How I am using 750 words

As you will have no doubt previously read, I joined a website called 750words.com on 11 November 2015.

Since then, I have been writing - like it says on the tin - 750 words almost every day.

Not only has my membership of this site been great for creating blog posts, but I have also been finding it useful for working through things in my head, and for working through motivational blocks around things which I tend to procrastinate about.

Perhaps 40% of the time, I use it like a diary. However, because the service is online and it provides some statistics about my writing and what I write about, for me it works better than a paper diary.

I particularly like the statistics that the site creates for you, developed by Buster, the website's co-creator. After you complete your writing, the daily statistics show you how many words you've written per minute, analyses the words to tell you your moods on that day, and the focus of your writing. While often I feel that the analysis is off-track, it provides me with a great deal of entertainment. I think I like the summary approach of it.

In the past, I've not been able to write a diary for any length of time. I have found that, unless I have had a reason to write (ie, that I am writing a story within my diary), my diary-keeping has lapsed in under three months.

But this time, with 750 words, it appears to be different. I am well past three months... in fact, I have only missed eight days thus far: one day when I was travelling without Internet connection; three when I was waiting for my sign up to be processed after my 30 day trial expired (my fault; I had foolishly emailed the other co-creator's - Kellianne's - home email account instead of her business account to arrange my payment); three days when I was in hospital; and - for some reason that I cannot explain - my 100th day. I just forgot.

I think it is a combination of the statistics, the badges, and the playfulness and enthusiasm of the creators that is keeping me writing. For now.

While I am not sure that the use of 750words.com is making me a better writer, like any kind of 'fitness' training, practising the doing will build my ability to get words on a page.


Sam