200 Words a Day

It is recommended by journalists, novelists and other wordy people that to become and progress as a writer, it’s a good idea to write 200 words each day. It may not seem like much, but  1000-1400 words a week (whether you write five or seven days) is a nice length of an article or could be two or three blog posts. If you are writing a book, this is a nice progression to a 52,000 word book, or about 175 pages. Here are my reminder tips for myself and for you to get into writing practice and to build that blogsite or book.

1. Prepare yourself

If writing a blog with a theme, seek out ideas throughout the day and keep your list of ideas on a notepad for easy reference when you sit down to write. When compiling a book, map out the characters and plot in an outline format so that you can easily pick up and write about whatever you are in the mood to pursue.If you have been occupied prior to your write time, shake off the day with a 10-15 minute walk to clear your mind and gain new ideas.

2. Limit distraction

Clear your desk, don’t turn on any laundry, water or cooking timers. Put the phone away from view and dive in to your keyboard.

3. Plan to write

Children, spouses, friends, work, volunteerism and general life duties can certainly take priority over your writing. The best thing to do is to put at least 30 minutes a day on your calendar to write. Have a tentative writing time each day – some say 10 am is the best, but not likely for those who work and have an active family life. When that time is interrupted or cancelled because of daily events, be flexible about rescheduling. This can be a problem for those of us that intend to write before bed, but the exhaustion of the day steps in and the writing is put off.

One last tip, if you are a foodie like me, is don’t write hungry or thirsty. That gnawing at your stomach is a huge distraction, so prevent it with a snack or a big glass of water before you begin. Back to work on the blog and 200 words of a book for me – I hope this is helpful to you!