Wednesday 21 March 2018

Week Three Finished - On to Week Four! #ChaBooCha


We've now finished three weeks of the challenge and are moving into the fourth week. How is everyone doing? Is your story still moving forward? 

Sometimes, at this point in your writing, it can be beneficial to take a short break and do something completely different. Taking your mind off of your story, even for just a short while, can be a means to refreshing your muse. It's even better if that break includes doing something outdoors or something physical. Exercise releases endorphins in your body which help you feel good, and studies have shown that it also helps memory and the thinking process.

It is easy to get sidetracked completely at this stage of your writing. It's a simple thing to start to procrastinate or to lose momentum, so don't let your short break from writing last too long. Give yourself just enough time to boost your mental clarity and then get straight back into writing.

What sorts of things do you do to keep your creative juices flowing when you get into the later stages of your writing? Let us know in the comments.

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Give-away


Today's prize is a copy of "The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surfaceby Donald Maass. If you are already a signed-up member of the challenge, all you need to do to be entered to win this prize is to comment on this blog post. The winner will be selected by a random number generator by noon on March 31st and announced within 24 hours of the drawing.

15 comments:

  1. Thank you, Becky, for your encouragement. Fortunately, my chapter book is moving ahead with few distractions.

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  2. thanks for reminding me that taking time away from writing can bring a fresh look when I return.

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  3. Mine is going great. I did actually just take a break for a couple of days, but am now back in the chair. The finish is in sight.

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  4. Mine has stalled, mostly due to health issues. I haven't been to well :( Hoping this bug passes so I can get back to writing.

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  5. My efforts took an unexpected turn. I put aside the one I was working on and developed a picture book into a chapter book for a special submission opportunity. It was so much fun! It wouldn't normally work for a chapter book because it's too short, but it was so fun to do something a little experimental.

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    1. I did this last year. Now I have two chapter books from that one pb story!

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  6. Pushing forward with the end in sight. Loving ever minute, twist and turn!

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  7. Thanks for the post, I am getting there slowly, would help if my new laptop would stop updating. Still the story is growing!

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  8. My chapter book writing has given way to a few nonfiction picture book projects. Couldn't get them out of my mind to focus on this. Plus the research has been fun. But... I'm writing! That is good.

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  9. Taking more breaks than usual unfortunately but writing when I can! So I’m lookin in the positive side...even when I’m not writing, thoughts about my manuscript are always churning. End in sight!!

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  10. This weekend, I did the opposite of Sherry. I rewrote my young chapter book into a picture book. My critique partners helped me see that my CB wasn't working.

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  11. Looking forward to a solid writing week. I plan to do some brainstorming today too as I feel I need something new to tackle.

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  12. I had a horrid cold and sinus infection that interfered with my plans but I continued to write daily. And I have made major changes to my series (book order, charcters, the universe and more) and this will help me porgress the story along after ChaBooCha is over.

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  13. Thank you, Becky, for running these challenges.

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