The Second Day is the Hardest - 5 Tips for Saturday Writing!
“The second day is the hardest… Baby, I know. The second day is the hardest”
I couldn’t resist. Much love to my Cat Stevens and Sheryl Crow fans!
Either way, if you are reading this, you’ve made it to day two of #NaNoWriMo! Whether you met your goal yesterday or not, you are back at the computer to tackle another 1,667 words today, which means you are AWESOME.
For most habits, writing especially, day two is the worst. It is like going to the gym again— you’re sore, tired, and it is the absolute last thing you want to do on a Saturday.
Writing every day for a month might not look as shiny and glamorous as it did yesterday, but YOU CAN DO IT! You are the only one that can tell your story, and selfishly, I’m pushing you to keep going because I can’t wait to read it! Don’t leave me hanging!
With that in mind, here are a few tips to keep you writing, even though it is Saturday, your brain is tired, and Netflix is calling your name (“Hollywood! Come eat me, Hollywood!” — anyone that gets that reference, we need to be friends, stat.)
THE SATURDAY PUSH:
Don’t let worldbuilding/outlining distract you!
It is going to be tempting to plan your book further instead of writing it. Don’t give in! It doesn’t count towards your 50k, so why are you wasting your precious Saturday time?! Get to writing, even if it might have to change later. Nothing you write will be perfect, so stop avoiding it and just do it!
Take Breaks!
I know it seems counterproductive because you want to be done ASAP, but be sure to take breaks and divide your 1,667 words into more manageable chunks. Write 500 words and then go for a walk, watch a Friends episode, or dance it out. However you choose to let loose, make breaks a priority. I guarantee you’ll be happier with what you produce, and I’ll bet you get done faster than if you tried to sit for hours at a time with that big goal as your only focus.
Check social media
Shamelessly repurposed from the Bustle article yesterday, I’m encouraging you to go on social media! i know, I know — it can be such a time suck (Instagram is my beautiful, beautiful vice), but it also shows you that you aren’t the only one making the Saturday push. You can even take it a step further and challenge your online friends to writing sprints for motivation. Nothing like healthy competition to get the creative juices flowing!
No Backspace! Bad, Bad Backspace!
Avoid your backspace button like the plague, people! Now, obviously, not using it at all is a little too much to ask, but stop editing mid-write! Yes, Nanowrimo is to help you write that first draft, but more importantly, it gets you in the habit of writing every day. Period. So stop erasing all your hard work! If you write a section that suddenly seems to not fit, create a secondary word document and save it for later — you never know if it might fit in a different chapter! Keep going no matter what, just remember — the backspace is evil (except for typos).
Jump Around! (Cue music)
Stuck? Can’t figure out what comes next? See #1 above and resist going back to outlining or worldbuilding. Instead, jump around! No one ever said that books have to be written in order. You may have no idea what comes next, but I’ll bet you have other scenes living in your head, just waiting to play out on paper. Write what you know! It will help get more of your story on paper and clear your mind to figure out what you might be missing.
Happy Saturday, my authors, and good luck! Write, you will!
