Bullets, The Office, and a Writer Tip

This week was filled with going full tilt into NaNo. It's been a good week. Notes were made, the story was read, Draft 3 was begun, and 18 chapters have been revised (with another 42 to go!).

I've been keeping focused by having my bullet journal and my Netflix (The Office and Gilmore Girls are my two go-to's).

You can find me on @plan_create_repeat on Instagram if you want more ideas about bullet journals

At the end of each night, I sometimes find myself with extra energy and do a bit of doodling. When you have a lot to do, somehow, it creates a LOT of nervous energy. (Or inertia and fatigue. Luckily, I believe that Action Begets Action, and so that's what I do. Action--even if it's doodling.)

A doodle at 2 a.m.

And when you got stuff to do, you have to keep to schedule. Even if it means taking 30 minutes in the middle of errands to get in some work.

I had to buy a lamp and diapers. But first, a chapter to revise!

And in the middle of it all, the babes and I enjoyed fall and a quick photoshoot in pajamas. Hey. You take it where you can get it.

Doesn't everyone where pajamas at 3:30 p.m.? (Granted, this was taken right after his nap.)

And now, today's Writer's Tip:

Write a short first draft. 

I find that if I aim for a first draft that is 2/3 of what I want the word count to be, I can revise it more easily. Instead of 100K to revise, for instance, you only have 66K. I find, too, that I cut a lot less when I totally undershoot word count. I'm not trying to fill up space to fill up space.

Remember those days of writing 1500-word essays for a teacher, and you wrote what you wanted to say in 900 words and the rest of it was B.S.? Yeah. That's what you do when you're trying to hit Final Draft wordcount in your first draft. So why not write what you absolutely wanted to write--and then, in rewrites, add what you've come up with after a little bit of space, time, and brainstorming?









Sydney Strand is a writer and mom who has published two stories through New York and another six via self-publishing. She writes funny little romances, but not of the Red Room of Pain variety. More like the Dan and Roseanne Connor variety--humor is sexy, dontcha know. You can follow Sydney on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and/or you can sign up for her All Things Awesome Newsletter.

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