Word Counts Can Be Fun

Word Counts Can be Fun!

By Susan Lawrence

As writers, we know we’re supposed to write consistently. Writing a few hundred words a day adds up quickly and is a lot less daunting than writing several thousand words. Small goals not only help us accomplish the bigger ones; small goals also help us develop discipline.

But as we develop our discipline and build a reservoir of written words, isn't there a way to have some fun along the way? Yes!

Try writtenkitten.net.

For every 100 words, a new photo of a kitten pops up on the right side of your screen. It’s like receiving a reward! If you don’t like kittens, try puppies. If you want to try another animal, click on the puppies link in the previous sentence, then replace the word puppy in the url with whatever animal you want to try. (Be careful not to waste too much time searching for obscure animals and let time nonchalantly slip by, defeating the purpose of getting motivated and disciplined.)

If 100 words aren’t a lofty enough goal, you can choose 200, 500, or 1000 instead. The first time you use the site and begin typing, a dialogue box might pop up to remind you that even if you have autosave on your browser, you’ll be wise to copy/paste your work often—perhaps when the picture changes—so you don’t lose it.

Give it a try, have some fun, and accomplish those writing goals!

Susan Lawrence is a women’s ministry consultant who also partners with women with writing goals. She speaks around the country, has written multiple Bible studies and devotionals, and blogs daily. If you’d like to start a conversation with her about your writing goals or other ministry needs, connect with her on PurePurpose.org.

Graphic from Microsoft clipart