How To Hit Your Word Count Goals Like A Pro!

   Are you a writer who doesn't feel like they do very much writing? I get it: school is crazy, and you always feel like you have no time to write. So, how do you take the time you do have and do as much as you can with it?
   Today, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite time-management techniques that have really helped me get those words on the page. Let's dive in!

   | #1: Priorities. 

   Over the past month, I've been writing a novel that I hope to publish. I've really had to take stock of all the things I do in a day and decide which ones need to be done and which ones don't. For example, YouTube and social media probably fall in the latter category. School and time outdoors definitely falls in the former.

   The goal is to spend less time doing unnecessary things and more time writing. I do some of my school online, which makes it really easy to start browsing the Internet rather than do Algebra. One question I've learned to ask myself is, "Is what I'm doing right now helping me reach my goal?" The goal can be anything from hitting a certain word count to finishing a subject. And if the answer is no, I stop and go back to what I was doing before. I've had to learn to exercise self-control and set limits for myself.

   One of the most important things I've had to realize in the past week is that school always comes first. Always. I'm only halfway through an online Driver's Ed course that's supposed to be finished a week from now, because I prioritized writing for myself more than finishing a course that had been assigned to me.
   On the flip side, I've also had to say no to some things. For example, I'm involved in a mentorship art program twice a week, I babysit for a family friend, I lead a homeschool film club, I'm involved in a youth community service program, and I run a small YouTube channel. And I happen to have two very time-consuming hobbies: stop-motion animation and writing. Sometimes, I've had to say, "Okay, I didn't write at all yesterday, so I'm going to write instead of filming a stopmotion today." There's always tomorrow to film.
 
That leads back to priorities: obviously, your schedule changes all the time, so don't be afraid to re-prioritize.

   | #2: Make time for yourself. (Don't be afraid to say no.)

   If you know you want to set aside time for writing, create a consistent hour or so in your day specifically just for that. For me, when the clock hits nine p.m or so, I'll jump in a shower and then spend that whole hour writing. And when I'm done, I'll close it off with a little yoga session. I've really been loving Yoga With Adriene lately (and not just because we have the same name).

   It's very important to know your boundaries: If you're faced with a new opportunity, or someone asks you to do something for them, you're not obligated to say yes. If you look at your schedule and it's jam-packed already, don't say yes to something new.
You can't write if you don't have time to sit down and actually write something. I always write my best when I have time to slow down and think about the story I want to tell.

   Another option is to make your brain associate writing with rewards. For example, if you accomplish a task, like finishing a school essay or a particularly frustrating chemistry assignment, take fifteen or twenty minutes to write and unwind. This would also be a great time to write a scene you've been looking forward to writing, like the moment your protagonist finally stands up to her bully. Or, something a little less serious, like their dog's birthday party.

   | #3: Word sprints!

   Imagine this: you have one blessed hour to write (crazy, right?) and you sit down, you open your writing project, and while it loads, you go watch a YouTube video. And another, and another, until you're watching a video of a cat falling off a bookshelf. And when you look up at the clock, you realize that you now have only ten minutes to write before bed.
   Do you see where I'm going with this?

   The cardinal rule of writing on a computer or tablet is this: stay off social media.

   "But how do I do that?" You may be asking.
   The answer? Word sprints! Essentially, a word sprint is when you set a timer for a set amount of minutes and a word count goal for that time. And then, you write like your fingers are on fire. You're far less likely to venture off into the world of social media if you have a time limit.
   When the timer goes off, it feels really satisfying to know that you surpassed your goal! And if you're like me and set a high goal, then it inspires you to try again. You could even make a chart and try to beat your previous records.
 
   When you get to the end of the hour you had carved out for yourself to write in, it feels amazing to look at your word count before and compare it to the new one and see how far you've come. And even better, you did it without the help of social media.

   If you look back at what you wrote during a word sprint and you don't like it, try setting a lower word count goal. This will allow you to spend more time choosing your words, and less time in after-editing.

   | #4: Have a set writing space. 

   If you're one of those writers who has a tough time getting words on the page, maybe you're trying to write around others and it's not working for you. I know that I struggle with that especially. I can't write around my family because they keep interrupting me! Seriously, my little brother talks a lot.    

   I set my writing space up at my desk. I have my novel progress booklet under my keyboard and a copy of Save The Cat within reach. I also have a llama planter that my friend made me, a parade of origami animals, my cactus named Pauline, and a handmade pen jar. If I lack inspiration, there's always something else to look at.

A lot of people like to turn on music while they write, but studies have shown that music actually hinders creativity! That's crazy, right? I like to go for some ambient sounds instead. I have a big ol' PC that makes a nice, quiet humming sound, or sometimes I'll ask our Google Home to play nature sounds. It does rain, a forest, a babbling brook, and the ocean.

   | #5: Need Motivation? 

     When I was writing my still unnamed and unfinished first novel, I struggled with finding the motivation to write. I would sit down to write and end up watching Abbie Emmons on YouTube.
   Basically, I hardly ever wrote because it felt like a chore.

   One of the reasons for this was that it had literally no plot. At all. It was my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I decided not to outline. I thought I would be one of those prodigy writers who cranked out a bestselling masterpiece without ever outlining.

   Spoiler alert: that's pretty impossible for a first-time novelist.
   But I did learn a few things:

   1. If you don't outline, you will sit down with no idea what to write.

   2. Leave a little before you go. In other words, leave a sentence or two in a cliffhanger before you close your Word doc. That way, you'll sit down to write with part of the work done, and you'll know exactly where you're starting.

   Again, get your brain to associate writing with rewards. In other words, celebrate the small things. I have a little novel progress booklet with a graph where I record my weekly progress. It's really encouraging to look at it and see the line curving upward more than it was last week. And it's fun to draw in the week's progress every Saturday!

   | #6: Editing is for after you're done, not before! 

   Do you look at your word count before and after a writing session and notice that it hasn't changed much? The reason might be that you're going back and editing the ones that were already there.
   Let's face it: editing while you write isn't doing you any favors. I get it, those squiggly red lines are so annoying. Feel free to correct those. But do not go back and edit another section of your project!


   Hopefully, these tips have helped you reach your word-count goal today! I completely smashed mine (I was aiming for 800 and ended up with over 2,000 words).
   If you have any productivity tips you'd like to share, feel free to leave those in the comments below! Thanks so much for joining me today. You can find me on Instagram and YouTube, where I post my stop-motion animations.