Motivation and Persistence

 

Terry here with our question of the week: How do you hold yourself accountable? Do you insist on doing a certain number of words each day or a certain amount of time? What happens if you don’t meet the goal? Is there punishment? Do you give yourself treats for meeting goals? 

 I’m highly motivated, and I do have my method. When I’m in full-out first draft writing mode, I insist on writing 2,000 words a day. They don’t have to be “good” words. Just words. Something to move the story along. That’s because for me, as someone who doesn’t outline, I can’t get bogged down in finding the exact word or phrase, and I can’t worry if the story is veering off in a strange direction or I’ll freeze. I have to trust the process. Or at least I pretend to trust the process. There are times during first draft when I think all the different elements of the story can’t possibly come together. The miracle is that they usually do.

It’s surprising how fast I can throw out 2,000 words when I don’t judge what I’m writing. I usually try to do something in the writing world for at least four hours a day, but if I’m done with 2,000 words in two hours, I give myself the choice of doing other things—marketing, reading to supply blurbs, accounting, etc. Or I can leave it for the day. 

 But what happens if life intervenes and I can’t get the 2,000 words? No punishment. If I’m on a hard deadline, I may require myself to make up the words I missed by pushing the number of words I put out, but not always. There’s a reason for that. Writing 2,000 words is exhausting. When I’m done, I find I have to give myself time to go back into the real worlds. I often feel dazed, and unable to make conversation. 

Also, during the time I’m writing, I have learned that it’s best to try not to be interrupted by anything important, because I’m likely to forget whatever it was. If a phone call comes in, I have to jot down what I or the caller says, because I will not remember it. My husband has never recognized my writing time as a time not to interrupt me, so when he walks in, I sometimes feel like I’m looking at a stranger. My mind is completely on my work. Is that good or bad? All I know is that I get into a “zone” and am totally immersed in what I’m doing. 

The part about the treats for meeting goals? I always intend to, but somehow it never happens. That’s because when I’m writing to deadline all kinds of other things pile up that need taking care of. That stack of New Yorkers needs to be whittled down. The books I promised to blurb must be read. Little projects around the house are staring at me. And once those are done, it’s time to start thinking about the next book or short story. 

 But this time, I’m giving myself a big gift—I’m going to Paris! So yeah, a big gift. 

 A CHANGE OF SUBJECT: I just got back from the most amazing Left Coast Crime, ever. It seemed as if most of the attendees were, like me, rattled by the current political climate. And yet many of them spoke eloquently and fiercely about resistance, using our books as platforms for social issues without losing the entertainment value, and renewing our determination to help whomever, and wherever we can. Some of the general speakers like Sara Paretsky were inspiring and heartening. But there was also an element of joy—John Copenhaver insisted that we not lose our sense of joy. I was on panels with some wonderful authors and I’d like to give a shout-out to them. 

 Robyn Gigl Rob Osler John Copenhaver David Weiden Baron Birtcher Ann Parker C.M. Wendelboe Read their books!