I recently joined a group of authors on Facebook who challenge each other with sprints throughout the day. I love it; thanks to this group, I have become more productive. Today, I wrote 2494 words in an hour and a half. In the past, I used to tap tap tap slowly and produce hardly any words in a day. The sprint technique works for me because I am a) competitive and b) motivated by having to report to someone. Here are other sprint techniques that have really helped me be a more productive writer:
- Plan your chapters in advance. Use an outline or scribbled phrases and details as your road map.
- Have 2-3 scenes / chapters ready so you can keep writing if you are on a roll.
- Turn off your phone and get off social media.
- Keep typing…even if you have to make things up or the plot isn’t making sense. Keep typing. Hopefully the momentum will smooth things out.
- If a chapter is giving you fits, either skip it or write through it (like I had to do today).
- Do not edit, just keep writing.
- Have the characters talk to/interact with each other. It’s not only great for word count, but it also gives you insight into your characters. Even if you salvaged only a portion of this, hopefully your characterization will be stronger.
- If you are stuck, put a note in that spot and keep writing.
- Bring together two characters with opposing goals. Invariably, they will breathe life into your manuscript which means it will be more engaging to write–and read.
- Have a word count goal for the sprints. That way you can be aiming for something. I usually aim for a sprint number, then a total for the day.
- Scrivener has a visual tool that shows you your word count progress. I find this highly motivating and gives me a sense of accomplishment.
- Writing fast gets you in the “zone,” your story will feel more dynamic, and you will be able to keep the style more consistent. Plus, you’ll get to “The End” faster!
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