You’re halfway through Write by Midnight. Now is the time to celebrate your accomplishments. If you’re meeting your goals, try raising the bar and seeing how much more you can achieve. If you’re not on track, now is the time to reassess and refine your expectations. Remember, the goal of Write by Midnight is to establish a solid writing habit. You only have two weeks to go. Go find that second wind.
Category Archives: Write by Midnight
Write by Midnight Boost 2-16-18
Posted in Administrator, Write by Midnight
Tagged setting goals, WBM, Write by Midnight, writing tips
Write by Midnight Tip 2-14-18
It can be hard to focus on your work when there are other things screaming for your attention. One way to increase productivity is to put yourself into a writing bubble. Tell your family, coworkers and friends that you’re writing now and want to focus on your work. Let them know they can have your attention when you’re done. Put your phone in another room and disconnect from the internet. If stray sounds distract you from your writing, try using a white noise maker or playing background music. Sometimes, noise-canceling ear plugs are the better way to go. If you respect your own writing time, others will do the same, and you’ll be that much closer to getting published.
Posted in Administrator, Write by Midnight
Tagged setting goals, time management, WBM, Write by Midnight, writing tips
A New Year Needs a New Routine
Megan Norris Jones
The key to being a writer is writing. The key to writing is establishing a routine. And the key to routine is consistency. But do you know what my life isn’t? Consistent. Sure, I’ll have a routine that works for a season, but schedules change, and then my routine falters, and my writing suffers.
For the second year, WriteOwls is hosting Write by Midnight in the month of February with the goal of helping you—and us—establish a daily writing routine by the end of the month.
Write by Midnight was a huge success for me personally last year. At the time, I had five hours every Tuesday to write, and I used Write by Midnight to establish a short daily morning routine to keep my momentum going throughout the week.
But, do you know what? I don’t have Tuesdays any more. And I don’t have mornings either. Life has changed since February 2017, and I need a new push to establish a new routine. Continue reading
Posted in Megan's Posts, Write by Midnight
Tagged goals, WBM, Write by Midnight, writing, writing life, writing routines
Write by Midnight Boost 2-9-18
Don’t fret if you’re having trouble coming up with the perfect words during the Write by Midnight challenge. The important thing is to spend time writing or improving your work-in-progress. Placeholder sentences are the saving grace for many writers during the first draft. When you know what needs to happen but inspired prose fails you, flag the spot with a symbol like a double hashtag or ampersand – something that’s easily searchable later – and tell what you want to show. Then move on. You can revisit the phrasing when inspiration strikes or during the editing phase.
Posted in Administrator, Write by Midnight
Tagged inspiration, WBM, Write by Midnight, writing tips
Write by Midnight Tip 2-7-18
Setting a timer helps many writers become more productive. Start with a short period of time – anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. When time’s up, take an even shorter break – anywhere from five to 10 minutes. During the break, do something physical. Taking a short walk, grabbing a bite to eat, dancing to your favorite song, even household chores will get the blood pumping, stimulate your senses and rejuvenate you for your next writing stretch. Avoid tasks like watching television, reading a book, checking social media, surfing the web – they’re apt to sap your focus away from the story in your head.
When your break is over, reset the timer and repeat. Try extending the writing time to break time ratio. If you wrote for 15 minutes and took a 5-minute break, try writing for 30 minutes with a 10-minute break. Keep tweaking the ratio until you find the most productive method for you.
Posted in Administrator, Write by Midnight
Tagged time management, WBM, Write by Midnight, writing tips