✒️ The Secret to Writing Success? Short and Sweet Sprints
Why I'm writing fast and loose for seven days.
Do you beat yourself up about kicking things down your to-do list month after month?
I’m gonna guess that they’re usually the things that are “only for you.” (Which is why we deprioritize them.)
I decided a long time ago that my writing practice (and even creating content around it) served me best when I did it in sprints.
I went through so many years, saying I was going to write weekly newsletters, monthly blogs, build that email list, blah, blah, blah…
And the shame I felt when I checked out my friends who did those things consistently. And got real results. Or even just enjoyed doing it week after week. I cringed with embarrassment.
Until one day — I woke up.
I realized all that comparing and internal pressure had sucked the joy right out of it and replaced it with dread.
Yes, I wanted to write. Yes, it’s both a creative practice and a way to explore what’s happening inside me and give it voice. And yes, I can turn them into more than just journal entries.
But it was NOT another way to chastise myself about not being enough.
So that’s when I decided that writing in sprints helped my creativity instead of castrating it.
Then, accountability around doing it felt supportive - instead of humiliating.
If you’ve been around here for the past year, you may have noticed I’ve gone quiet for about — six months. 🙄 (Or maybe you haven’t because you have a life!)
But life happens. And sharing my writing is one of those things that gets kicks to the curb.
So I’ve decided it’s time for a short sprint to get warmed up.
The writer Cole Schafer has inspired me this week.
Over the next seven days he’s sending out writing prompts. And I’m gonna write and edit for an hour everyday to whatever prompt he sends out.
Then show up here everyday and hit “send.”
Fast and loose — from the heart. There might be a few spelling errors, maybe a few typos, so be kind and remember it’s a sprint. Besides, it’s the internet. I can always go back and fix ‘em.
But I’m putting on my writing shoes and warming up. For seven days.
Hope it inspires you to do the same.