Today, I rediscovered the joys (and frustrations) of bot-controlled writer sprints. I was provided a link to a new Discord server community created especially for kid-free Millennial writers.
They had me at "kid-free."
After doing the whole rule perusal, typing out an intro, and browsing the general chat to gauge activity, I noticed the server had a "Sprint" section. Though I had done sprints in other servers before, it took me a moment to click on this one. When I did, someone was already in the middle of a sprint.
Now, actual running I can do. There's nothing to it as long as my knees behave their creaky selves. I've jogged all over unfamiliar cities, beaches, and, of course, my local park—even forced myself to sprint the unshaded half-mile home to avoid a sunburn.
Good, easy fitness.
Writer sprints are the opposite in many ways. Instead of using physical exertion, I'm forcing my brain, fingers, and imagination to cooperate at maximum capacity for a short period of time. In most cases, writing sprints are fifteen minutes. It doesn't sound like long, but it's long enough.
Yes, there is some pressure. Everyone participating has the option to put in their before and after word count. The bot will tally results at the end to see who "wins." The goal is to do what all writers hope to do—end the day having written something. For me, the reward is that in fifteen minutes, I sat there and focused on nothing but my writing. The time limit gave me a reason to ignore grammar, spelling, and the fact that I may have just made the first indention for a future plot hole. Perfection, for once, was forced into the back seat for one quarter of an hour.
This is a huge thing for me. No one can edit what hasn't been written. Writing sprints help me do just that: write with reckless abandon.
I can say from personal experience that the sprints help me. It won't be the same for everyone, but I encourage all writers to give them a shot. The only risk (outside discouraging yourself into a corner if you blank—please don't do this) is ending with 0 words in front of people who probably aren't paying attention. When the next sprint begins, the last one is forgotten.
If writer sprints sound like something you may want to try, find a Discord or other type of server that has the sprint option. If you fit the kid-free Millennial criteria, drop me a message and I'll invite you to the one I joined. Today, I'm around 1700 words deeper into my novel than I may have been without it.
Keep on smilin'!
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