- Drink coffee (or another caffeinated beverage). You're gonna need it to shoot for 1,000 words per day.
- Always have your document open on your computer. While your children's mouths are full of breakfast in the mornings, use that 5-10 minutes to write 200 words. Sounds silly but do that 5 times and you've met your daily quota.
- While in the car on the way to work, mentally build your characters.
- At work, watch people. Notice the way the little girl's feet swing above the floor when she's sitting down or the laugh of a colleague. See what you can add to your characters.
- While eating lunch, eat quietly alone when you want to hash out plot ideas. Run through scenarios in your head. Think and eat!
- Whenever possible, listen to music-lunch break, coffee breaks, desk time. Pay attention to the lyrics for plot ideas.
- When you get home, give your children 2-5 jobs to do every day. While they're doing them, jot down your ideas from the day in a notebook. Any free time left, go write those 200+ words!
- While playing with your kids, ask them questions you'd want to ask your children characters such as, "If you were at the beach, what would you build in the sand? …Would that be hard to build? ...What would you need?"
- Give your kids 30 minutes to play outside. Sit on the porch, deck, steps, ground… with your computer and write. Dodge any incoming balls or Frisbees.
- Keep a ridged bedtime routine. Tell the kids if they're super quiet, you'll sit outside their rooms where they can see you. Lie down on the floor with laptop and notebook and write until they're asleep. Then, keep writing until your own eyes close. That's why you'll need that coffee tomorrow morning: To start again!
Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale
Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses
An uplifting, beautiful story about never letting go of your dreams, the special magic of a family Christmas… and the rush of falling in love under the mistletoe.