Are you reaching your daily writing goal? (I'm not) How far are you in your WIP? Do you need a break?I've been on a break for too long. I'm stuck in the middle of editing. I need to put out more queries as I polish. I want to work on my next novel, I've started 3 more, or rewrite my first one. But I just don't have enough time to dedicate. When I write a book, I want big blocks of time to really get into it and I just don't have that right now. Does anyone else have this problem?
Well, here is my point. I don't want to get rusty or out of shape with my writing skills. I want my brain to stay sharp. So to keep my mind healthy and fit, I do writing exercises. Flash Fiction, Drabbles, quick prompt contests, poetry prompts, sample crits, etc. The most I let myself write is 1000 words. If I have time for more than that I should be working on my MS or WIP! Here are some of the blogs that I frequent who offer regular prompts to keep us active!- Brainstorms & Bylines, every weekend
- Cafe Muravyets, monthly challenge
- Doing the Write Thing, monthly challenge
- Poetic Asides, Wednesday poetry prompt plus others throughout the year
- Terrible Minds, Friday Flash Fiction
- Unicorn Bell, An online crit group
- The Writeaholic Blog, Monday Drabble Day challenges
- Writercize, daily writing prompts
Even if you are steady with your writing, taking a break from it to do a small challenge can rejuvenate your brain and add spice when you return to it. You might think of things in a different way. And if you have other challenges to speak of, let me know!
6 comments:
Thanks for posting the list! As you know, I'm in the middle of planning my new WIP, and I haven't been writing so much as researching and trying to figure out plots and themes. I love the idea of writing more shorts to keep myself in shape. I'm already in love with the The Writeaholic Blog's drabble challenges--thanks for telling me about them a few weeks ago!
thanks for the links! I just returned from an unintended semi-hiatus - thanks to computer problems - and actually had to write the old fashioned way: with pen and paper, in a notebook. It was hard not having my computer but I enjoyed writing by hand again.
You say you have 3 books you want to write? I would choose the one I really like the most and make it the best I could. You may never get to the others. Life is like that.
Great ideas for keeping the writing muscles limber. Thanks for the links!!
Thanks for sharing these! It really can be so refreshing to pause and write something else. I do much better when I'm working on two projects at once.
(P.S. Tag! You're it! Check out my blog to see what I'm talking about, if you're interested. ;))
Now that summer's here, I'm having a hard time focusing on my WIP. I'm like you--I need to have a huge chunk of time to get into writing the WIP, but I don't have it. So I do some writing that doesn't require a lot of time--working on short stories, poetry, writing prompts. Thanks for sharing those links--I'll have to look them up. ;)
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