Writing is an inherently lonely pursuit. Too many nights spent alone in front of a computer screen – just you and your word processor battling it out – can leave a writer craving human interaction. It’s only too easy for motivation to wane, slipping away to make room for loneliness and idle time spent surfing the web.

Yikes! Are you still there? Are you thoroughly depressed yet? I didn’t mean to go down such a dark road… but it’s true, isn’t it? Writing lends itself to solitude and isolation. And sure, sure, we writers might say we have company and conversation, what with all the characters in our heads. But let’s be honest: sometimes we get lonely. And hey, there’s nobody watching. Nobody to judge or scold us when we minimize that document and switch on over to Netflix (“Just one episode of Breaking Bad…”).

But it doesn’t have to be like that! There’s a way for writers to get their words written, while still being social. It’s called Word Sprinting and it’s wonderful.

The concept behind word sprints is simple: write for a predetermined amount of time and try to rack up as many words as you can. And the best part? You’re doing it alongside fellow writers, reporting your word counts at the end of each sprint. (For more information on the logistics of word sprints, check out our FAQ.)

Log into Twitter and search for #wordsprint (or a multitude of other sprinting related hashtags) and you’re likely to find a sprint starting in the next few minutes. Don’t be shy! Jump on in.

You can be as involved as you want. Maybe you’re a casual sprinter, only dropping in for the occasional sprint – or maybe you’re a fiend for it, sprinting at all hours and churning out thousands of words in a sitting. You can even host your own sprints. Or maybe, like some people, you become so obsessed that you start your own blog devoted to word sprints. ;)

But the truly great thing about word sprints is that when you’re sprinting, you’re not just writing alongside others; you’re writing your way into a community of people who are equally crazy (if not more so) about writing. Jump in for a few sprints here and there and you’ll be welcomed into the community of word sprinters  with open arms – and we’re a pretty fun bunch.

Through sprints, connections begin between writers – friendships are forged and even a few competitive relationships take shape. These ties are what motivate sprinters to keep putting words down – it’s not just about word counts, it’s about socializing with other writers who know exactly what you’re going through. Who know how difficult it can be to love the craft. Who want to see one another succeed.

And those connections come in handy when you’re thinking of calling it quits, or navigating your way over to Facebook. “No!” we’ll shout at you. “Get back to writing! Do another sprint with us!”

So come join us for a sprint or two. Or twenty. Let’s keep each other writing – and keep each other company.

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What do you love about word sprinting? Tell us in the comments below!

Or, if you’ve yet to try your hand at it, give it a shot. Follow us on Twitter (@TheSprintShack) where we tweet about sprints and even host some of our own!

Still have questions about word sprints? Reservations? Exuberant enthusiasm? Leave us a comment or shoot us an email at thesprintshack@gmail.com.

Happy sprinting!