Young Writers Society

As chosen by a random number generator, my next crawl will be the.....


Crawl for the motivationally challenged
This does describe me a lot of the time!

Dark Corners currently stands at a beautiful pattern - 13,013 words.

This crawl is super simple and breaks writing into small, easy chunks. I'm going to finish it before the end of the weekend MAYBE EVEN TODAY BECAUSE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE MOTIVATIONALLY CHALLENGED BUT I'M FEELING MOTIVATED.


1. 10 words: DONE
2. 15 words: DONE
3. 25 words: DONE
4. 50 words: DONE
5. 75 words: DONE
6. 100 words: DONE
7. 100 words: DONE
8. 75 words: DONE
9. 100 words: DONE
10. 110 words: DONE
11. 120 words: DONE
12. 125 words: DONE
13. 150 words: DONE
14. 100 words: DONE
15. 125 words: DONE
16. 150 words: DONE
17. 120 words: DONE
18. 100 words: DONE
19: 80 words: DONE
20: 60 words: DONE
21: 50 words: DONE
22: 75 words: DONE
23: 100 words: DONE
24: 150 words: DONE
25: 200 words: DONE
26. 175 words: DONE
27: 150 words: DONE
28: 125 words: DONE
29. 100 words: DONE
30. 150 words: DONE


Well that was easy!!
To be fair, I'm revising, so I'm able to reuse a lot of words, but I'm still counting them because I make a whole new document when I do a new draft!


Total words written: 3147!!
That escalated quickly!

I've been typing a lot today, so it's a good time for the....

Healthy Hands Crawl!
It's fun because there are breaks worked in with exercises to promote healthy hands
I've done this one once before a looooong time ago!!


Exercise one: DONE

Now I have to sprint to a song of my choice (imma just sprint for 4 minutes because I have ambiance going already): DONE

10 minute word war (or 400 words in 10 minutes): DONE

Exercise two: DONE


Sprint to 100 words: DONE
then shake out your hands: DONE

Exercise three: DONE


Sprint for 50 words: DONE
Sprint for 10 minutes: DONE
I didn't beat my last sprint total so I have to clench a fist and release it ten times.

Exercise four:


Sprint for 150 words: DONE
Sprint for 500 words: DONE
Foam roll your legs:

Exercise five:


Write 50 words: DONE

Exercise six:


Write until you hit your goal (my goal is to finish this scene: DONE


I DID IN FACT DO THIS ALL IN ONE DAY LAST WEEKEND AND FORGOT TO POST.
2131 words written

I have a lot of re-writing I'm hoping to accomplish today, AND I need to do a bunch of house work. So I'm going to do a crawl that I've done a long time ago and is one of my favorites because you can do both things!!

Don't Clean the Bathroom Crawl

The idea behind this one is super simple. You do a household task and based on how much you have to clean determines how much you write. The goal is avoid having to clean your bathroom because everyone knows that's the worst.

Dark Corners currently stands at 23910 and I'm aiming to do this entire crawl TODAY. LET'S GO.


First I need to load the dishwasher - 200 words: DONE
but I had to unload before I could reload - 5 minute sprint: DONE
(but I didn't have to leave any grimy dishes to soak, and all of the dishes did fit in the dishwasher)

I have to scrub my sink and counter tops and keep track of every hard to scrub spot. For every hard to scrub spot, it's 50 words.
I guess there were three? so 150 words: DONE

My stovetop cleaner isn't a generic brand so I can avoid a challenge. I have to clean the stovetop.
Then I have to prepare a snack and write for the amount of time it takes for it to get ready, or sprint for 10 minutes (i'll do the 10 minutes because i don't need a snack right now):
Then I have to clean the old food out of my fridge and for everything I have to throw away I have to write for 2 minutes (but I did this yesterday before I went to the store so we good!)

I have to gather all the trash and recycling in the house and take it to the outdoor bins. For every trip I have to make, 250 words. I only need 250 words because the trash isn't full yet even after gathering all the trash in the house and I only made one trip to take out the recycling: DONE (oops got enthralled by the scene and wrote almost double!)

I have to start a load of laundry and do a three digit challenge in the time it takes for that load to be done OR write for 32 minutes. My washer actually goes longer than that, but I'll write for 32 minutes: DONE

(i did not finish this whole crawl in one day but alas i will persist :p)

my house is mostly clean but lol it never stays that way so maybe working on this crawl this week will help me!

Now I'm still working on laundry in the crawl (even though the laundry is done just not ....put away..... because i hate doing that.....)
I have to do a 3 digit challenge (last three digits of your total word count, write that number of words) in the time it would take the dryer to run, or 45 minutes. For me that'll be 866 words in 45 minutes: DONE

Now I have to put away the laundry. UGH. (i actually can't because husband is sleeping and it's all in there....) I have to write a line of dialogue for every drawer or closet I have to open to put the clothes away. I already know it'll be five, so I'll write 500 words because I'm not writing dialogue at the moment: DONE

I'LL FOLD THE LAUNDRY TOMORROW I SWEARR.

WE'RE BACK!!

I don't remember what I was doing crawl wise, so I'm just going to say NEW PROJECT NEW CRAWL.

Dark Corners, Bright Spaces is *officially* into the query trenches which means it's time to throw myself into a new project! And that project is.... finishing the new version of When I Was Anna.

The goal is to finish by the end of September. We're currently sitting at 9235 (which will be ~1000 words per day).

So let's try the

Cutthroat Kitchen Crawl!!
I don't know if they still make this show but it's a truly exceptional program.


My unsuspecting victims four contestants have arrived! 10 minute sprint: DONE

Here comes Alton Brown and his suitcase of money! I have to build up my stock by writing 5000 words (or however many I want). I can cash in some of these words later to avoid sabotages, but I can only leave with the words I have remaining.
Oh boy, let's break this up...
1649/5000 done

lol truly love that we started off nice and normal with a 10 minute sprint and then we IMMEDIATELY go to WRITE 5000 WORDS. This crawl is going to be an adventure and I'm here for it.

Back to stacking up my suitcase of money 5000 words!!

First session: 2533/5000

Second session: 4235/5000

Third session: 4649/5000

If I hadn't already written a billion words today and hit my goal for the week I would keep going to get to 5000. But we'll get there tomorrow!!

Time to finally finish stacking up that suitcase of money 5000 words! Only 351 words to go: DONE

Word stock: 5008 words

Alton assigns the first subject, pancakes <3 My time in the pantry starts NOW. One minute word sprint: DONE
67 words, which means I got enough in the pantry for a backup plan in case something fails. I get to add 200 words to my stock (but I don't have to write them)

Word stock: 5209 words

First sabotage! Ingredient swap! I have to pick a word sprint challenge off the first page of the word wars forum (nano website) and do that challenge. OR I can use some of my word stock to get out of the challenge. But my plan is to save as MUCH of that stock as I can!
Okay, do not know where this forum is... so I'm going to do a 15 min sprint: DONE

Second sabotage! They took away my heat source and replaced it with the rage of one of my characters. I have to write 1000 words in a method I don't usually write. I usually write in Scrivener, so I'm going to write in.... WORD. Because I don't enjoy writing in Word lol.
I only need 515 words to hit my goal for the day, but I'll write the full 1000 so I have some saved up for the week!

(ope didn't do that)

Okay now for real writing 1000 words in Word because it's not how I normally write: DONE
(it was painful and that was the point lol. truly no longer understand how i used to write full novels in word. scrivener is <3)

Cooking has started! I have to write 1000 words in an hour.
Here's the thing. I will write 1000 words in an hour, but I have ~400 words left to hit my daily goal and I don't intend to stay awake for another hour. I will keep track of how long it takes me to write those ~400 words and then continue on tomorrow!
Started at: 11:17
End at: 11:34
Words: 471

Which means I'll need to write 529 words in 43 minutes tomorrow!!

Finishing writing 1000 words in an hour with those final 529 in 43 minutes.
Starting at 8:27 (I have until 9:10): DONE (at 8:55)

Mid-round sabotage! Alton wants me to play pattycake with someone (because I'm making a pancake...) So I have to write 350 words: DONE
But it took me more than 10 minutes so I have a failcake

Time for the first judging. I have to "Do a word sprint to each of your four characters's theme songs (or a random song)". I think by four characters it means the four contestants on this hypothetical episode of cutthroat kitchen. So four song sprints, plus I have to do an extra one because I made a failcake.
I'm going to do five 4-minute sprints because writing to music is so distracting to me and most songs are 3-4 minutes.
Sprint 1: DONE
Sprint 2: DONE
Sprint 3: DONE
Sprint 4: DONE
Failcake sprint: DONE

Time for someone to take a walk of shame. I have to write a scene where something terrible happens to a character (and this is actually perfect because someone is getting broken up with in the next scene!): I wrote 1000 words of that scene but it's still not quite done so I'll pick up here tomorrow!

Oh and by the way my goal to finish by the end of September is no more. I want to finish by mid-september so I have time to polish in case I want to submit this to Pitch Wars. I've been trying to write ~1400 words per day which is hard during the week sometimes but I'm actually not too far off the goal!

I have ~4800 words to write by the end of the day tomorrow to stay on this target so time to get going!! I also need to help clean the house so I'll take a break after every 500 words or so and do some life task.

Still finishing that scene during someone's walk of shame: DONE

Round two, I have to make beef wellington. I have to write 600 words if I've never heard of it (I have), and I can take 100 words off of that for every main ingredient I can name without googling.
I don't eat beef, so I've never eaten beef wellington. But I'd imagine it contains... beef, potatoes, some kind of dough?, some kind of vegetable maybe carrots? omg I have no idea.
LOL just googled it, and I was picturing like a shepherds pie. HA WRONG. Main ingredients are (based on one recipe i'm looking at): beef, mustard, mushrooms, prosciutto, puff pastry.
I'm going to say I got two ingredients right (I'm going to say puff pastry and dough are basically the same okay lol). So I can take 200 words off, and have to write 400 words: DONE

Time for the pantry again! One minute sprint: DONE (78 words)
Yay! I got enough ingredients that I have enough for a backup plan in case something doesn't go according to plan. I get to add 200 words to my stock making my Word Stock: 5408 words.

First sabotage! They've done something to my prep station that's too horrific to watch! I have to write 100 words with my eyes closed (and if I make 10 or fewer typos I can add 100 more words to my stock): DONE, and ONE typo. I am a WIZARD.
(Six little things like spacing issues, but I'm still under 10 so I get to add to my stock!)

Word Stock: 5508 words

We've got a lot of words to write today!!

Second sabotage! Alton Brown thinks it'd be funny if I have to wear a kiwi costume while I make this beef wellington. I don't want to do that so I need to write 1500 words in 30 minutes: DONE
But ooop it definitely took longer than 30 minutes...

Cook time! Because I didn't write that last 1500 words in under 30 minutes, I have to write 500 words. (but I am saved from writing 1000 words because I got all my ingredients in enough time earlier). And: DONE

My second judge is from Thailand. I know zero Thai words outside of food words, so I don't get to add any additional words to my word stash. But I do need to do a 3 digit challenge while I wait for him to judge. I'm currently at 22275, so that's 275 words: DONE

It's time to say goodbye to another contestant, so it's time to write something bad happening to a character again. My MC isn't having her best day right now, so I'll finish this scene: DONE

For the third round, we're making milkshakes! I have to do another 1 minute sprint to gather my ingredients: DONE
53 words this time, which means I got everything I need but I have no backups.

We go right into cooking time and I have to write 3% of my total word count while. I salvage my ingredients from people who tried to steal them from me! My word count is 23432 OMG WHAT A PERFECT WORD COUNT. So I have to write 703 words: DONE
(because it was over 500 words but less than 1000 words I get to continue on without any additional bonuses but also without any penalties)

Mid-round sabotage! Oh no my ice cream maker has been replaced with a shaker. I have to write 1000 words in 30 minutes otherwise I won't be serving a milkshake, but instead flavored milk. GOOD THING IN NEED 1007 WORDS TO GET TO MY GOAL TODAY: DONE (and I even did it within 30 minutes, bless 4 minute sprints)

The final judge is here! If I want to remind her of her childhood, I can write 300 additional words that I can add to my stash (but I don't have to). You know what, I've reached my goal for the day but I'm feeling this scene right now so I will write 300 more words: DONE

ALMOST DONE WITH THIS CRAWL.

I have to challenge someone to a word war (and if there is no one to challenge them I have to challenge myself with my average wpm from the last sabotage). I did 100 words in like 28 minutes which is ~36 words per minute.
If I do a 10 minute sprint then I need to beat 360 words to win. Ready, set, go!
DONE! 323, lost against myself so I don't get to add extra words to my stash.

It's time to announce a winner!! To win I have to write 10,000 words!!!
BUT I can use the words I've saved up in my word stock to lower this number and still win. So I need to write 4500 words: 1753 down, 2747 to go!

Carlito, your novel writing/word crawl energy is CONTAGIOUS. Seriously you're doing so well! I love checking in on your updates.

I'm gonna go use this second hand motivation to write now! Cx <3