What is a Writing Sprints

Writing sprints are short, focused writing sessions that help writers to increase their productivity and achieve their writing goals. During a writing sprint, writers set a specific goal for the amount of writing they want to accomplish in a certain amount of time, usually 15-30 minutes.

The idea behind writing sprints is to eliminate distractions and help writers focus on their writing. Writers are encouraged to turn off their phones and social media notifications and focus solely on their writing during the sprint.

Writing sprints can be done individually or in a group setting. In a group setting, writers can set a timer and write together, encouraging each other to stay focused and motivated.

Writing sprints are particularly useful for those struggling with writer's block or finding it difficult to get started on a writing project. The short, focused bursts of writing can help to overcome procrastination and get the creative juices flowing.

Overall, writing sprints are a great tool for writers looking to increase their productivity and achieve their writing goals. By setting specific goals and eliminating distractions, writers can make significant progress on their writing projects in a short amount of time.

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Five Minute Sprint

If you are just starting out trying to learn how to get words on a page, or you are trying to get a new project going, the Five Minute Sprint can help you. And it’s just what it says it is, a five-minute-sprint. But it starts a few minutes before we start that clock.

Step 1:

Write down what you are writing. Is this a new story? Write a working title or something like that. Is this a chapter in a current work? Write down what part of the story this is.

Step 2:

Now write down a few details about what you want to write. This would be things like the main characters name, the setting, what you or your character want to do, and what the problem is, or what is in their way.

Don’t spend more than five minutes on this part. Just the basics.

Step 3:

Make sure you are in a comfortable location and setting free from distractions. Turn of the phone. No music or TV. (For longer sprints you might have music, but not for a five-minute-sprint) Get rid of any other distractions.

Then set you timer for 5 minutes.

Step 4:

Write and don’t stop. Don’t fix typos or grammar. Don’t stop to think about anything. Just write whatever comes to mind. You should have the notes in your head of the setting, character, and goals. Try and let the scene unfold and write it.

Step 5:

When the timer goes off, finish your sentence and stop. Roll your shoulders and stretch. Now look at your word count. Word count isn’t the only thing there is, but this is an exercise to help you get words out. And like any other form of exercise don't this regularly will help you improve.

So check out the word count. Record it. I put the number in parentheses here in the document. After you do that you can look at the words.

You can spend some time editing now. Not much time, but you can fix a typo and make it respectable. When you are done, you can try another one if you still have time, or you can come back tomorrow to do it again.

Summary

Do this exercise every day. Maybe a couple of times a day. Eventually it will get harder and harder to stop at the 5 minute mark because your brain has more to do. Feel free to start increasing those sprints to more time. But don’t push yourself to do this too early. If you start getting stuck before you get to your 10 minute sprint, reduce the time to 5 minutes and do more sprints.

The end goal here is not to create longer sprints. The goal is to get more words on the page.

Now go write.

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