Thursday, December 13, 2012

750 Words - A simple but surprisingly good idea to get you in the habit of writing

There is plenty of advice given to writers - but most of it boils down to "get in the habit of writing - and the best way to do so, is by writing every single day". For some, this may be easy, for others not so much: there are too many distractions, and sometimes (make it often) we may not feel like writing. In fact, I believe most of us are always ready with some excuse not to.

Enter 750words.com, a simple site that encourages you to write every day: not for publication (what you write remains private - this is not a blogging platform), but to get you in the habit of writing something (at least 750 words, in fact) every single day. The site encourages you in a number of ways, most of which may appear cheesy: the badge of an egg when you start out becomes a turkey after three days in which you have achieved your 750 words goal, and on to a penguin (five days), a flamingo (ten), and so on. There are badges for continuous days of writing without distraction (doing the 750 words without an interruption), badges for continuous days of writing fast (750 words within 20 minutes) - badges for night owls (sorry, for "night bats" according to the site), and for morning roosters for those who complete their writing either late at night or very early in the morning.

If all this seems silly, it most certainly is... but it also works, at least for some of us: it provides that little extra encouragement to write every day, and make a habit of it.

Since you know your writing is private, you don't get stressed out by the pressure of producing well-finished prose, and since each day's writing is no longer editable after the end of the day, you are encouraged to go on and write something new, instead of fiddling with your previous output. (Even if your writing is no longer editable on the site, however, it does not disappear, and you can always download it for later use elsewhere).

You can use the site for different purposes: to write morning pages and to freewrite are two obvious examples, but I find it also works to help you write the first draft of something you may then post in your blog or publish elsewhere (this post, in fact, was started as a draft in 750words.com).

The site is free (although if you find it useful donations are welcome), and very simple to use. Try it: you may like it and find it helps you develop the habit of writing every day.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Riccardo,

    I guess this reward system might be motivating for some, but I'm not sure I would personally respond well to that. I think I'd just feel pressured. I really wish I could write every day, but having my own business I find I'm often working into the evening and sometimes 7 days a week. It's a challenge. I think I need a clone!

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  2. I like writing but I don’t have daily writing habit. I write only in my free times. Thanks for your idea.

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  3. Interesting post.. love it very much.. thank you so much for the information.. very useful for me.. It's true that if you are having a enthusiasm to write you must write daily.. for a writer, one day without writing is like a day without food. so yea, keep writing. it will build up your skills and will bring you to a higher standard.. :)

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  4. Yes, that is true. If you want to improve your writing skills you have to write daily because writing is something you have to learn with the experience. Also reading books of experienced writers is more helpful.

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