10K days have become a rare treat for me. Funny that I would call them a treat. 10K days are a lot of hard work. You have to push through boundaries and keep writing no matter how much you want to stop. You have set that goal and decide that nothing will stand in your way. Except, maybe you…and perhaps a lack of proper preparation. So, let’s take some time to set ourselves up for success.
Have Your Work Planned Out. What I mean by this, is to know what you’re going to be working on. Which scenes you will be targeting. If you are a planner/outliner, gather those things together. If you’re a pantser (“fly by the seat of your pants writer”), have at least a general idea of what you’re going to be working on and put your “seatbelt” on.
Do Your Research. A 10K day is not the time to be sidetracked or bogged down by research. And we all know that research can lead to rabbit trail upon rabbit trail. So have that all squared away before-hand. This is one reason why it’s helpful to have a general idea what parts of the story you’ll be working on, so you know what research you must have done. If you typically research the whole novel before you write a word, you’re golden. But, if you are like me, and research lends itself to story/writing, which sparks new ideas and new avenues to research, leading to more story/writing…then I’m talking to you.
Take Care of the Essentials. Have you’re meals at least thought out as well. If you have young kiddos that are going to be home, what are the plans for them? What are the plans for your school-aged kids when they get home? I would take care of these things. Don’t just assume you’ll be done with your 10K words by the time school is out. That is an admirable goal, but it may not happen. Get a pizza or plan on your spouse making dinner…really set the day aside for yourself so you won’t feel more rushed than you have to be.
Set Up Your Writing Space. Do this the evening before. Remove the clutter and distractions from your space. Have everything set up to make your work more conducive. If you struggle with being pulled by social media or the internet, research some of the apps that block those things while you write. Speaking of social media, do your posting the day before, so you won’t be worrying about it that day. (Unless you want to post updates on your word count so your friends can celebrate with you and cheer you on.)
These are the big things, in my opinion, that need to be attended to in order to be ready for your 10K day. All in all, you want to set yourself up for success. And create a lower stress environment. Get up early, have breakfast, and get to work! But have fun. This is about you, your goal, and your craft. Are there other things you can think of that are helpful to do in preparation?