NEW SPRINT SCHEDULE

As the new year approaches New sprint schedules have been scheduled. Starting January 1st, 2015. I took the answers to all the polls into the scheduling. If these do NOT work well please message me on Twitter @GetWordies. I should be able to move the sprints schedule. Mondays & Wednesdays, Tuesdays & Thursdays are scheduled at different times. Saturdays and Sundays are as well. We have NO sprints on Friday so you can join @FriNightWrites for #writeclub.

Adding to the regular sprints there are several Writathons scheduled. 3 of them are scheduled for CampNaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo. All are to be on Saturdays as the polls outcome said it was the best day you'd like to have them.

I may add in or change scheduled sprints with #1k1hr-s so we can push ourselves.

Happy Writing!

NaNoWriMo Wrap-up!

As NaNoWriMo wraps up today we look back over the last 30 days. Many of us participating never thought we'd make it through, yet we did. It's an amazing feeling to see that bar under your name turn purple with WINNER! written on it. The last 30 days has been trying and stressful, plot bunnies driving us crazy, writer's block hitting and just plain tired of the plot. Ones who gave up, there is next year. Maybe CampNaNoWriMo will be more your thing. Don't give up on writing. No matter how you think your words are, someone will like them. Every reader has a type they like. Keep writing, it's worth it. That's coming from a writer that has NOT been published. Published authors will say the same thing. The feeling you get the second after you write that last word is something I wish I could describe, but I can't.
Now you are probably asking 'What to do now?" Well you can finish your novel you started November 1st, edit or start an entirely new project. I, myself have started a new WIP that is linked to my NaNo novel. Just keep writing/editing every day
I've had a few ask about sprinting after NaNo. Since December is full of holiday events, we will have some here and there. Most likely Saturdays. Watch hashtag #wordgrab. Use the sprints to edit. Once the new year hits I'll be updating the times with your help from answering the poll questions to the left here. February I'm planning a 12 hour writathon. I'll update you when I choose the date. April and July I'll be back in NaNo mode for CampNaNoWriMo.

KEEP WRITING MY WORDLINGS!

U.S. Holiday Sprints

With our U.S. Turkey Day our sprints will NOT be scheduled for Thursday the 27th or the weekend. I will be jumping from time to time to run a few here and there. Yes, I know that sounds strange. I just wanted to be sure you understood. If you are wanting wordsprints on Friday hop over to @FriNightWrites for #writeclub and grab wordies with them. Saturday is up in the air for me. If you are wanting tons of sprints to get you across the Nano finish line tweet @GetWordies or @jesdeh2o with the request.

Have a Happy Turkey Day my fellow U.S. Wordlings. The rest enjoy the weekend and be blessed with wordies galore.

A Writer's Wish List

It's that time of year where all you hear is 'What do you want for Christmas?' You look at them and draw a blank. What do you really want? You have no clue what to say because there are so many things a writer wants. You aren't the only one. Many of us have this problem. I'm hoping this post will help. I'm going to share a list I put together with help from my Twitter Wordlings.

A laptop desk with a built in fan. Sit in bed and write without worry of it overheating. It's adjustable too.

E-Stand Portable Laptop Desk

The lapdesk has built-in USB connectors to hook up the laptop to the dual cooling fans, a mousepad, cup holder (eeek), and a pencil holder. Hiding in the underside within the lapdesk are legs that flip down to prop up your notebook and maybe free up that prime real estate for your kitty.

When the legs fold up for travel the desk is only about the size of your laptop and can easily go where you and your laptop go. It is a bit thick tho, after folding the dimensions are 12.4 x 11 x 1.4-inches.

- See more at mobilemag.com

e-Pad® Portable Laptop Desk with Speakers

Surf and listen anywhere! Surf, write or work--and now listen--wherever you want! The sturdy surface of our laptop desk keeps your laptop stable, and the padded, angled microsuede cushion keeps your lap cool and comfortable--all while providing just-right support. Perfect for emailing and Web surfing. Check it out here.

Scrivener

A writer's dream! Software for thsoe of us who keep loosing notes cards and notebook with all of our story plots, characters, etc. Get it here 

Notebooks!!! We always need notebooks to jot down a thought that hits us when we least expect it. 

Even on Blue's Clues, Steve and Joe hand their Handy Dandy Notebook

PENS, pens and more pens...

Flash Drives... we always need some to back up or WIP. Always back up!!!! There are so many fun ones to choose from...You can go crazy with them.

Here is the main thing on my Wish List

Do you have something to add? Add it in the comments.

Count Down

As of today we have 11 days left of NaNoWriMo. Are you close to your 50k? If not hop over to Twitter. There are many that are running sprints so you can get motivated and make it.

Here's a list of some:

@NaNoWordSprints

@FriNightWrites Their website

@TheSprintShack Their website

@virturalwriters Their website

and of course

@GetWordies

Making it to 50k is not as hard as you think. Several I know wrote 10k and more in a day. Having 11 days fives you 11 days to hit it. If you can write 1k every day you'll make 11k in the days left. If you write the daily goal (1667) for NaNoWriMo you can manage 18337 wordies. If you manage 500 wordies in a 30 minute word sprint you can have 1k every hour and 10 minutes. You can do it. Updating your count on NaNoWriMo will help motivate you. 

If you have made it to 50k, WooHoo! You can now validate over at NaNoWriMo.org 

As the last few days come you may feel as if you won't make it. Well, you're wrong. You can. Take it 1 wordie at a time. 

That's it for me today. I gotta get my wordies on.... 

WRITE my WORDLINGS

Week 2 of NaNoWriMo

As NaNoWriMo week 1 comes to an end, either you are stressing because you are behind or jumping up and down cause you are ahead. As of today you should have 12,000 wordies to be on target. If not don't worry! @FriNightWrites is having a writathon. Saturday will be our last NaNo Writathon. This is the time to catch up on wordie counts or even get ahead. Check out our Writathon page for info on the many changes made for this  one.

Here's the details via FriNightWrites
#WriteClub NaNoWriMo Marathon
Midnight Friday morning in Sydney Australia, Nov. 7th
through
Midnight Friday night on the US East Coast, Nov. 7th.
(The time-math is crazy, but it’s basically almost forty-eight hours, guys.)
For the US, it means Thursday morning to Friday night.
Aussies, midnight Thursday night/Friday morning until midnight Saturday night.
UK, you guys are somewhere in between, and my brain isn't functioning at full capacity so I don’t know what times to tell you. 
FriNightWrites will have tons of prizes being given away during their Writathon. 

As for our last one:
Saturday Nov. 15th
9am-9pm CST
This is a change from the last one. 

So, lets get those wordies flowing. You can make it to 50k in no time! I know you can!

NaNoWriMo Writathon Changes

It was great to have those who participated in our 10kWritathon on the 2nd. However, I noticed most wrote during the same times. I am changing the 10kWritathon Nov. 15th to a Writathon. No preset themes just different amounts of time for each sprint. There will be 10, 15, 20 and 30 minute sprints (Maybe 1k1hr) for 12 hours with 2 hours off for food and house cleaning. It will be from 9am-9pm CST(GMT-5:00). This makes it easier for me though I hate to leave all but the US out. You can always join in any time while we are sprinting. No word count is too small. I will be on Twitter the whole time this time. Though most sprints will be set up on TweetDeck. 

So here is the tentative schedule: 

Saturday November 15th

9am-12pm Sprints

12pm-1pm Break

1pm-5pm Sprints

5pm-6pm Break

6pm-9pm Sprints

All CST (GMT-5:00) times

This would be a good day to use a crockpot (slow-cooker) meal. Make sure you also have ready to grab snackies. We have plenty of recipes and ideas. Check out our Writer's Food and Pinterest.

Hope to see your wordie counts climb on the 15th. 

We Start NaNo!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). 

National Novel Writing Month

Here we go, off on an adventure that is going to test us beyond belief. There will be days where you will want to bang the computer with a hammer, through pens across the room and even think about quitting. Remember this 1 thing...

YOU CAN DO IT!

All you need is a little motivation and support from others. We are here for you as many others can be. NaNo Buddies on the NaNo Web Site is a great place to start. Then there is the Region message boards. Of course there are 10k Writathons that help push you to hit that 50k. We ourselves are having 2 this month and @FriNightWrites will have 1 as well...
#WriteClub NaNoWriMo Marathon
Midnight Friday morning in Sydney Australia, Nov. 7th
through
Midnight Friday night on the US East Coast, Nov. 7th.
(basically almost forty-eight hours)
So, that is 3 10kWritathons. Nov. 2nd, Nov7th and Nov.8th!
Look at that a whole weekend of sprinting!
Plus many of our Twitter friends will be having sprints all the time. There should be at least 1 going at any time. @NaNoWordSprints runs sprints during NaNo. Times are often but I couldn't find you a schedule. They do 20, 30, 1k30min minute word sprints.

Time management helps too. Plan your writing times in accordance to your life. (Family, friends, meals, and those kiddos of course) We have ideas for meals and kiddos foods, managing time and lists of sprinting Twitter friends for your peace of mind. 

Here is what a few of our followers suggested.

Count Down....

We are approaching the beginning of NaNoWriMo... 

3 days

Or there abouts. Time zone changes confuse me! LOL! 

Are you ready? Are you stressing? Are you excited? Well, all these are expected. Just remember to breathe so you can make it. Yeah, breathing is important.

There are many things to help you get through and hit those 50k wordies. @FriNightWrites and @GetWordies are having a total of 3 Writathons. Here are the times...

@GetWordies

Saturday Nov.1st 5pmCST (Welcome Aussies)

to

Sunday Nov.2nd 11pmCST 

@FriNightWrites

#WriteClub NaNoWriMo Marathon

Midnight Friday morning in Sydney Australia, Nov. 7th

through

Midnight Friday night on the US East Coast, Nov. 7th.

@GetWordies

Friday Nov.14th 5pmCST

to

Saturday Nov.15th 5pmCST

Plus @GetWordies will be doing word sprints ...

Mondays - Thursdays

12:00pm-2:00pmCST

7:00pm-9:00pmCST

Plus we will do some on the weekend. Though those will not be scheduled.

Then you have your #WriteClub on Fridays with @FriNightWrites

There are many more sprinting groups that run sprints as well.

@TheSprintShack

@VirturalWrites
@NaNoWordSprints

And more.

Less Than a Week to GO!

Hey Wrimos! 

How's the prep going? With it being the last stretch til NaNoWriMo, I bet it's been busy. Do you have your NaNo calendars marked for all the writathons? If not here is what we know so far...

 @GetWordies 10kWritathon

(10k wordies in 1 day)

Nov. 2nd and 15th

9am-9am your time

@FriNightWrites #WriteClub 

Midnight Friday morning in Sydney Australia, Nov. 7th

through

Midnight Friday night on the US East Coast, Nov. 7th.

(The time-math is crazy, but it’s basically almost forty-eight hours, guys.)

These writathons will help you get to 50k in no time. Imagine if you write an average of 500 words per 30 minute sprints and you write for 5 hours with #WriteClub that's 5000 wordies. Now add the 2 10k and that will get you to 25k in those 3 days! Yes! That's half way by the 15th without writing in between. Though I suggest you write every day.

Tell us what you have been doing to prepare for NaNo in comments.

10k Date Change!

I have decided that the 10k Writathon scheduled for Nov. 8th will be on the 15th. This is due to our friends over at @FriNightWrites with #writeclub doing their's on the 6-8th. I want you to be able to participate and  not want to over do it. You'll need a break and sleep. @FriNightWrites are having that weekend because it is hard to arrange schedules for all their hosts. Plus get all those yummy great prizes ready for the giveaways! I knew this might happen when I set the dates. I set ours early in order to prepare. Next year I will wait.

Here are the schedules as of now: 

Nov. 2nd 9am-9am your time 10kWriathon with GetWordies
Nov. 6th to 8th Writing Marathon @FriNightWrites #writeclub
Nov. 15th 9am-9am your time 10kWritathon with GetWordies

NEWS!!!

We are now on Pinterest. Many more ideas for meals, kiddo activities and other great stuff. This is all in addition to what's here on our blog. Many ideas to keep the kiddos occupied while you write. Most aren't messy! Check it out GetWordies on Pinterest

NaNoWriMo? What is IT?

National Novel Writing Month, shortened as NaNoWriMo, is an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel in 30 days. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing and keep them motivated throughout the process.

The website provides participants with tips for writer's block, local places writers participating in NaNoWriMo are meeting, and an online community of support. The idea is to focus on completion instead of perfection. NaNoWriMo focuses on the length of a work rather than the quality, encouraging writers to finish their first draft so that it can later be edited at the author's discretion.

NaNoWriMo's main goal is to encourage creativity worldwide. The project started in July 1999 with just 21 participants, but by the 2010 event over 200,000 people took part – writing a total of over 2.8 billion words.

Writers wishing to participate first register on the project's website, where they can post profiles and information about their novels, including synopsis and excerpts. Word counts are validated on the site, with writers submitting a copy of their novel for automatic counting. Municipal leaders and regional forums help connect local writers with one another for holding writing events and to provide encouragement.

Rules

Participants' novels can be on any theme, in any genre of fiction, and in any language. Everything from fanfiction, which uses trademarked characters, to novels in poem format, and even metafiction is allowed; according to the website's FAQ, "If you believe you're writing a novel, we believe you're writing a novel too." Starting at 12:00 am on November 1, novels must reach a minimum of 50,000 words before 11:59:59 pm on November 30, local time. Planning and extensive notes are permitted, but no earlier written material can go into the body of the novel, nor is one allowed to start early and then finish 30 days from that start point.

Participants write either a complete novel of 50,000 words, or simply the first 50,000 words of a novel to be completed later. Some participants set higher goals for themselves, like writing upwards of 100,000 words, or completing two or more separate novels. To win NaNoWriMo, participants must write an average of approximately 1,667 words per day. Organizers of the event say that the aim is simply to get people to start writing, using the deadline as an incentive to get the story going and to put words to paper. This "quantity over quality" philosophy is summarized by the site's slogan: No Plot? No Problem!This is also the title of Chris Baty's book of advice for NaNoWriMo participants, published in late 2004 by Chronicle Books. There is no fee to participate in NaNoWriMo; registration is only required for novel verification.

No official prizes are awarded for length, quality, or speed. Anyone who reaches the 50,000 word mark is declared a winner. Beginning November 25, participants can submit their novel to be automatically verified for length and receive a printable certificate, an icon they can display on the web, and inclusion on the list of winners. Novels are verified for word count by software, and may be scrambled or otherwise encrypted before being submitted for verification, although the software does not keep any other record of text input. It is possible to win without anyone other than the author ever seeing or reading the novel.

Sponsors of NaNoWriMo

Some of these sponsors offer specials just for NaNoWriMo. Check them out and see what you can get! 

CreateSpace, Scrivener, Fast Pencil, Storylist Software, BookBaby, Swoon Reads, Aeon Timeline, Zoetic Press, Scribophile, Story bundle, Ulysses III, 4 the Words, JukePop, BiblioCrunch, Inked Voices, Kobo

Another resource for motivation and inspiration is Twitter. There are many who hold word sprints and writathons, especially during NaNoWriMo. Check out our Sprint Schedule for info.

Have You Heard?

With NaNoWriMo just 12 days away... everyone is prepping or stressing.  It would be great to hit 30k by the 10th huh? I have good news. With Twitter and our Twitter friends over at @FriNightWrites, there will be 3 of the wonderful Writathons during November. Yes, I know that seems a lot, getting 10,000 wordies in a day.

Average daily wordie count to hit 50k in 30 days is 1667. Here is daily goals after 10kWritathons
1 10k= 1380 a day
2 10k= 1072 a day
3 10k= 740 a day
That means you getting closer to the 50k in less days. Wouldn't that be great. Within 2 weekends you could be done to 740 wordies a day. Then toss in #writeclub and regular wordsprints and it could be even less. It would be great to hit 30k by the 10th huh?

SO, clear your calendar for Nov. 2nd, Nov. 6th-7th and 15th for Writathons! Actually, since @FriNightWrites their  starts their writathon Aussie time thats 3 days of writing second weekend. With the time zone changes most writathons are around 48 hours when it's all said and done.

Now, there is a bonus with @FriNightWrites writathon for NaNo. The have PRIZES! Yeah, I said prizes.

Okay Wordlings. Here is the final Writathon Schedule

Writing Break

Get Wordies wants you to take the next 23 days off from writing. Use this time to research, brain-storm or outline your NaNoWriMo project. There will be NO sprints until November 1st. You can also use this time to plan your meals and snackies and get them ready if you are going to use freezer meals.

For freezer meals and snackies for NaNoWriMo click here for our list of yummy goodies. I am in love with the spinach/artichoke dip and tostitos for my NaNo snackie.

Get the kiddos' activities and snackies ready and planned. This will help a lot.

For research, outline and time line help check out Scrivener and Aeon. They made my 1st NaNoWrimo a success. Right now you can try Scrivener for 30 days but NaNo version will allow you to use it to December 7th.

We will start off NaNoWriMo on November 1st for 1k1hr runs for a few hours. Then November 2nd is our 1st of 2 10kWritathons. That's 10k wordies in a day. This should give all of you a great head start on your wordie counts. Remember only 1,667 wordies a day are needed. If you participate in a 10kWritathon that drops you to 1380 wordies a day. If you participate in both it drops you to 1072 wordies the other 28 days.

NaNoWriMo Stress Management

To reach 50k wordies in 1 month; it can be stressful throughout the process. I'm hoping these following tips will help along with our Time Management post.

Not all stress can be avoided. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say 'no' – Know your limits and stick to them. Explain to your family and friends now that you will be busy ALL of November. This will limit the invites. DO however leave time for holiday celebrations, i.e. Thanksgiving.
Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently bugging you that your writing is not important, limit contact during November. This helps with saying 'no'.
Take control of your environment – Set a time to write. Turn off TV, facebook, and any other things that distract you. Find your music 'playlist' and get it going. Don't forget snackies and drinks. Caffeine will probably be a must during this time.
Be willing to compromise- When you ask someone to change writing times, be willing to as long as you are just moving the time rather than canceling it all together.
Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you've got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren't truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely. Prepare your meals ahead of time.
Take it 1 wordie at a time-  Every single wordie gets you closer to 50k. Set your goals for each day and do NOT worry if you miss it. There are other days where you will do many more wordies than your goal. (I have managed 10k in 5 hours with no kids of course).
Use Wordsprints to your advantage- These help motivate you and get those wordies you want to have. @FriNightWrites they do sprints all day/night on Fridays. @GetWordies here we will have our 2 10k Writathons and many sprints during the month of November. @NaNoWordSprints  will be doing many sprints as well. Look to our HashTags page for tags.
Relax and recharge your mind- Healthy ways to relax and recharge...

• Go for a walk.
• Spend time in nature.
• Do a chore that bothers you the most.
• Sweat out tension with a good workout.
• Take a long bath.
• Light scented candles.
• Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea.
• Play with a pet.
• Water plants or change fish tank water.
• Get a massage.
• Curl up with a good book.
• Change your music selection.
• Watch TV for 1 episode of your favorite show.

Don’t get so caught up in the wordie goal that you forget to take care of your own needs- Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. A healthy body helps make you focused.

Set aside relaxation time- Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries. Whether is be 5 minutes of 30. It doesn't matter.

Connect with others- Spend time with positive people who encourage your writing. A strong support person will help displace negative comments.

Keep your sense of humor- This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Organizational skills- If your physical surroundings (office, desk, kitchen, closet, car) are well organized, you won't be faced with the stress of misplaced notes ans plot info. Make it a habit to periodically clean and sort through the messes of paperwork and clutter that accumulate over the days. Scrivener helps me keep organized. Everything is right there in the program. No open several ones to see what I need.

These are just a few ways that I hope will help you with your 50k wordies goal.

FINAL 10K Writathon Dates Set

After a month long poll we have our 2 final dates for our 10kWritathons in November. So set aside Nov. 2nd and Nov. 8th for our NaNoWriMo 10kWritathons. You spoke and here is the results. I can't wait to have all of you join in. Here is the schedule.

You can find this at our 10K Writathon tab.
Remember you don NOT need to be participating in NaNoWriMo to join us for the fun. Though it is fun and you meet tons of other writers participating in NaNoWriMo.

Prepping Meals for NaNoWriMo

Prepping for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) isn't just about your project. Yes you need a story line, plot twists, characters and all that. For us busy parents it is tons more to preparing for a month of writing. There are sitters, significant others, appointments, and of course the kids.
My kids are teens and can fend for themselves for the most part, but I feel I neglect them during November when it comes to meals. Last year was my 1st NaNoWriMo and they complained about having to cook for themselves most of the month. I started doing slow cooker freezer meals the last 4 months. The kids love them and they even thaw them out and toss them in to cook. They ask for them more than I have made up.

So, I sat down with my kids and we worked out which meals the kids want and how many times each month. Here is our usual meal list for a month. For your meals, you choose what your family likes. The more they you like a meal, prepare for more than 1 of them. As you see here, There are several that I make up 2-3 of. Most of these are slow cooker meals. I do like to make other meals. Breakfast food is a major hit that's quick and easy. Roasted chicken takes me 20 minutes to prep and toss in the roaster. Goulash and sketti are also toss togethers I can do during sprint breaks. You can do a lot in a 10 minute break.

Once we decided what we would eat I made up a tentative meal plan. As, with all kids they do change their minds on what they want to eat each night. This is where freezer meals make it easy. My kids choose the night before what to eat and pull it out of the freezer.  I make up everything for the freezer on the 2nd of the month, when I go major grocery shopping. That means I have meals for every night planned. You can tell we do NOT eat out but as most families, you probably do. Don't change that just make sure you add it into the meal plans.
Here is what my October plan looks like.
















I highlight according to beef and white meat. That way the kids know for sure. I don't cook on Fridays or Saturdays because my kids are at their grandparents' then. Fajitas are the only thing I eat that the kids don't so I make those on Fridays for me and have leftovers all weekend.
Since November is Thanksgiving in the US, I am not cooking while the kids are gone. Or at least not planning anything. Here is what November's plan looks like.

For snacks I make them each Sunday or Monday night. This is my normal list.

Now, to make this cost effective here are a few tips.

• Make a shopping list. This is a must.
• Look at adds and compare prices. Your favorite store may not be the cheapest.
• Take adds with you. Many stores 'price match'
• Buy in bulk. Most meats are cheaper in larger quantities.
• Look into meat lockers. Sometimes they are cheaper.
• Use coupons. Yeah, I know many of us don't like it when we are in line behind ones who use them. It saves money. Last month I saved $13.49USD with coupons.
• Don't buy all your fruity snacks at once. They spoil. 

You may end up visiting several stores. I live 35 minutes from town so I hit 3 stores. I start with the farthest away and I take a cooler in warm weather. I also use cold storage shopping bags. You can find these in most grocery stores in the freezer section.

For recipes and ideas check out 'Writer's Food' tab. You can always adapt your own recipes, use tin pans for oven use and add ingredient to recipes you find a bit bland. I add GARLIC to almost everything.

Writer's Time Management?

Working around your work, family and friends can be difficult. Especially when participating in NaNoWriMo. Here are a few things I and others have found helpful.

Create a space you can write in. this can be a corner of the room you are in
the most. I set up in the kitchen during NaNoWriMo. That's where my washer and dryer are and of course all my snacks. Bedrooms, guest rooms or if you have a home office that's great too. Make sure you can organize the space. You'll need space for all your notes, research and pens. Keeping notes and research is easy for me, I use Scrivener. Plus you need a place for your drink and a few snacks. I have seen office space created out of an unused closet. 

Get a white board calendar, write all events. Use different colors for family, work, school, friends, special events (birthdays, holidays, projects due), and errands. Make a date and/or family night to spend quality time with loved ones. This can be a dinner and watching DVDs, dinner out, attending a sports event, or whatever you and your loved ones like to do. I set aside 1 night a week for my kids plus each kid gets 1 movie a year and no matter when it is I take them. I have it easier than most parents; my kids are usually at their grandparents' every weekend. My son is 17 and fends for himself well. Add words counts each time you write. This will help you track when the best time to write for you is. Having time for research and outlining should get tossed in there somewhere.

Make sure you set times for getting kids ready for bed, family dinners, a night out with friends, and spouse time. It can be 1 hour or many more. It all depends on your responsibilities. Once you find the perfect times to write keep to it. If you need more time and have young ones, have a family member take them to a movie, park, etc. for a few hours.  Get to know parents of your kid's friends and set up play dates where you take turns having the kids at your houses. Remember when it's your turn there will be NO writing time. This may seem overwhelming but it's not once you are set in a pattern. Write while kids are napping. 

Plan meals ahead of time when you are setting a day aside to write. We have many under tab 'Writer's Food'. These are very helpful during 10k Writathons, and NaNoWriMo. Freezer meal, cut and chopped salad makings and easy grab snacks for kids work wonders as well. 

Example of sprint tracking

To keep on track take advantage of wordsprints on Twitter. These are to motivate you, keep you focused and moving. It is also a way to track average word counts for certain times. Here are a few other ways to track word counts courtesy of The Write Practice.  There are many. Fridays are an all day thing with @FriNightWrites for #writeclub. To find them look under tab 'Sprint Schedules'.

When using sprints use the break time (usually 10 minutes) to toss or fold  a load of laundry in, grab a snack and drink, clean a toilet, pick up a room or half a room, quick research, dishes, outlining further, prepping for holidays or family meals (Thanksgiving in US during NaNoWriMo), or dishes. You would be surprised at how much you can get done in 10 minutes. If you are not online set a timer for sprints of your own.

6" x 9"

2" x 1"

Use waiting rooms, kids' bath time (watch them if young) and waiting for kids at the school to write, jot notes. ALWAYS keep a notebook and pen close. Stash 1 in the car, bathroom, or the room you are in the most. I have a notebook in my purse, kitchen, bedroom (never know when you'll wake up with an idea), in the bathroom when I'm taking a bath to relax, and in the living room. You don't need to have a full size notebook. Here are a few examples.

4"x 5 1/2"

4.5" x 3.5"

You can use a notebook to keep records of word counts as well. 

Learn to say 'NO'. When others ask you to do something you really don't care to do, say 'no'. It takes
practice I know. There are those times when friends call at the last minute to watch their kids, go shopping or hit the coffee shop. Let everyone know when you plan to have a full day of writing and that you won't be available. Place a sign on the doors, change voice mail message, and post on Facebook that you are writing. 

Knowing how family life, school life and life in general you have a 'To-Do List'. As long as you get things done on it you feel great. Here's the thing... you don't have to do them in the order they are on your list. Even the list for your WIP. With the WIP you change what you work on. You feel like writing poetry, do it. You want to jump ahead and write a sequel prologue, do it. 

Another important note... while writing do not open facebook, pinterest, email, instagram...you get the point. These are distractions. If you must check them do it during a break and set a time limit. 

Reward yourself! Yes rewards keep us moving along. Set goals for a week or a month and set the goal for each. Goals can be word counts, chapter counts, section counts or even research and outlines. Rewards can be anything from an expensive coffee with friends, a movie, to an outfit. Whatever gets you motivated.