All the Help I Can Get

I'm always on the lookout for ideas to help me stay steady and on task with my writing. When my discipline flags, I get grumpy. When I'm not writing or when it's not going well, it's not good for anyone in this household. The tortoises can at least go into their shells but my poor husband has nowhere to hide….

So, awhile back I came across a system that's been working for me over the last couple of months, and I thought I'd share it with you all, in case any of you need some help, too. I first came across it over on Kate's blog, where she pointed her readers to Victoria Schwab's short video explaining what she calls "The Best Writing Trick I Know." 

Basically what you do is get yourself a calendar and some stickers - whatever kind you want. (Check out Laini Taylor's "Word Count Calendar (Of Cuteness) - even her writing calendar is artistic and creative!) Then, assign a goal to a sticker. In October, my goal was to write fiction - not journal entries, not blog posts, not grocery lists - every day, and so I got a sticker every time I did that…

In November and for NaNo, I get a sticker for every 1,500 words I write. I don't have to do it every day, and I let the word count roll over into the next day, so some days are empty and have no stickers while some days have two….

Now some people might find this silly or juvenile or unprofessional, and they're entitled to their opinions. But, at this point in my writing life, it's working for me. Maybe I'm more of a visual person. Maybe I like seeing my accomplishments in a more tangible  form. Of course, maybe I just like stickers. 

Do you have a similar system? Or any kind of system to get you and keep you motivated? Think you'll give this one a try?