Do's and Dont's

DO: Know exactly what your protagonist wants

DON'T: Let your protagonist have it right away.

DO: Eliminate all distractions before you write.

DON'T: Literally eliminate the distractions, especially if they are your loved ones.

DO: Read your story aloud to see if it sounds right.

DON'T: Read your story aloud while you eat to see if it sounds right. (It never will.)

DO: When you think you're not a good writer, imagine yourself as a good writer and just do what that person would do.

DON'T: When you think you're not a good writer, imagine yourself as a good writer and just write what that person already wrote.

DO: Remember that E.L. Doctorow said, "Writing is like driving at night in the fog."

DON'T: Forget that E.L. Doctorow was using this as a simile.

Word Count and Dean Wesley Smith

Dean Wesley Smith's Writing in Public blog fascinates me.

I'd taken to heart the necessity of writing each day.  Also, I'd already figured out the need to simply "write the next line,"  as Dean has said multiple times.

Over the last several weeks I've focused on that.  Travel, work and family have limited my opportunities, but there is never going to be a time when that is not true.  Not unless my career gets to a point where the writing is the only work, and that's years away (if it ever happens.)

Some of my days have included massive (for me) word output.  I figured I was doing much more than I actually was.  Yesterday I decided it was time to take a look at Dean's website.  I've enjoyed his novels in the past, and his advice on writing.  It thrilled me to see the new daily word count feature he is writing.

It settled my internal debate on whether or nor to track my daily count.  I was able to figure out what I'd done for the entire month.  On average- 400 words a day.  That's pretty far away from where I want to be, although it is substantially better than my previous sporadic attempts at writing.

So I'll keep tracking and I'll get the average up.  Thanks Dean.

Here is the link that feature on his website.

http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?page_id=9659