I'd like to take credit for this ingenious idea, but someone else in the Olympia RWA Chapter came up with it. We tried this at our Manresa Castle retreat last month (January), and it worked like a charm. I have to admit, I had my doubts. But wow, the results are truly amazing!
Here's the gig: You set a specific period during which you will write. Or revise, if you're in revision mode. We started with 20 minutes, but for some reason that didn't work all that well. On our second attempt (we were doing this as a group during the retreat) we set the timer for 30 minutes. As soon as the timer went off, you put your head down and write. You don't worry about whether or not the stuff you're writing is 'good enough', whether the dialog is stilted, or whether you've just introduced a spaceship into your Colonial romance. You just write. No self-editing or talk. No Solitaire. No answering questions. No interruptions.
It was amazing! After 30 minutes we were all in the thick of writing (or editing, as the case may be) and over the course of several Sprints much headway was made. We generally paused for 10 minutes between Sprints to compare notes, talk, get something to drink, check plotting notes, or whatever. Then, set the timer again and off we went.
That's my very first writing tip ever for this blog, but this worked so well for me that I had to share.
Yes, it's more difficult to do this at home, when you don't have the supportive bubble created by a writer's retreat. But take your laptop somewhere away from the hubub of the house--go sit in the back seat of your car if you have to--and just WRITE for 30 minutes. Go buy some crime scene tape if you think that'll help give you the uninterrupted time and space.
Think of a sprint as a small investment that will pay off big time--with the added benefit that you won't be out of breath at the end--unless, of course, you're writing a love scene!
Louisa May Alcott
An American writer
4 comments:
I've done this too, and I find it amazingly helpful. Yep, good reminder. I'm going to have to use this method, and every other speedy tip I can to finish this current one on time. Thanks, Carol!
Carol--I've been doing a version of this since talking to writing consultant April Kihlstrom. Frankly, even 20 minutes is too long for me *g*,but 15 works and has helped my last five books in an overbooked schedule get written.
A nice aid is the "Freedom" software, which blocks internet access when it's engaged. You can set it for anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours, and during that time--no e-mail distractions!
Freedom has a free trial period, and if you like it, the cost is something very modest, like $15. It's great for those of us who are weak of will and short of attention span.
Having been at that retreat, and seeing how much it has helped so many since then, I'm a huge proponent of sprinting. There's an added bonus. When your day is full to bursting and you don't think you'll be able to do any writing, you realize you don't have to carve out an hour or two for writing. Only 30 minutes. So I'm writing on days I wouldn't normally squeeze out time to.
Mary Jo, I'm going to take a look at that software. Being both weak-willed and short of attention, I think it could help me a lot! Thanks!
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