As a writer, I have so many stories I want to share with the world, but I also have time constraints. I’m a wife, a mother to ten, and a nana to thirteen. I currently serve as a seminary teacher, so I devote a lot of time to reading, researching, pondering, and preparing lessons. Then there’s personal scripture study, temple attendance, school activities, community service, sporting events, and family gatherings. And then I try to exercise, cook, do laundry, shop for groceries, and stay on top of cleaning my house. Some days, it feels like I need at least fifty hours to accomplish everything.
So, what’s to be done about all the stories I want to write? I have notebooks filled with ideas, bits of dialogue, characters, and plot pieces. Trying to find time to create worlds and fill them with realistic, compelling characters can feel daunting, if not impossible, with so many other things to do.
There is no one-size-fits-all for writing a novel—or any book, for that matter. We all must figure out what works for us. Once we do this, we can use our allotted time in the best way possible to produce the books that reside in our hearts and heads to fulfill our innate desires to share and create. As Elder Uchtdorf says, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.”
I like to have a general idea of the plot and characters in my novel before I start writing. I’m a planner because I feel it saves time when I sit down to write. Even with advance planning, I’ve sometimes found it difficult to meet my word count goal, especially when I’m running from one activity to another.
Sprinting
During PE back in the day, I would audibly groan when the teacher told us we’d be running, especially if we were racing. Running fast, or sprinting, never appealed to me. Though I enjoyed sports, running wasn’t my vibe—and still isn’t.
When I heard about sprint writing, I was intrigued. I’d never considered the idea of combining something I loved (writing) with something I loathed (sprinting).
Applying sprinting to writing required suspending my disbelief. Writing fast appealed to me abstractly, but concretely, I didn’t believe it was possible.
Until I tried it.
Once I discovered sprinting, everything changed. I found that some days I could get 3000 words or more in an hour, broken into blocks.
How Sprinting Works
The idea behind sprint writing is to write as many words as quickly as possible.
The first step is to determine the amount of time you want to sprint. I prefer twenty minutes because I feel like that is manageable—I can do anything for twenty minutes. Fifteen or thirty minutes may work better for you. Experiment until you find your magic number, but don’t go beyond thirty, or writing fatigue may set in before the timer goes off.
Next, set up a document or spreadsheet to track your sprints. Include the time of day, how many minutes you spent writing, word count, and running word count for the novel (it’s a great feeling to see the word count continue to increase). Knowing these details will help you see when you are most productive and can give you motivation to keep going. Try to plan your sprinting sessions for when you are most productive and your creativity is flowing.
Now it’s time to sit down and write. I like to do a little pre-writing so I know what scenes I’ll be working on. For me, this usually involves thinking about where I want the story to go for that particular writing session. I write a lot in my head while I do dishes, take a shower, fold laundry, or run errands. Sometimes I’ll jot down a few notes or even a paragraph before I start sprinting. If it’s been a few days, I’ll review the last couple of pages to get back in the flow of the story. If you are a discovery writer, skip this step or modify it.
Try to eliminate distractions. Consider leaving your phone in another room if it will distract you. Turn off the TV, use the bathroom, get a snack for your child, and make sure you’re in comfy clothes and do all you can to “get in the zone.”
Set a timer (on your phone if you must) and write. Don’t edit or worry about details. Just write. Allow yourself to get as many words down as you can. Write whatever falls out of your brain without any judgment. Think of this as the “word vomit” step while your inner editor is bound and gagged in another room. Honestly, the words may not be great—some may even be awful—but you can always edit words on the page. You cannot edit empty space.
Once the timer goes off, stop writing. Get up, take a walk, do an errand, eat a snack, make a phone call, play a game with your child—whatever you need to do.
Repeat this process as often as you can throughout the day. I’ve found that three times is the sweet spot for me. I can generally write 1000 words in twenty minutes if I’m using the sprinting technique. However, I absolutely cannot write 3000 words if I sit and try to write for a solid hour. Go figure.
I’ve found that sprint writing has helped me focus on my writing and use my time much more wisely. As I’ve practiced sprinting, I’ve been able to strengthen my writing muscles, and the more I sprint, the more words I can write in my time block.
Here’s a recap:
- Do some pre-writing if needed
- Eliminate distractions
- Set a timer for 20 minutes (or a time block you feel would work best)
- Write, write, write—no editing and no judgment
- When the timer goes off, go do something else
- Repeat
Try it for a week or two and see if it helps you increase your word count. You might be surprised by how many more words you can write in a day. The trick is to find what works for you. Maybe sprinting won’t be your thing, but it sure is fun to try!
Rebecca Talley
She has published thirteen novels/novellas, a children’s picture book, a chapter book, a writing resource guide, and numerous children’s stories and articles for both online and print magazines. When she isn’t writing, Rebecca likes to date her husband, play with her kids and grandkids, swim in the ocean, crochet, and dance to disco music while she cleans the house.
You can find Rebecca’s websites here and here.