As much as I hate actual sprinting (or running in general), word sprints are hella fun. You never know what you're going to end up with!

A word sprint is basically when you write against a clock. You dedicate a specific amount of time to just write as fast as your little fingers can take you. It can be a section of your current WIP, it can be based off of a prompt, or it can just be stream-of-consciousness writing (which is my favourite way to sprint), but the point is that it's dedicated time.

This is a great way to set aside time every day, even if it's just five minutes, to make sure that you're writing every single day. You've got to keep that muscle going! And think about it. Ball park, my average words for five minutes would be about 150-175 words. Even if that's all I did every day, I could still have a 20,000 word novella in about four months! That's pretty fuckin' rad.

When I say that every little bit counts, I mean every little bit.

So what are the different types of sprints?

If you're doing a section of your current WIP, it can definitely help you tick away word count goals on a longer work. The key is to make sure you're mentally prepared before you start the clock, so that you can hit the ground running. If you're working or doing dishes or jerking off or whatever beforehand, make sure you're thinking about the scene you're coming off of when you start your sprint.

Prompt sprints are fun because it's something totally new. You can find all kinds of writing prompts on the internet, (tons on the Wattpad Ambassador-run profiles, too!) or you can find a dedicated word sprint website or Twitter account that posts a prompt per sprint scheduled. You read the prompt and then when the gun fires, just write. However long you get in, there's your story, you can keep going and expand if you wish, or be satisfied that you wrote something new today.

Stream-of-consciousness sprints are when you set a clock and don't think. You just go. Just write whatever comes to mind, let your fingers just type what they will. I love this when I'm just feeling blah, it's really relaxing, and also usually helps shake my mind loose so that I can write productive words after. Occasionally I'll look back over what I've written and think 'hmmm...' and end up with a new WIP in the works!

What if I can't dedicate time?

Trust me, I know what it's like to be busy. Working at home with a toddler in my face all day is challenging. For those of you who are writing parents that also work full time, I get it, seriously, it's really hard to find time for yourself.

But five minutes? You got this. If you get a break at work, use five minutes of it for a sprint. If you don't have computer access, do it on your phone or on paper. If you're at home and you're covered in children and furbabies all day, then that five minutes between when they go to bed and you die for the night? Do a sprint. Keep those eyes open for five extra minutes. Or get up five minutes early (though basing any schedule off of when you think your kids might wake up is a crapshoot). If you're lucky enough that your kids nap, once they're down make a coffee and take the first five minutes of their deep sleep to do a sprint.

I understand you're busy. Everyone is busy. But if you keep waiting until you have a big block of time to sit down and write, it's going to be SO much harder to get back into whatever you're working on. Setting aside a tiny bit of time each day, no matter what's going on that day, can be tantamount to keeping your excitement alive! And when you do get longer than five minutes, it'll just be like 'Fuck yeah, writing ALLLLL the words!'

I have a hard time making myself accountable for shit.

Oh ho, then the answer is group word sprints, my slippery friend! This is the beauty of social media and/or gatherings like Nanowrimo. Hell, if you have one or two Wattpad friends that happen to be online at the same time as you, you could hook up with them.

Word sprints with others are fun because you are not only racing the clock, but each other. If you're a competitive person this could be a gamechanger for your daily word count. If you're doing a longer sprint, you can even have check-in times where you post your word count at certain intervals to see where everyone is.

Then at the end you get to compare word count, and what you've written! If you were all using the same prompt, things get super fun because of different interpretations and whatnot. Or, if you're working on your WIPs, it could mean fresh chapters for everyone to beta for each other. It's a really great way to come together with writer friends, and support each other in the best way. With words!

You know I'd have a really fucking fun time kicking a bunch of asses during a word sprint. Maybe I'll do a live Twitter event or something.

Do I have to stop at the end of the sprint?

Hell, no! The point is to be getting words out, and if it keeps flowing and you have extra time, ride that wave like a motherfucker. Forced word production usually leads to less blockages, especially as it becomes habit to write every day. Just like working a physical muscle, the stronger it gets the easier it is to lift the same amount. With your writing muscle, the stronger it gets the easier it is to produce the same amount of words, so you can just keep going.

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!

Is there a special clock or app for word sprinting?

I'm sure there is, but really you could use any kind of stopwatch. Or just look at the clock at the corner of your screen and go, okay, I'll stop writing at such-and-such time. Most phones have a stopwatch app. Or you could use the handy stopwatch in TechieInAK's Online Writing Log, and use it to track your word count at the same time.

(More on tracking words in the next chapter...)

If you're doing a sprint with friends, the easiest way is to have one person be the clock, then they can tell everyone when to start and stop, or check in. They can either be participating or just monitoring time, and this works best in a chat app like Google Hangouts or any kind of messenger program.

What if I end up just staring at the screen for the duration of my sprint?

This happens, sometimes, try not to be too hard on yourself. The main thing is that you took that first step and dedicated time to writing. Even if you were just staring at a blank page, you were still thinking about writing, right? That's progress. Try again tomorrow. Try again in an hour, if you can.

Maybe switch up what kind you're doing, if you were trying to work off of a WIP try a stream of consciousness or a prompt next time. Or if you were working on your computer try working on paper. Change it up. Anything to jog some words loose. Light some candles. Eat some cake. Do what you gotta do.

Activity

I think it's only fitting that the activity for this chapter is a five-minute sprint! If you're reading this right now that means you don't have anything better to do, (remember that productive procrastination?) so GO GO GO!

Once you're done, report to me! I want to know the fruits of your labour. Tell me how long you went for, and how many words you wrote. And if it didn't work, let's try to figure out why! <3

For ballin prompts in any genre, head to any Ambassador-run profile and check out their Contests or Contest and Prompts book! There are always tons of great pieces to choose from. Check out  for some general prompts specific to tiny fiction, and in their Guidebook is a list of every single Amb profile so you can poke around any genre you like!