Another challenge with #JustWriteIt is disciplined writing. I know of a lot of authors who won't write if they have writer's block, or if they're just not that into the story. That might work on Wattpad, but not in #JustWriteIt, and certainly not if you intend to pursue writing as a career. The good news is that #JustWriteIt allows for a reasonable word count - 10K words in a month. 

But how do you motivate yourself to write 10K words from a prompt for a month?

The trick is building up stamina. Find out what you can do, assuming you don't have writer's block and you're also not high on inspiration. For me, the limit in one sitting is 1K words - which I consistently have to write for my longer novels each day. For others, it might be 500 words in a sitting.

Since #JustWriteIt is a monthly contest, the trick is scheduling. I have and always will recommend that you draft and edit your work before posting it on Wattpad, and this method will reflect on that view. Trust me - your work will be so much better if you follow that rule.

Three valid plans I see, depending on your stamina:

#1: For low-stamina writers:

- Write 500 words a day for the first 20 days of the challenge. (Write 10 chapters - not 20 500-word chapters.)

- Read through your work and mark down anything - big or small - that could be improved. This should take about 5 days (read 2 chapters a day).

- Go back and apply the critiques (takes another 5 days) and post.

#2: For medium-stamina writers:

- Write 1000 words a day for the first 10 days of the challenge.

- Read through your work and mark down anything - big or small - that could be improved. This should take about 5 days (read 2 chapters a day).

- Go back and apply the critiques (takes another 5 days).

- Use the extra time to make more edits or even get a beta-reader for your work.

#3: For high-stamina writers:

- Write 1500-2000 words a day.

- Read through your work and mark down anything - big or small - that could be improved. This should take about 5 days (read 2 chapters a day).

- Go back and apply the critiques (takes another 5 days).

- Use the extra time to make more edits or even get a beta-reader for your work.

Other tips for writing in a disciplined way:

- Provide yourself an incentive to completing your daily goal (ex: no Wattpad till it's finished).

- Don't write all of it in one sitting. Write some in the morning and some in the evening.

- Get comfortable. Find music you like and listen to it. Find snacks. Get in a place where you can put all your focus on writing.

- Continue every day, and you'll build up discipline. Not to mention it improves your work.

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Tell me what you think....

■ Do you write in a disciplined way as is? If so, what's your goal and schedule?

■ What tips do you have for staying disciplined on your writing?

■ Have you completed #JustWriteIt or even #NaNoWriMo? If so, how did you accomplish it?