Ever noticed how much work you can magically get done when
you’re down to the wire?
No one wants to admit to being a procrastinator but we’re
all guilty.
Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m a procrastinator. I meant to get my
work done, but….
Now, your turn. I’ll wait.
All joking aside, my
Pen name’s writing partner emailed me to remind me we have a story due to our
publisher this week. THIS WEEK!!!
Immediately I went into panic mode. I must have forgotten to
put it into my calendar. I’d forget my own head if there wasn’t a reminder on my
calendar to screw it on every morning. Seriously, I’m a scatterbrain on the
best of days.
So, that means we (My writing partner and I) will have to
scramble and do sprints.
What are sprints you ask?
Just like a runner, powering through a short set of track, a
writing sprint is the same concept. Great for writing first drafts and word
dumping. When you really need to push
yourself to get the story written, this is a great way to do it. Set a goal.
Set a timer, and try to meet or reach that goal in the allotted time. This
works really well when you can get a partner or group to do it with you. You
not only race against the clock, you secretly want to beat your partners best
word count goal too.
Before you know it, a few writing sprints can turn into a
novella or maybe even a novel. Then comes the daunting task of revising. No
before you ask, there is no such thing as revising sprints. That should be
handled more slowly and with a keen eye for detail. But hey, at least you’ll
have something to work with after all those sprints.