The Friends & Members of 750 Words

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In 21 days, I’ve written 17,367 words. I used to be so slow; it used to take me weeks to even write 5000! So thank you, 750words. If a fruit baskets would help you defray your server costs, I would send you one.

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Write on!

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This is a rehash of my first note, where I suggested it would be polite and professional to use Julia Cameron’s name on that first page (before the login screen) which explains the source of 750 Words. Since her book The Artist’s Way is the direct inspiration for 750 Words, it seems very strange to mention the book’s title without the author’s name. After all, we are all writers here, so let’s not ignore a writer who has indirectly helped every writer here!

I would also like to repeat that I think that the last sentence in the paragraph about The Artist’s Way comes across as rather rude. I think it could be changed very easily—it’s only a few words, not 750!

I know that Buster Benson is a busy person but I also like to think that he values professionalism, especially on the introductory page of a website which everyone will see! I feel a little embarrassed, as a otherwise satisfied user of 750 Words, to see this paragraph unchanged in the weeks since my suggestion. I am not aware of there being anything controversial about this idea, and I can’t imagine that it would take very long to implement.

(Again, I am not associated in any way with Julia Cameron; I just like politeness.)

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Life’s just better with 750 words. I thought, today, for the first time in a long time, about what would happen if I chose to take a break.

And it’ll happen at some point — deliberately, I hope — but it’s not time yet.

It gives me a chance to be excited, to be angry, to be inappropriate, to be incoherent, to confess and hate and love and memoralize the little day-to-day disasters and victories, and not need to hold anything back. For an obsessive proofreader who tends to hold things in, this is gold.

Plus — RETROACTIVE PTERODACTYL!!

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This is an amazing site, and that it’s using it’s powers for good not only for the writers here, but sharing writerly goodness and well-being to another great organization is pretty amazing! May words flow!

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I had a very tumultuous summer that resulted in a writer’s block of over 2 months. 750words not only got me back writing (which makes me a happy girl!) but helped me focus on processing and healing myself rather than repressing the whole mess, like I normally do. My bff noticed how much happier and calm I seemed since starting my streak, she signed up for it too and now is enjoying the benefits as well.
So thanks again, Buster! Your site does a lot of people a lot of good.

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When I started doing Morning Pages a year ago, I kept thinking that I should create a site that helps me do them. And now, 750 words has come along and done just that, and exceed all my expectations. 750 words has helped re-inspire me, and the longer my 750 streaks go, the more inspired my writing and performances become. The badges, the data analysis and everything else is just icing on the cake.

Thank you.

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1. You must not dilly-dally.
750 words helps me not dilly-dally about getting the writing done on a daily basis. Now it’s the first piece of business in the morning, after brewing caffeine of course. Seeing my word count go up is thrilling, and the badges are cute too. I’ve started another account to track the accumulation of words on my more deliberate writing projects. Thanks Buster, and continued good luck and inspiration!

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I just discovered this site only a few days ago and I already feel like I have found not only an outlet, but also a kind of friend.

Even though I’m connected to lots of social sites, I still need a place to unload myself. Though I could journal, heavens know I’m a kid of the internet age and can’t neatly hand write to save my life. Having 750 Words helps me let it all go and come back to it, learning from myself a little more each day.

What I write here helps me in all aspects of my life, both in the purgative and meditative senses. Thanks so much for making this site! It’s quickly become a big part of my daily routine.

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I had a busy weekend ahead, and doing my words first thing. I didn’t realise how much the discipline had got to me until I couldn’t get my words down. In the end, I absented myself for 20 minutes just to get those words down so I didn’t miss the end of day and lose my streaks.
When I don’t do my words first thing, I find my anxiety takes over more. 750 words is working as a way to keep me healthy and reduce my medication. I didn’t start it for that reason, but it’s working. It’s also clearing my head so I am more effective at work.

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I’m on day 167. In April, my dear friend Yuko passed away. Her husband asked me to speak at her memorial, an honor, but such a difficult thing to do. I kept putting off writing what I would say. On the morning of the memorial I sat down with 750 words and wrote out my thoughts about her. Somehow the site had become more than a web interface, but a trusted friend, a safe place, the exact place to clarify my thoughts and feelings.

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What comes after Phoenix?

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I missed a day on the challenge, not because I didn’t write, but because I didn’t make sure I could get online to post my words. It was an interesting lesson of struggle. It showed up like I didn’t really care that I couldn’t get online even though it might mean wall of shame. So, how do external challenges effect me. I guess my brain rationalizes them out of the way.

How could I have made it a stronger incentive to ensure that I did what was possible to get my words online? I broke a 26 day streak in the process. Well, keep writing – that’s the good part. Next time, remember the lesson of finding a way to creatively get done what needs to get done. Enjoy your 750+ words.

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750 Words has definitely made me a more committed writer. I may not always be able to keep my streaks, but I write more regularly than I ever have before, and I’m more likely to stick it out and finish – or at least finish 750 words.

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1/2 year badges, 200 days, 300 days, year badges. I’m at nearly 180 days, and I haven’t seen a new badge in, well, 80. It’s sad.

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After almost 200 days of writing every day, I think the habit is finally starting to take! :)

Buster, thank you so much for creating this site and putting it out there. After agonizing over how and why I use it, I now just use it, and have come to depend on the clarity I get from the process. Hope you and your family are well.

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It would be neat to be able to flag a line/paragraph of text as a To-Do using a special set of characters in meta-data style and then have the ability to link all to-dos tagged this way to an external service like Remember the Milk, ToodleDo, Nozbe, or even just email that is automatically sent once you finish writing for the day. I often write things I want to remember as I do my daily brain dump and not losing these to the ether would be nice.

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I’m new to this community and have quickly become addicted to writing every day, but life happens and there are times where I can’t get to an internet connection (i.e. yesterday when I saved my writing in a Word document, but couldn’t upload due to a busted phone line). I would love love love to be able to write offline and sync via my iphone.

Thanks for a great site!

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I decided to donate to 750Words on my first day of using it because I believe that in this, my first day, that I have already accomplished more than I would have without it. I am going to take part in NaNoWriMo next month and I needed to get started on my plot/character ideas. I used 750words.com to help me kick-start the thinking process and I sat down and wrote 837 words with only 1 distraction… Definitely worth my $4.00 already! :D

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I’m brand new to this site, but I absolutely love it. The design and layout is gorgeous. The format is intuitive. The badges are fantastic.

I’ve never been one for extrinsic arbitrary awards, but those birds are so darn cute. I feel compelled to pursue them!

Thanks, Buster, for creating a fantastic site. I’m looking forward to many days of writing — and completing NaNoWriMo 2010 via 750 words!

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Just a thank you to Buster for this site. We are grateful. Thank you.

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I just reached 100,000 words, and until recently I didn’t even know there was a new badge for this, so I am doubly excited! I didn’t really think that I would continue writing for this long – or that I would have this much to say!
Thanks to Buster for an amazing site that has become part of my day and to my daughter, a graduate student who was so excited about her penguin badge months ago that I had to join!

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So far in October I’ve written 750 words at least each day of the month, and that’s fantastic and something for which I’m very grateful to this site.

I’d like to be able to always save my words when I’ve written 750+ of them, especially when I have access to the Internet but the site isn’t working, but also on days when I just don’t have access to the Internet.

I wrote on the 10th and on the 11th of October: attempted to save my words to the site: failed. I had access to the site, and on the 10th my words weren’t being counted and on the 11th they seemed to be counted and seemed to be saved but when I looked I had an absence.

Someone else suggested that you should be able to sync your words in case of unavoidable absences from the Internet: I think that would be great, and it would also mean that it wouldn’t matter when the site went down or was otherwise unavailable for a couple of days.

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I realized just how much 750 words has become part of my life when I panicked this morning, thinking I’d broken a 100+ day streak yesterday. When I sat down at the computer, I found that I had in fact written, and had even been thinking about my words since then. 750 words has gotten so deep into my soul that I don’t even notice that I do it anymore, and I love that! My life is the better for it.

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There have been a few critical times this year where I’ve been able to write, but didn’t have an Internet connection. It would be truly fabulous if there was an app where we could write our 750 daily while unplugged from the Internet, and then sync up or something when we get back from Timbuk3 or whatever. So we won’t lose our streak just because we went out of town and offline…as I did. On day 92. See why this is worth 6 cups of patronage? :) Thanks for all that you’ve done. Sorry to be asking for a good bit more. I’d be up for putting in some real cash on it … had you considered putting the app project into Kickstarter to give us an opportunity to fund it?

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I use my iPhone all the time. If we had an app for the iPhone, I would be able to write my 750 words a day, even if I was away from my computer.

750words.com is one of the best things that has happened to me as a writer, and I can only imagine an iPhone app would double my productivity.

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This would allow you in your sharing section to select who you would like to be able to view your content.

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I really didn’t think I’d be able to stick to the 750 Words idea. I’m not so good at that. But here I am, 28 days in, and it’s become a really important part of my night. I just vent. And I love that it’s entirely private, and I can say whatever I want, and yet still have some sense of community. I’m pleased with the balance I find here, and I greatly appreciate the safe space it provides me. There’s a great comfort in “morning pages”, though for me they’re definitely “evening pages.” It’s been like my own private therapy session. I love the analysis provided, even though it’s a bit dubious at times, but even still it helps me see myself from an outsider’s perspective, without having to show my writing to an actual outsider. So, to sum it up, thank you for coming up with this. 750 Words is a wonderful site with a great goal, and it’s starting to become a very important part of my day.

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When I checked out 750 Words for the first time (after a coworker recommended it) I thought the whole badge thing seemed a little silly. Then I started typing away and logging the days. And before I knew it I was also a silly badge aficionado, craving every last one of them. Very inspired, that whole badges-as-motivators idea…