If you are having trouble making yourself sit and write for long periods, don’t think there’s something wrong with you. Just as with physical activities, you have to get in writing shape.

You wouldn’t go out and run a marathon when you haven’t built up the stamina to run a mile. For the same reason, you shouldn’t expect yourself to sit and write for two to three hours at a time when you aren’t used to writing for even 30 minutes or an hour per day. To train for a long-distance run or bicycle ride, you might do sprints. These short bursts of exercise get you in shape to travel a longer distance or perform over a longer period of time, such as in a marathon or the Tour de France. Sprints work well for writing training as well.

When it comes to writing, however, each “writing sprint” gets you closer and closer to the finish line - your writing goal or word count - while also giving you the training to sit and write for longer periods. It creates a writing routine, like an exercise routine, and a writing ritual.

When I do sprints on my bicycle, I find a hill that takes me just 20 minutes to ascend. I ride at 75% of my ability up the first third, at 85% of my ability up the second third, and at 100% or more of my ability up the last third. Over time, this helps me builds up the stamina to ride up several-mile-long hills.

Runners run full out for the whole stretch during a sprint, however long that might be. Some push themselves hardest as they cross the finish line. They might do numerous sprints during a training period to build up endurance for a longer run.

To complete a writing sprint, write non-stop for 10 to 30 minutes. Set a timer, and don’t stop typing during that time. Write as fast as you can during the time period. Or start slowly and build speed! You can go back and edit later; in fact, no editing is allowed during the sprint.

Schedule several sprints per hour, such as four 10-minute sprints. If you like, spend the rest of the hour editing your work.

Behave like an athlete in training. Create a schedule. Get up early, and eat a good breakfast. Turn off and shut out all distractions. Then complete an exercise, or training, session consisting of several sprints in a given time period. Stop for 15 minutes and have a break and a protein snack if necessary. Then train for another period of time (doing sprints). Or just schedule one training session each day.