BICFOK--Look familiar?

BICFOK—Ever seen this acronym before? In case you haven’t, it means Butt in Chair, Fingers on Keyboard.

What does that mean to you this week? Maybe you practice this faithfully and don’t know why other writers have such a hard time with the concept. Or perhaps you really needed this reminder at the beginning of a short work week.

Another Monday is upon us. Another Monday to complete the items on your to-do list before the end of the month. Another week of almost accomplishing half of what you wish you could do if you had the time to do a third of everything you want to finish before the craziness of the season hits you full force.

Since you are reading this blog, I will assume your passion is writing a novel. Suffice it to say you probably won’t do so before the family descends on Thursday. You may not even get a solid grip on your goal by New Year’s Day. Instead of worrying about what you won’t get done during this incredibly busy season, let’s focus on putting your goals into a few manageable chunks.

Don’t think small. Think realistically. I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house this year for both my husband’s family and mine. Yikes. Four days ago my husband had knee surgery so the brunt on the work will fall squarely on my shoulders. This week I want to give the house a good scrubbing. Then there are lists, shopping, early preparations, phone calls, and of course, the actual cooking to finish.

It isn’t likely I will get far on my current WIP. Worrying over my lack of productivity won’t do anything but stress me out. Instead I will focus on working during the small chunks of time I carve out of my schedule. I am writing this post while waiting for a writers’ meeting to begin. I can daydream about character quirks and interactions while mopping the floor and hanging Christmas lights. During drives to and from the grocery I can think of topics for future blog posts. Those precious moments when my rear is actually in the chair and fingers on keyboard, I will be able to focus completely on my manuscript.

I still won’t be as productive as I’d like, but I’ll do what I can and not let the stress of this week thwart my bursts of creativity. How about you? Where can you start? Any fabulous ideas that work for you that you would be willing to share?

The writing world is waiting...