The Write Moment: Are you a sprinter?

A self-reflecting moment to consider the best writing practices for YOU.

WORD COUNT. TIMED SPRINTS. SCENE OR CHAPTER?

Goal setting is a great habit to get into, especially if you're someone who thrives on structure and routine or if you're up against a deadline and need to stay focused. 

I write more efficiently when I am against a deadline because I don't allow myself to get as distracted. But writing sprints have never really worked for me.

BUT THEN....

I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago and had a holy moly moment. 

First...

Author's often use writing sprints to meet their manuscript goals. I've always associated writing sprints with TIMED chunks of writing. 

Write for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break. Sit down and write for another 25 minutes, then take another 5-minute break, and so on until your writing time is completed or you've met your goal for the day.

Then I heard an author mention her "sprints" are by tracking WORD COUNT. 

You write for 1,000 words and then break. You write another 1,000 words, then break again. You do this until you reach your word count for the day. 

For me, being timed is too much pressure. I think I regress to high school when my dyslexic brain froze during test taking. So, setting a word count for the day and breaking it into chunks would work better for me.

Then, I heard another author mention (on a different podcast) that she tracks her daily goals by the number of SCENES or CHAPTERS she finishes. She has no idea what her word count even is.

Tracking my goals by chapters instead of word count would feel more satisfying and like I accomplished more because I hate leaving things hanging. I prefer my writing to be wrapped up with a pretty little bow when I'm done for the day.   

I know everyone's brains work differently and the time they have to write varies, but this just goes to show something different works for everyone. I wrote off writing sprints instead of finding a method that might work best for me.

So, what is your preferred method of writing? Do you work better with accountability? Do you like the timed writing and the pressure of knowing your clock is ticking down?

Do you like things wrapped in a bow like me?

Everyone is different, and there is no right or wrong answer, only what works for you. So maybe you're a bit of all of them. :)

Let me know!