Word Sprints Help You Finish Your Book

Lets face it. Everyone who begins the journey of writing a novel is in for a rude awakening when they finally sit down to write the story that has been hounding them for years. While the process of writing may or may not be difficult for you. Most people find getting the words on the page quickly is more difficult than they thought. Writing is not a craft so much as it is the art of taking the ugliest lump of clay and turning it into a work of art. I believe that the most important part of the writing process is getting the bare bones down on the page. Because without a foundation there is no chance of improvement. So what do I suggest?

WORD SPRINTS.

I know what your thinking. I don't want to time my writing. Its my craft or some other nonsense like that. Well let me tell you this. By doing word sprints for one month I guarantee you'll make more progress in your writing than you would in a standard month. That is unless of course you already know how to turn off that pesky inner editor that we as writers are always battling while writing our drafts.

Simple Guidelines
1. Start slow by only doing short, quick sprints. These should clock in around 5, 10, or 15 mins max.
2. After each sprint do something else for the same length of time (or longer). Doesn't matter what. As long as it's away from the computer. I know that we all like to get lost in the internet but this is counterproductive. If you stay on the computer you are bound to forget about the next sprint you have planned. And we cant have that.
3. Turn that inner editor off. No inner monologue here. Just words on the page. I mean it. If you write the worse sentence of your life chances are the next one will be better so just roll with it. Again, this is why it is important to start off with shorter sprints because you have less time to think, pause and edit. No changing misspelled words, fragments, pov mistakes. Nada, Zip, Zilch - no editing. JUST WRITE.
4. Make it public. Either through messaging or social media. This holds you accountable and makes it worth your while, when you can post a 300 word count in a mere five mins. Seriously, I know that number sounds scary but trust me. It can and mostly likely will happen if you stick with it.
5. You can follow me on twitter- @JaceMcCoy to join in on my sprints. Not only is this a great way to connect but it's fun to see the word counts roll in.

Tid-Bit:
After each sprint do something else that is productive. My personal favorite is some housecleaning, or perhaps a quick run to the store. It's funny how idea's for your ms seem to manifest while staying productive.

What I Should Be Doing

Well I should be writing my book but I'm a wee bit of a lazy arse! I never knew how difficult it would be to write a book. I'm still on Chapter I ; which kills me. I know what I want to happen in the next chapter but I have to finish this chapter first. And in the famous words of a annoying child " I don't wanna.!." Anyway as far as an update of said book. It's coming along nicely and is definitely way better than what i had written before. I'm trying to take a little bit more time and make it sound more professional. Unfortunately what really irks me is Ill be writing way happily and ill see my own mistake and darn it; all it does is piss me off! So I'm off to write some more.

------Preview of Sorts-------
The main character collects eyeglasses and loves to dance.
It's hammer time; cant touch this.

Chapter I

Grrrrrr....* I smash the computer to smithereens! *
Ummm; oh sorry bout that I meant to say my computer and I have a loving caring relationship -bullshit.-
Just thought Id stop by and drop a line. Currently I'm rewriting Chapter I of my book and let me tell you what a pain in the fucking ass that is! I had two and a half chapters done but then my computer hardrive fried crispier than KFC's burnt ass chicken. So now I'm rewriting what iv'e already wrote. the wierd thing is that it's even better this time than it was before. It just seems like it's taking alot longer this time. My goal is to have the first draft done in six to eight months. But realistically I'll let other things sidetrack me like I always do. So right now I'm trying not to take my Chapter I frustrations out on my computer but we'll see how that goes.....