70 Days of Sweat, update 1

How's it going, you ask? Well, if you're hoping to hear that I've written 1500 words a day since October 15, you're going to be sadly disappointed because I've barely been able to write even a third of that. Last night was my daughter's 12 birthday so that was a complete bust even though I did try. I took a shower once the house was quiet and sat down to write, only to fall asleep sitting up because I was so worn out. The rest of the week was just plain hectic. I have managed to get about 1500 words done during the week...much less than I'd hoped to accomplished.

I have learned something, however, from this experience so far and that is this: Even when I'm not at my computer, I find myself thinking much more about what I should be writing which means that when I sit down to write, I actually have something to write about. That's a good thing. Instead of staring at the blinking cursor just hoping for the muse to strike, I'm keeping that muse active throughout the day by engaging it, coming up with sub plots and scenes that would be perfect for this novella that I'm working on. That's a very good thing. I'm not ignoring my Muse then expecting her to show up when I'm ready to work. I have to nurture her and keep her actively on my side so that when I'm ready to work, she's already warmed up and ready too.

What do you all do to get psyched up to write? To prepare your brain and fingers to get down to the business of being creative?