet my goal. I didn't always manage to get those words on the page. In the future, I would write past the daily goal, on as many days as I could, to make up for those ZERO word days (and they do come).

Find a Program That Keeps You Moving Forward:  After I finished the challenge, I had to get back to my W.I.P., which I write in a traditional word processing format. I was shocked at how long it took me to fill one page when I did not have the threat of a timer looming over me. I allowed my self long meandering strolls down pointless bunny trails as I pondered the meaning of this name for the character vs. that name. In Write or Die, which I blogged about here, I don't have the luxury of time. This forces me to pick the first thought for a name, eye color, shoe brand, etc., that pops in my mind, then move one. Usually I end up liking it and keep it. But even if I don't, is it really that important at that moment? Not usually, all the important stuff was worked out in my prep work. 

Don't Give Up: As English Philosopher Bertrand Russell states: “No great achievement is possible without persistent work.”  92 people signed up for this challenge, but only 23 finished. I am sure they had every intention of finishing, but somewhere along the way they gave up. Don't Give Up. Slow and steady really does win the race.

In the end I have a button for my blog, check it out on your right, a first draft of a new novel, which I can start working on as soon as my current W.I.P. hits the submissions trail. And, best of all, the ability to say...

 Muse For Today: What step are you on in your 'I Did it!' journey?