Picked a strict 500-word cap over open-ended prompts for a month. Here is what happened.

I had to choose between two ways to run my weekly writing group. Option one was no word limit, just write whatever comes. Option two was a hard 500 word cap on every prompt. I picked the cap because some folks were writing 3000 word epics and others were too intimidated to share. After four weeks, the quality jumped way up. People actually finished stories instead of stopping halfway. The shorter limit forced everyone to pick one scene and nail it. One guy told me he wrote his best piece in two years under that cap. Has anyone else tried clamping down on word counts in a group setting

3 comments

3 Comments

susan_wright3416d ago

Oh gosh, my writing group would riot if I tried that. I can barely keep my grocery list under 500 words some days.

rubysingh16d ago

Roll your eyes all you want but keep writing. Honestly, your grocery list is probably more interesting than half the stuff people post on Medium anyway. Tbh, everyone acts like short writing is easy but it's actually way harder to say something in 100 words than 1,000. Ngl, I'd rather read a tight 200 word take than a rambling 2,000 word essay any day.

grantw3216d ago

Ask yourself this - when was the last time you actually enjoyed reading something that took itself too seriously? Honestly, most of the stuff people crank out on Medium could use a good edit with a hatchet. Tbh, it takes real skill to cut out all the fluff and leave just the juicy parts. Ngl, I'd take a sharp, short piece over a bloated essay any day of the week. Why do you think Twitter and notes apps get more respect than long-form blogs these days?