[WoD] Reward Yourself

Well, it looks like there are only about an hour or so left of November for those of us here in the United States, and that means that many of us will be finishing off with NaNoWriMo. For those of you who have finished, or are still rushing towards the finish lines, make sure to reward yourselves for the job you have just completed. It wasn't an easy one. You just wrote up and over 50,000 words in a month. Congratulations! Now go and do something crazy to celebrate. All of you deserve it! Have fun.

As for me, I didn't quite hit my goal, but I had many things pop up. However, I will try it out again next year, and maybe even try it out in the summer for Camp NaNoWriMo. I want to do it, though I just need the time and the energy to be just right. This month was not that for me this year. Heck, I'm still adjusting to being home. At least I was able to get by with publishing a blog post each day. That's something else I've been trying to do for a while as well. But now that November is over, I think I may go back to taking it easy and only posting a couple times a week instead of everyday. This is exhausting, and I'm barely writing anything compared to what must be streaming out of the fingertips from those of you who were able to complete it. Alright, well, I'm out for the night. See all of you in the near future!

[WoD] Turn Up the Music

We're almost done. And all we need to do now is just push a little bit further. Today's tip isn't going to be a big one at all, but it may help to encourage you to write a little harder here at the end. What is this tiny tip? Turn up the music. That's right. What's your favorite kind of music? Well, what ever it is, just raise the volume today and tomorrow. It's time to celebrate. We've gone nearly a month fighting all of these distractions, so you deserve this one. Go ahead and enjoy yourself. We're almost done.

[WoD] Stop Stressing

What's one of the leading factors of stress out there? I'm going to go ahead and say it's stress. You know the type of stress I'm talking about, like when you have a big project that's not quite finished off and the deadline is right around the corner. Well, that's just normal stress. But it does build up and up and up. That's what we need to be careful with.

With just a couple more days left of November and NaNoWriMo, I want you guys to just take it easy. If you don't get all your 50,000 words in, that's no big deal. You won't be a failure. Think of it this way if you don't finish your novel: you will be that much more closer to having had written a novel than if you wouldn't have participated in the first place.

Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. Good job. Now keep writing. We haven't hit the deadline yet, so there's a good chance you can still finish it on time. Just relax and take a few breaths before you get back to work.

[WoD] Clear Your Mind

There are now only a few days left of writing if you're still in for the month. And if you are beginning to stress out, I have some advice for you. Clear 15 to 20 minutes from your busy schedule and try meditating, or at least try to clear your mind. This older article from NewScientist says that meditation can help the mind perform better.

And not only that, but this article, released from MIT earlier this year, says that meditating can help people tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand. Here's a little snippet from the article:

There are several different types of brain waves that help regulate the flow of information between brain cells, similar to the way that radio stations broadcast at specific frequencies. Alpha waves, the focus of this study, flow through cells in the brain’s cortex, where sensory information is processed. The alpha waves help suppress irrelevant or distracting sensory information.

They tested this on a group of people over an eight week period. And those who stuck with meditation showed more evidence of having alpha waves.

Now, I don't want to tell you how you should start doing this or anything, but if you feel like getting into meditating, you could check out this "How to Get Started with Meditation" guide from Discovery Health.

However, if you want a little bit more for reading, Lifehacker also offers this guide on meditation for the rest of us.

Just give meditation a try. I hope you enjoy it and feel more refreshed coming out of meditating than going in!

[WoD] Exercise for Your Story

Thanksgiving was just a couple of days ago now, so that means that there will definitely be a few of you who are still feasting on leftovers. But, are you exercising any of those extra calories away? It doesn't have to be anything too extensive. It could even be a little walk or jog each day. But exercising doesn't only help in burning away unwanted calories. It also helps in releasing endorphins. Endorphins act a lot like morphine, but they are released within the body, naturally. They make us feel great. And this could be exactly what you need to finish off your story. So, go off and get working away some of the turkey weight. And may it leave you feeling good and greatly satisfied with yourself.

[WoD] Use Leftovers Wisely

Today's the day after Thanksgiving. Also known as Black Friday. I hope you got all of your shopping out of the way if you participated in today. However, that's not what I want to talk about today. Yesterday there was food galore for many of us at our Thanksgiving gatherings, and chances are that you and your loved ones didn't eat everything. That means there are plenty of leftovers. Use them to your advantage. What leftovers mean is less cooking for a couple of days. Just put your food into the microwave and your good to go. And this way, you'll be able to focus a little bit more time on the writing and less on the cooking.

[WoD] Happy Thanksgiving

Hello everybody! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I am just returning from a good, long day with much of my family. Also, I hope that all of you had time enough to spend with your loved ones as well. This is a great day for doing that.

And, instead of leaving you with a tip or something for fighting against distractions, today I want to leave you with something to reflect on. Since today is Thanksgiving, or the day for giving thanks, I want you to ponder on the things that you are most thankful for. Now go on and think about that.

[WoD] Divide Up Your Work

There's only about a week of November left, which means that there is only about a week left of writing your novels for NaNoWriMo. Just realizing that now, I notice that the advice I want to give today may seem a little late, but it can still be helpful during this last stress-filled week. Today's advice is to divide up your work. You have to write at least 1,667 words each day to reach the goal of 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Here's what I think though. What if you were to divide up your work into small manageable bits. That would mean writing four four to five hundred word sections each day instead of doing the whole daily allotment in one shot. That large number may seem intimidating to some of you out there, but if you split them up into smaller, more manageable pieces, then it starts to look like a walk in the park. So give it a try  if you feel that writing so much in one setting is too intimidating.

 Also, before I let you all go, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I want to wish all of you who come here a Happy Turkey Day, and to also travel safely and responsibly. That is all. Enjoy the holiday!

[WoD] Resist the Urge to Snap

Thanksgiving is almost here, and everything is just starting to get more and more hectic. Contacting relatives and friends to make plans to do this and that. Planning out where and how to travel. If you're hosting, my hat goes off to you. The level of stress that you are balancing must be nearly unbearable. And put the last portion of a novel into that mix and you must be near the breaking point.

All of us are near that point. And that's what I want to talk about today: the breaking point. This is the area you do not want to cross. Anything beyond the breaking point is where you might accidentally start snapping at people. I know. I've been there and slightly beyond. It's a bit of a rush while you are there in the moment, but it scares those who love you and know you the best, and if you snap now, especially around Thanksgiving, they may begin to reconsider inviting you back for Christmas.

Also, at many of these group gatherings with family and friends, there will oftentimes be one of those people who wants to egg you on. Don't let this person push you over the limit. Lifehacker offers this great advice on handling those pesky people. Check it out. It might save your social life.

[WoD] Do Some Extra Work Before Thanksgiving

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is just a few short days away. In under seventy hours, those of us in the United States will be sitting around our tables with family and/or friends, enjoying our succulent Thanksgiving turkeys. However, the more time we spend with our loved ones means there will be less time to spend on writing for NaNoWriMo.

What do I say you should do here? Start doing a little extra work now so you can offset some of the work for later. Spend some time with your family and friends. When was the last time you actually hung out with them? If it's been an especially long time, it may be best to start putting in a lot more words now. Why's that? Because you need to get out and see those people. You can still do a little writing if you want to, but really, go enjoy the company of those closest to you.

[WoD] Adjust Your Attitude

It's starting to hit me harder and harder that Thanksgiving is on its way. And It's also around this time that many people start to feel down and out about themselves and the things they do. So this one is aimed towards those of you who are starting to feel a little blue as we head into the holiday season. Why not try to adjust your attitude? If you're getting grumpy or a little sad, why not find a way to cheer yourself up a little bit?

This is an area that is by no means in my expertise, but I do know that changing your attitude can hlep you become more productive. So, instead of me telling you how you could work on it, I'll let these guys take over:

• Three Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up And Three Ways Which Work
• Ten Things You Can Do to Cheer Yourself Up
• 101 Ways to Cheer Yourself Up

[WoD] Go to Sleep

Are you getting enough sleep these hectic days? You'll be writing so much and trying to live your normal life each and everyday, and that doesn't leave enough time to do much sleeping. So, I'll ask the question again. Are you sure you're getting enough sleep? It doesn't have to be too much, but it should be a little bit more than three to five hours. You had ought to be getting around six to eight hours of sleep each night. I know we have less than two weeks of maddening writing left, but try to get your sleep in, too. You'll be in a much healthier state of mind, and may even have less stress, albeit be able to handle it in a much better way.

So, tonight, if you don't get your 1,667 words in, try to make yourself go to bed at a good times anyways. If you're just a few hundred words off, leave them for tomorrow. You can get them then. But you have to get them. So tonight or tomorrow night, depending on when you read this, make sure you go to bed.

[WoD] Get a Change of Scenery

We have less than two weeks now before NaNoWriMo is over. I certainly hope that none of you have been writing the entire time in the same spot. If you have, then it may be time for you to get a change of scenery.

That's right. Try to do your work somewhere else. If you've been doing it at home, try doing it at a café or or a coffee shop in your neighborhood. Or, if the weather is still behaving in your locale, try writing outside, that is, if you have a laptop with a decent battery. And even if you don't have a laptop, you can still try handwriting.

This may not work for some of you, but it does not hurt to give it a try. If your local coffee shop offers outlets for its users, then you're in for the show. Just go there and spend an hour or two working on your novel. You will never know how it affects you until you give it a try. Remember to keep an open mind. Perhaps you'll be even more productive there than at home, writing from your bedroom. And the best part is most of those coffee joints out there make great coffee.

[WoD] Fidgeting to Finish

We're almost two thirds of the way through this crazy adventure, it's it just about now that some of us are starting to get nervous, especially when we're finding when we're a little behind. That's okay. Don't sweat it. Or, maybe I should take that back. You could sweat it a little bit, that is if you do it by fidgeting.

Fidgeting, says PhysOrg, helps children with ADD focus. And if this little thing can help those affected with ADD, it could also help you. Who knows. It may actually be beneficial to the creative process for some people out there. So if you find that you are in a tough spot, just take a break and let yourself fidget a little. Many of us do it without thinking when we're thinking. You know those moments when your mind drifts off into space. Often times, when you drift back, you may realize that your legs were jumping or you were playing with something in your hands. It's only natural.

So, here's the question I want to leave you with today: do you let yourself fidget enough? Do you need something to help you fidget, like a pen? Or is there something else you keep nearby to play with?

If you do find yourself in that kind of situation, just give it a quick little try and see if it works for you.

[WoD] Write Something Else If You Need a Push To Go On

There's only two more weeks left of NaNoWriMo, and by now you may find that you are running out of material to write. Don't worry about it. Just keep writing. However, you don't have to keep writing about the same thing. Why not try to write about something else?

That's right. Write a little bit outside of your NaNoWriMo limit if you find that writer's block has you in the corner. Take your character on another adventure. Or jump into the shoes of one of your minor characters and see if you can see the world through their eyes. This option keeps you within the realm of your story.

You could also write about something else entirely. Try writing a little nonfiction. Or just some stream of conscience writing. That's what this article over at Stepcase Lifehack recommends. It works for me as well. Just writing a bunch to get to what I really want to write.

Or try to find something else. You could be that guy and do your own thing. And that's perfectly okay. Just make sure that you keep writing and stay productive. That's all that matters right now.

[WoD] Write in Bursts

Today's tip is going to be more of a reminder. We're halfway through the month today. That means halfway through NaNoWriMo. So I'm just going to assume that you already have a writing routine down and that you plug away at your words each and every day.

However, for those of you who feel like you may not be doing enough, or even want to do more, there's one thing you can do. Try writing in bursts. Set a timer for a short amount of minutes, like five, ten, fifteen, or twenty, and try to write as much as you can during that period of time. You'd be amazed at the things you think up on the spot. It may seem a little difficult at first, but I promise, over time, you will come to love it.

There's a web/desktop application out there developed by Dr. Wicked called Write or Die. If you are seriously thinking about giving writing in bursts an attempt, I suggest testing it out on this application. You can set word limits, time limits, or both. I usually try to do both. But just give it a try.

If you find that competing is your cup of tea, try going to the NaNoWriMo forums, follow @NaNoWriMoSprint on Twitter, and/or try having a Word War with someone else. This is where you set the timer and just write as much as possible in the amount of time set and who ever writes more is the winner. It's pretty fun. Just try not to procrastinate too much in the process.

[WoD] Jump Around!

We're in the middle of November now, and that means some of us have started hitting that rough patch and now we're losing steam fast. That's why I've been putting up as many of the energy helping posts as I can. I know I'm losing steam, so there's bound to be others out there with me.

Anyways, here's a little bit of advice for today. Jump around. I know I've said you should change your body position earlier this month, but now I want you to get up and shake your body. It'll loosen you up a little bit and get you a pinch of added crazy to get some of that writing that needs to get done... done.

If you find yourself slowing down for some odd reason that you can't fathom, try standing up and hopping up and down a couple of times. It'll get some of the blood flowing through your body and get a little bit more going up to your brain. That way the brain can get the tasty food you're eating for it.

Just get up and give it a try.

[WoD] Brighten Up Your Day

Are you starting to feel a little blue or is all the writing you are now doing for NaNoWriMo getting putting you under the weather? I have some advice for you then. Try to dress yourself and your environment up in bright colors. Yes, that's right. Brighten up your day with bright colors wherever you go. I was feeling a little blue yesterday because I was wearing darker colors, but today with these bright orange shirts I'm wearing, I am feeling quite lively.

So give that a try. Change your computer's wallpaper to a bright color that flashes out to your eyes. It might spark something deep inside your psyche that you didn't even know was there and could give you that extra inspiration you were previously looking for.

[WoD] Clean Up Your Clutter

We are now past a third of the way into the month of November, and if you've been writing for NaNoWriMo, chances are you've been too busy to clean away at some of the clutter around your work station or even your house for that matter. And that isn't good towards your productivity. It can slow you down and make you less efficient. That's why you should take one little break this weekend to clear out some some of the clutter around your work station.

Just do it in small little bursts, cleaning for ten minutes or so at a time and you'll be sure to get it all done in the long haul.

[WoD] Cold Water

Do you feel like you need a quick boost of energy? Walk over to the closest water faucet and pour yourself a glass.

Is it necessary for you to stay up later at night or wake up faster early in the morning? Try taking a cold water shower. However, I wouldn't make it too cold. It could put you into a shock. As long as it's cold enough to wake you up. This is what I used to do when I had to pull an all-nighter in college.

Even splashing some cold water in your face could aid you.

Water is a natural energizer. Not lot coffee that will give you a giant boost of energy, then an even larger crash. And also, unlike caffeine, with water, you're hydrating yourself. This is especially important as the weather gets dryer.

But definitely drink several glasses of the stuff everyday. You'll stay healthy and get a little more energy than you are maybe used to.

[WoD] Take a Break

We're ten days into NaNoWriMo now, and that means that we just passed the one third mark. How does it feel to be a third done with your novel? Pretty good? Or are you becoming your novel's slave? Make sure you don't let that happen. It only leads to stress and more stress and then eventually panic. And there's a way to prevent that though. Take breaks occasionally and let your brain cool off. It may be receiving a larger workload than it is accustomed to.

And if you are stressing out, there was a great article over at Lifehacker today that you should check out. The article mentions some of the best methods to prevent and deal with stress, which could be considered a distant cousin of distraction, at least in my book.

Even if you aren't stressing out, you should take breaks. Not for that long. Just ten to fifteen minutes. Or play a quick round of a video game that you like or something. As long as it's not that long, you should be ok. Once in a while you may find that distracting your brain just for a little while can be beneficial in the long run.

[WoD] Brain Food

Last week I talked about eating healthy. Today I want to follow along that line. Continue to keep eating, but start eating food for your brain, too. You're going to be using it a lot more now, and you will be needing more use of the gray matter was the days go on.

The blog Stepcase Lifehack offers some ideas on eating for productivity. They mention some foods for eating certain foods for eating at breakfast and lunch to fuel you for the rest of the day. Check it out for more information.

Some other things too eat for your brain are nuts and oily fish. Certain nuts and most fish contain omega-3 acids, which are great for the nervous system.

Here's a list of 10 brain foods over at BBC's Good Food. Try including some of these foods into your diet, just in case you aren't doing so already. We need to start nourishing our brains. Our stories may depend on it.

[WoD] Find a Group

Today is Election Day here in the United States. And I promise, this is going to get tied into NaNoWriMo some how. Election Day is the first Tuesday in November, every year. That's the day voters go in and vote for their cities, counties, states, and national governments. Not each of them every year, but there will always be something to vote for.

People tend to vote along a certain line. A person who is more liberal will tend to vote Democrat and a person who is more conservative will tend to vote Republican. Nothing new to that. It's just the way it usually works out. They get the person they want in office by working in groups, inside and outside of the voter booth. Inside, they'll simply vote for their candidate, but outside, they can do numerous things, the largest of which would be campaigning. Each of them has to vote, but to ensure that their goals get fulfilled, they come together and work as a team.

And we could try to take that spirit into NaNoWriMo. Find a group somewhere that can push you into writing more than you think you can. It could be a write-in somewhere in your town, or even in an online community, like the forums over at NaNoWriMo. Just something to keep you motivated and writing. They won't be able to do any of the writing for you, but they can yell at you and encourage you to put fingers to keys in other ways as well. If you find yourself falling back and in need of some positive and negative encouragement, that's what you need to do. Seeing how hard others are working could rub off on you. It works on me. Now get back to writing!

[WoD] Talk Out Loud

It's monday already and I want to talk to you about something that might make you seem a little crazy. You should try to talk to yourself. And I don't mean just a little mumbling, but I mean have a full on speech with yourself. You know how some literature out there just begs to be read out loud. Go grab a copy of Frankenstein and try it if you don't believe me. A lot of older stories are written in that manner. What if yours is the same way? What if it wants you to read it out loud? Just try it. Think out loud while you write the next portion of your story and see what happens. It starts to develop its own little flow. Maybe it follows your spoken voice a little bit more than your writing voice. It's just a little something to try.

Another thing about speaking out loud is that it could help your brain in other ways. There have been studies that say speaking out loud is great for your memory. It helps you remember stuff. So, if you need to memorize something sometime, give it a try then as well. I'd recommend doing it alone, of course, but if you want others to start thinking you are indeed crazy, you could try speaking to yourself in big crowds on the street. That's always fun, too.

That's the advice for the day. Let your spoken voice help you think. Think out loud, even if you do it just for a day or two. I'm telling you, it will help immensely. Go ahead and try it if you don't believe me.

[WoD] Start Scheduling

Sunday has come again, and what does that mean? It's the start of a new week. And it's time to put that routine you've been getting into to work. Let's use it to start figuring out our schedules. You already know when you are most productive. Now you just have to use that knowledge to good purpose and write during those times you are most productive, yet also make sure that you have time to write during those periods. Or just make sure you have time to write in general.

It works best if you take a few moments in the morning to schedule out the rest of your day. Unless you are an extremely spontaneous person, you should know what you are doing for the day. It's a good practice even if you aren't doing the whole writing thing. Get a planner or just write it down in a to-do list kind of way. And if you're not a morning person, you could even work on doing this type of stuff the night before.

Schedule in the important tasks first. You know, like work, chores, and the other things you need to do throughout the day. Once you have the big blocks out of the way, you can work on the fun stuff and put in the other things you should be doing and want to do. Try to write around the big things. Or in between them if you can. Try writing in little chunks in the day if you have to. Or wait until a special time to get it all out of the way at once.

But the important thing to do is to schedule in some time for writing. You need to get it done, and so do I. So let's find some time and get to work. Until tomorrow, I'm out.

[WoD] Stop Researching and Write Already

Saturday has come and it is now nearly gone. By today, we should have around 8,333 words done and and down. I certainly hope you guys are doing better than me. I'm only at 3,100 right now. I need to start kicking my butt and getting some work done. Which leads me to today's advice.

Stop researching and start writing already! Don't worry about the facts. We're writing fiction. Get the story out of the way for now. NaNoWriMo limits the time you have to get all your words in. You can come back and fact check later. There's plenty of time for that after the month.

Right now, what you need to do, is start putting in some sort of keyword in the areas you want to do some research for when you search for it later later. And put the keyword(s) up at top as a reminder so you know what to look for when researching and editing.

But it's not time for editing now. Now, we need to guess and make assumptions. There's nothing wrong about making assumptions now. Yes, I've heard people say people say, "You know what they say about assuming: it makes an ass out of you and me." But that's when you make assumptions about people. It's perfectly fine to make them when writing fiction.

So, for now, stop researching. Or only do it when you have spare time, or when you'r done for the day. Scratch the middle part: only when you are done for the day. Researching is a way of procrastination sometimes, at least it is for me. Let's just get our work done and out of the way for the day and then we can do our research and editing. But until then, let's keep forging ahead!

[WoD] Make It a Routine

If you're still with me, we're four days into NaNoWriMo now. Are you writing everyday? Are you writing around the same amount each day? Do you write at certain times each day? Do you write a certain amount when you write at those time? If so, you have found your routine, and you should consider yourself lucky. For those of us who haven't found it yet, we still have time.

Some people work better with them while others can get more done without them, but I find having a routine makes me more productive. There's just something about them. I get used to doing a specific task at a specific time, and my body just wants to keep doing it then. It's a lot like sleeping. After a going to sleep and waking up at the same time for a while, sooner or later you can do it without alarm clock. It's just something the body wants us to do.

But our routines are something that we need to test and grow. Are you a morning person? Do most of your writing in the morning then. Night owl? Then attempt to do it in the evening before bed. Also, try doing it at different times throughout the day. You might think that you're a night owl, but that you can get a lot more done in the morning than you thought. Or maybe you think that you're  morning person, but your brain is most active at night before bed. You'll never know if you don't give it a try.

Yes, I know. It's very a cookie cutter thing to do. Maybe it kills the creative process by not allowing enough spontaneity in a person's life. But it is helpful by bringing substance, by sitting them down at certain times and cranking out so many words in a set amount of time.

A routine is a habit. They need around a month or so to grow in intensity into something you do everyday without thinking, but only one day to bring it crashing to a halt. So try to keep writing each and every day you can. It doesn't have to be the full 1,667 words. If you even get in 500 words, that's more than nothing. And it keeps you in the habit of doing it. Try to make it routine if you can, but try not to break the chain.

[WoD] Change Body Position

Day three! Hope your hitting your words. Are you in the 5000-6000 range yet? Have some of you gotten more than 7000? Congrats if you have. Keep up the good work! I'm at 2,670. Falling a little behind, but it happens. The weekend is right around the corner. Anyways, this is a War on Distraction post, so let's focus on that. My advice for today is to change your body position. Don't sit in same position too long. Get up once in a while, and do some stretching.

We're all going to be sitting at typing a lot in the days to come, and sitting for too long can be bad for our bodies. So just get up once in a while and stretch if you can. Rather then telling you how to stretch, it might just be easier for you and me if I link you over to an article at Lifehacker about stretching in the office.

If your body doesn't tell you when it wants to get up, or you are used to sitting for long periods of time, maybe set a timer to remind yourself to get up stand up every half hour or hour. Or, in the case of NaNoWriMo, try to stand up for every 300-400 words you write (unless, of course, you are on a roll, and in that case, just keep on going until the muse fades away).

Another trick to try is writing in different positions. If you have a laptop, you can change positions. Try at a desk, in your lap, or even try laying down on your belly and try it. maybe not write as fast, but maybe you think better. You'll never know unless you try. But as long as you don't keep yourself in the same position too long. That's all that matters now.

Good luck with the writing. Keep going, and if you're behind like me, we need to start getting caught up while we can.

[WoD] Eat Healthy

We're already on the second day in. Let's hope you guys are all doing better than me. I don't feel like I'm doing so will with hitting my word count, at least not for starting off. I only got one thousand words in for my novel yesterday, and I just didn't like how I started it. But I plan on changing that up a bit today and am already well on my way to fixing it. It's going to be a long month, and there will be lots of time to catch up.

Enough of that. Let's get back to the War on Distraction. There are soldiers in wars, and in this war you are one of them. But in order to fight properly, we need to be fit. Are you living healthy? It's November. It's getting colder. Heck, there's even snow already here in Iowa. As the month progresses, you're going to start to get stressed out. It happens. This is a busy month. But if we focus on our health just a tiny, minuscule bit each day, we'll be living healthier and be in better shape for fighting the good fight. That's why today, I want to remind you to eat healthy.

[WoD] Keep Track of Your Progress

Welcome to November! It's NaNoWriMo time. Hope your hitting your word counts and still fighting the war against distraction with me. Continuing in that line, the first piece of advice for this month is to keep track of your progress. Doing so will allow you see how you've done in the previous days and it could give you the momentum to keep going.