ACWRIMO 2020

ACWRIMO, also known as Academic Writing Month, is a month-long challenge to write every day. Ideally, a certain number of words every day. I’ve tried this challenge before, but never with much success. I got half way through the month, Thanksgiving stuff hit, and I stopped writing. A couple of years in a row in fact. But this year, I had a massive deadline on November 30, I was behind, and I had no excuses. I decided that I’d try and write about 1,000 words per day. Every day wouldn’t hit that mark, but enough would to make a big dent on my deadline.

Put another way, I had to write a ton, so I figured I should track the words and see where I ended up. At worst, by gamifying the process, maybe I could get myself to write on days I didn’t feel like it.

It worked. I wrote 35,338 words in November on this big project (made the deadline! More on that later), op-eds, manuscript reviews, blog posts, and background for journalists. I did not include emails, edits to op-eds or other writing, or random tidbits.

#ACWRIMO2020.png

A couple of observations:

  • Some days I was really tired and didn’t feel like writing, but I did anyway. I would outline a section, write a paragraph, or jot down some notes. Even if it was only 200 words, it was 200 words that wasn’t there before. As Amelia Earhart said, “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

  • I didn’t stop doing other things, so I ended up work late a lot of nights. November has not been a good work-life balance month. But I’m hoping to improve that in January.

  • Tracking words ended up being really fun. It helped keep me motivated, observe progress even when I felt like I was stuck in the mud, and gives immediate gratification. I like immediate gratification.

A few tips:

  • If you are working on a longer piece, always end the day by writing down your word count when you stop. That way you don’t have to remember to check before you begin the next morning.

  • Don’t sweat it if some days are less than your goal. Other days will be more and it will balance out.

  • I cannot write more than 4,000 words per day. They literally turn into gibberish. Know your limits and don’t force them if you can help it.

  • Find a good playlist that works for you. This month, I was all about the Christmas music. I also find that actually plugging headphones into my ears works better than having it play on speakers. Something about the closer sound and blocking out other noises helps cut down on concentration lapses.

  • Move locations. Obviously it’s a pandemic and you can’t go to a coffee shop or your normal writing spots. But even just moving between the couch, the dining table, the bed, and my desk helped mix things up when I felt stale.

Best of luck! Let me know if you decide to count your words and how it goes!

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