I'm pretty sure I've talked about Dr. Wicked's Write or Die before. It's been around a while. Many of us use it. I've even used it before.
But I've recently rediscovered it and I am completely in love. And I'll tell you why. It's not because it forces me to just get the words out because it will start deleting my words if I don't. That is a handy feature, and during the occasions when my mind goes blank or I'm trying to hard to find the exact right wording instead of just getting it down it does make sure I keep going instead of getting stuck in limbo land all day.
But no. I love it because I have an extreme problem with getting distracted. Remember the "Squirrel!" scenes from Up?
Yeah....totally me :D I'll be plugging along nicely and then I'll notice that an email has come in. So I'll click over to check it. And then, since I'm already online, I click over and check Twitter. And Facebook. And while there I might see some cool article I want to read, or something on Pinterest I want to Pin. And since I've gone through all the trouble to go Pin something, I might as well hang out and Pin some more. And I can't log off without checking my Amazon rank or Goodreads adds....oh and look, another email just came in!
SQUIRREL!!!!
*ahem*
This is why I love Write or Die. Because it forces me to stay focused. It's my Squirrel Killer. An email comes in? TOO BAD!!! WRITE WRITE WRITE!!! You only get one pause while doing a session and that must be saved for extreme emergencies like the nurse's office from your kids' school calling or someone at the door.
Write or Die FORCES me to put my blinders on and just work. It's amazing how much I can get done. I set the timer for 30 minutes with a goal of 1000 words....and I get it done every time. Which means I can get in 4000 words in 2 hours. Now that's productivity :)
Have you ever used Write or Die? What tricks do you use to keep yourself focused?
5 comments:
Wow. 1000 words in 30 minutes?!? That's insane! I think I'll try it! :D
I am getting so many great ideas from other authors lately. Christine Fonseca turned me on to Save the Cat and the film beats. And then Michelle facebooked about Write or Die, which I hadn't thought about in ages. And it's exactly what I need for all the reasons you listed above, Michelle.
Thank you!!
I'm averaging 3-4k words per day now, and forcing myself to write through the 'this sucks' lulls. That means the feeling I get as I'm going to bed isn't shame for all the things I didn't do today -- it's pride in what I've accomplished toward my goals.
You're awesome.
I have not tried Write or Die--I have a built-in timer (back pain) that lets me sit for only a certain amount of time before I have to get up and move around. So I (mostly) force myself to make good use of that time.
Note: I am obviously surfing blogs at the moment, so how well is my method working? ;)
I've gotta try the timer method! If I work with no music, TV off, no one around, I can hyper focus for hours. But I tend to have distractions present.
I love Write or Die. Like you, I found that I write way more within the time period while I'm using it (suddenly 1k in 30 minutes doesn't seem so impossible!)
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