Summary

The article discusses the use of writing sprints to enhance daily word count productivity for authors.

Abstract

The article "How to increase your daily word count with writing sprints" presents a technique for authors to boost their writing productivity. It suggests that instead of maintaining a constant writing pace throughout the day, writers should engage in short, focused writing sessions known as writing sprints. These sprints involve setting a timer and writing without interruption or correction, followed by a shorter break. This method creates a sense of urgency and prevents perfectionism, leading to faster writing and a higher word count per hour. The article argues that by using writing sprints, authors can not only write more words in less time but also increase their overall daily word count without increased fatigue.

Opinions

The traditional advice of "slow and steady wins the race" is deemed misleading for daily writing goals.
The author emphasizes the importance of alternating between tension and relaxation to prevent burnout.
Writing sprints are seen as a way to create clear deadlines and a structured writing rhythm.
The article posits that writing with the spellchecker turned off during sprints minimizes distractions and interruptions to the writing flow.
Regular breaks after writing sprints are recommended to keep the mind fresh and maintain high levels of concentration throughout the day.
The author believes that writing sprints can significantly increase an author's word count per hour and per day.
The article suggests that writing sprints can lead to authors reaching their daily word count goals more efficiently and with less exhaustion.
The author encourages readers to try writing sprints and share their experiences.
A call to action is included for readers to subscribe for more insights on the topic.

How to increase your daily word count with writing sprints

Do you always write at the same pace for hours? Then this technique can help you to increase your daily word count considerably.

Slow and steady wins the race, we have been hammered in for years. However, this old truth is often misinterpreted.

The real meaning of this advice refers to long periods. For weeks, months, and years, the most significant progress is made by those who progress slowly but steadily.

I have no doubt about that either. Of course, you will have more success if you walk a little bit every day on the way to your goal than if you exhaust yourself on one day and then do nothing for two weeks.

But does that also apply to daily goals? As professional authors, we usually set ourselves the goal of writing a certain number of words per day. This is important in order not to lose sight of our long-term goal of completing the book.

We choose the daily goals moderately so that we don’t burn out over time — let’s say 2000 words a day. This is an example of Slow and steady wins the race.

Someone who writes 6000 words a day and then does nothing for four days loses against his slow but steady colleague.

Long-term goals vs. daily goals

To prevent burning out and still make significant progress, phases of tension and relaxation must alternate evenly.

Thought over long periods, this means making moderate daily progress and then pausing until the next day but not longer.

Over short time intervals, it doesn’t look any different. Here, too, activity and rest must alternate regularly. But in everyday life, many authors fail to find the optimal rhythm. They see the working day as a single time block that is at best interrupted by a lunch break.

With the writing goal in mind, you remain seated in front of the screen until you reach your goal for the day. At first glance, the day was a complete success.

What’s missing here, however, is a clear deadline. The author only has the wordcount to judge whether he is done for the day or not.

The only time component is midnight. Then a writing day is officially over.

If midnight is the only time limit and our daily word count is the only goal, we will always keep the same writing speed.

Real progress, in my opinion, looks different.

Writing sprints as intermediate goals

Authors should urgently divide their day into small units, and these units are ideally writing sprints.

What is a writing sprint? Writing sprints are short, time-limited phases of uninterrupted writing using a timer.

For example, you set a timer to twenty minutes, start it, and do nothing but write in those twenty minutes. You don’t get up to go to the toilet, the kitchen, or the front door. You don’t take your eyes off the screen and your hands off the keyboard. All you do is write. Everything that is not writing, you do before or after your writing sprint.

And here’s the most important rule: you write with the spellchecker turned off and don’t correct while you’re writing. This way, you avoid distractions from your writing software and interruption of your flow.

When the twenty minutes are up, you stop. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of a sentence or just before the climax of a scene. The twenty minutes (or whatever duration you choose) are untouchable.

This phase is followed by a pause which should be shorter than the writing sprint. I recommend ten to fifteen minutes. Then the game starts all over again.

This rhythm is repeated until you have reached your daily writing goal.

Effects of the writing sprints

The first thing you’ll notice is that you write a lot faster than before.

Why is that so? By limiting yourself to twenty minutes per session, you create a sense of urgency in yourself. You want to avoid having to stop in the middle of a sentence or just before the climax of a scene at the end of a sprint, so you are driving yourself to write faster.

Besides, the rule not to make corrections ensures that you keep writing. When revisions are forbidden, you only have the choice to write or not to write. But you probably won’t allow yourself lengthy interruptions. This would attack your ego.

Both effects together increase your word count significantly per hour. After three writing sprints, you will have more words written than usual in one continuous hour.

This effect is so significant that even the breaks between the sprints don’t count. You will still write more in the same time. I know it’s hard to believe, but many other authors and I know from experience that it’s true.

From more words per hour to more words per day

The title of this article is How to increase your daily word count with writing sprints.

Now you are justifiably asking yourself why it was only about a higher word count per hour. We haven’t even corrected your daily target yet.

Don’t worry, that’s exactly what’s coming now.

The first time you make a few writing sprints in a row, you will notice that after the break, you always go back to work mentally fresh and rested.

Your brain has had a chance to recover and is now back at full capacity. Because it is like that, you will find something remarkable: Your daily goal is reached, but this time you are not completely exhausted, you still have reserves.

Precisely this effect ensures that you can also increase your daily word count with writing sprints. Because now you have shifted your personal performance limit so far upwards that you can continue writing where you previously had no strength and concentration.

The alternation of tension and relaxation enables your mind to recover regularly and can thus be sustained longer.

Increasing the word count per hour was, therefore only a small but necessary detour to enable you to increase your daily word count.

The best thing about this method is that you will be able to write much more in the same time as before, without being exhausted and tired at the end of the day.

Try the writing sprints on your next writing day and experience for yourself how powerful this tool is.

In the comments, write to me about your experience with writing sprints. I am very excited.

do you want more of this?

Receive weekly email and don’t miss any of my articles.

suscribe here http://bit.ly/ReneJunge