Just Write: How to Hit Word Count When You Don’t Want to
Why do we love buzzer beaters? The rush of the moment, the anticipation, the lingering loss or win that comes down to mere seconds, standing on your feet and mentally preparing for the worst. The stakes have never been higher, the voices louder, the heartbeats faster. When everything is on the line, there are stakes, an end goal, and a timeline. What if writing was like that?
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Meredith, there’s no way you can make hitting word count feel like a sinking a buzzer-beater in then 08 NBA Championship!”
To that, I say: “How did you get into my apartment?” and “Yes, there is.”
To match the excitement of the timer running out while you’re writing, you need just that: a timer. You can either set one up by Googling it or setting one on your phone. When I sit down intending to write, I like to work in 25-minute intervals, with a 5-minute break to pace the apartment or wring my hands with worry. It’s part of the process. I try to put down as many thoughts as possible during that period of time, even if it’s true rubbish. Editing is easy — one of the harder things about writing is setting the intention to do so and putting time aside. Having a timer allows for motivation, for the race of the clock, for the adrenaline to spike while you face your own buzzer-beater.
To this, you may ask, “Is there a program that helps you hit word count before a timer goes off?”
To which I’ll reply, “Don’t sit there, the legs on that chair are broken,” and then “Yes, there is!” louder this time.
When I was digging through resources on my old Tumblr account and the internet, I found this website:
There’s a lot to be said about the gamification of everything, and one day I’ll write that piece, but only if I can get three badges to go with it. Here, on this website, 4 The Words, you can pick your battles based on your goals — how many words are you looking to write? In what time frame? The platform tracks your word count for you through little battles, and you win these battles by hitting your word count before the timer is up. The race is on, and you are in it — there is a pressure to hit word count. I know it works since I’ve never not hit it, and sometimes I find myself writing more than I had planned.
There are more things to the game than just a timer and word count, but I haven’t ventured past the battle page just yet. You can change your avatar, get wrapped up in the storyline, or even collect coins. It's up to you how involved you can be with the program. The important thing is to face the blank page with a passion for keeping going. Even if you have to edit 95% of what you’ve written, at least you’ve written it down.
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” ~ Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
Now that I’ve embarked on a longer-form writing project, I’ve set goals for approximately how many words I want to write per day, which is about 300. Having a system that helps me hit those goals under an allotted period of time means that I’m not cursing the hours that disappear without words, and I am slowly getting closer to being done. To hit your word count, find a system that works best for you, whether it's a pseudo-fantasy world or just an old fashioned timer and spreadsheet. It doesn’t matter how you do it, it just matters that you don’t stop.