Writing Sprints aka Words with Friends

 How do you write?

This  past July, I participated in a virtual writer's retreat organized by a friend. Some participants were writers I know; others were new to me. The format was simple - we met in a zoom room, chatted some, then sprinted. The room stayed open and people could come and go all day as they chose. 

One day some of us got to chatting, and Lee Tobin McClain mentioned a method of sprinting that she was using quite successfully. We decided to try it.

The idea is you start writing for 20 minutes. Then a quick stretch break. Then you sprint for 15 minutes, take a break. Then 10 minutes. The final session is 5 minutes. Usually you don't bother to take a break between the last two.

My friends, that method has been life-changing for me. After the retreat was over, I mentioned to a friend that I was sorry to lose the sprints. We decided to keep them up with a few other friends. So each morning for the past three weeks, we have met at 9am - either in Zoom or a FB room, and done the sprints.

In that time, I have written 50,398 words!

To understand how impressive that total is, you'd have to know I probably only managed 5,000 between January and July. I'm not bragging here. I'm amazed and oh so grateful for a chance encounter that was a game-changer.

So why do I think this works?  It's the power of a timer, accountability, routine, and friendship.

1) The power of the timer - A few months ago Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Pamela Kelly posted on FB about a cool timer that was making a huge difference in her writing. I went right to Amazon and bought one.

It didn't help me. Something was missing.

2) That something was accountability! I never thought I would be able to write with other people staring at me through my computer screen. But you know what? It's tremendously motivating. All those normal urges I have to just check FB, to go get a glass of water (or a scone or a muffin), to go do the laundry - it's harder to give in to them when someone is watching.

J/K sort of  - No one is really watching because they are too busy writing their own words, but the idea that they might be, along with the sight of them concentrating and typing away, keeps your fingers on the keyboard.

3) Routine is key. Knowing I have to sit down at the computer and turn Zoom on at 9 makes it sort of like a power switch that goes on in the brain. 9am. It's time to get to work.

4) Friendship makes it fun. We all know that writing is solitary and lonely, but this changes that feeling. You can take a few minutes to chat in the beginning, chat a bit on the stretches - but you're also there to remind each other that it's time to get back to work. That's also the power of the group, because I have found that on days when for one reason or another, it's only two of us, the chatting lasts much longer.

BONUS:  The other reason why I think this works is because you're getting your longest session out of the way first. As your energy is waning, the sprints are getting shorter. It's easier to power through.

We usually take a longer break and then come back for a second session. 

I've done lots of group sprinting before: 1-1 sessions with friends, #1k1hr, Twitter groups - none of those have worked for me like this has. 

What kinds of sprints or accountability have you tried? Or are you good on your own? I'd love to hear what works for you.

Both Debby and Missy have written at Seekerville before about the Pomodoro Tecnhique.