2018 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge: 2 Days and Counting!

Your chance to take on Procrastination and Perfectionism.

T-minus 2 days until the beginning of the 2018 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge. One month. FADE IN. FADE OUT. Whatever writing project you have, commit to going from start to finish in March.

Know this: If you do make that commitment, you will be joining hundreds of other writers, so there will be a ginormous vat of creative juju into which you can dip to gain energy and momentum on your project.

Beyond that, there’s this: The power of the Zero Draft Approach.

If you are writing an initial draft of a story, align your mind with the idea that your fundamental goal is to get from FADE IN to FADE OUT. You are going to use that focus to shoo away your Voices Of Negativity which generally come in two flavors: Perfectionism and Procrastination.

Know going in, you will hear them. They are a natural part of the creative process. You can’t stop them from expressing their opinions.

Perfectionism: “Ooh, you’ve got that scene terribly wrong, you know that don’t you?”

Procrastination: “Besides why are you writing right now? I’m sure there are emails mounting up you really need to take care of.”

Perfectionism: “Yeah, best to do that because this story… honestly, it’s a real mess.”

Procrastination: “And remember, there’s that pint of Double Delight Chocolate Ice Cream you bought this morning waiting in the freezer! Let’s have a scoop or two, just take a break for a few minutes, shall we?”

And on and on. Their job, which they do quite well, is to distract us. But the Zero Draft Approach introduces another P word into the mix: Productivity.

When we write a Zero Draft, we put a premium simply on producing pages. The quality of the writing is a secondary, even tertiary concern.

Embrace the tenet that by producing pages and getting from FADE IN to FADE OUT, you will go on a journey of discovery which will lead you to a much greater understanding of your story than when you began.

The pages themselves may — in your eyes re the actual quality of the word assemblage — read like a load of crap. But there are surprising aspects of your characters which emerge. Lines of dialogue which sing. Plot elements which come together rather nicely. And an overall sense of Beginning-Middle-End.

None of that there before you typed FADE IN. All of it there after you type FADE OUT.

So in preparation for the upcoming #ZD30SCRIPT Challenge, it’s time to have a conversation with your Voices Of Negativity!

“Perfectionism… Procrastination… we have to have a little chat. Look, we’ve known each other a long time. There have been times when I’ve cursed you. Tried to squeeze you out of my mind. Other times when I have embraced you and indulged in creative slumber like a happy sloth. But next month, it’s Productivity time. That’s right, you I am subletting your space and you’re going to go on a well-deserved vacation for 31 days. Oh, I know you’ll Face Time on occasion, and I’ll answer. But don’t be surprised if I hang up very quickly. And get right back to work. You see, next month, it’s all about FADE IN to FADE OUT. “Once upon a time” to “And they lived happily ever after”. Nothing else matters. No knock on you particularly. Everything will take a back seat to my Zero Draft. Just wanted to be clear with you so we understand ourselves. Oh, and Productivity will be making a few visits before Day 1, just to do a bit of clean-up, so don’t mind the company. Toodles!”

Get psychologically tuned up for the 2018 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge. Here in a mere 2 days!

Have an honest, frank conversation with your Voices Of Negativity and tell Perfectionism and Procrastination, you will be listening to a much louder and more commanding voice this March:

“Get the damn thing done!”

For a #ZD30SCRIPT primer, go here.

How about a 2018 Zero Draft Thirty March Challenge Calendar designed and created by Steven Dudley.

You may download a PDF of the calendar here and a Word version here.

It’s amazing how something as tangible as a calendar can serve as a motivational tool, so I encourage you to make use of it.

Check out the Zero Draft Thirty Facebook Group. It’s free, fun, fantastic!

Onward!