How to Up Word Counts Per Day

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How to Up Word Counts Per Day

I get asked a LOT about how many words I can write a day, since I output so much stuff. I thought I would help out my fellow authors with a little glimpse into things I’ve found for myself…

I usually do 6-7k words a day, and most of the time I can get above that if I really want to.

In January, I challenged myself to see just how far I could go. I wrote every day, no day off. Ended up with 140000 usable words, including completing a 96k word novel in 18 days.

There are a lot of factors that go into making that kind of thing work consistently.

#1 – Butt in chair. There’s no getting past it. By butt in chair, that also counts fingers on phone, hands on the keys, whatever your medium of writing is lol

#2 – When possible, set a consistent writing schedule. Find the times that are the most productive for you. Mine, for example, are between 4PM and 10PM or so. I can get my best words out in those hours. Once you find those hours, GUARD THEM ZEALOUSLY. Do NOT let family interfere. Do not let television, Facebook, Instagram, or any of the other million things that can distract you interfere. My family knows when I am in my little writing-hovel and that door is closed, they are not to bother me unless there’s a fire or someone’s bleeding out.

#3 – CUT. The. DISTRACTIONS. If you’re in that writing time, there is NO NEED to check Facebook. Instagram will be there when you are done. If you do any relevant research ahead of time, you don’t need to load up a browser to surf for anything. Kill the distractions. With fire.

#4 – Don’t you ever, EVER, evereverever let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Don’t you dare give your power away. You can do this.

#5 – Figure out why you’re resisting sitting down to write and solve it. Don’t lament about it. Don’t bitch about it. Figure it out and solve it. You’re either a writer or you’re not. Make that decision now before you start trying to hit the keys. This is a HARD PATH you’ve chosen, folks. Being creative, and doing it consistently, is not an easy task. But it is SO REWARDING. It’s maybe one of the most rewarding occupations there is. YOU CAN CHANGE LIVES. That’s not something just anyone can do. So make the decision that this is what you are, and live with it. If you write, even 10 words a day, you’re a writer. Got it? Good.

#6 – Be the best you you can be. Immerse yourself in the craft. Don’t worry about what Joe Schmo is earning, or how many words Sally Schmo is able to type. It has nothing to do with you or your story. Everyone walks the mountain differently, but it’s the same damn mountain. Learn the craft, make the next sentence better than the last, and the next book shine brighter than the one you did before. Improve, always. It’s a craft.

See, consistent word counts aren’t really about how fast you can type. it’s not really even about how many hours in a day you can devote to it. It’s about consistent commitment to your craft.

If you’re only able to manage 500 words a day because there are so many other things in your life going on, then that is absolutely fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you can manage to be one of those unicorns writing 12k a day every day, GOOD FOR YOU! But the craft isn’t about how many you can do a day.

It’s about the quality of the words. not the quantity.

Stephen King writes only 2k words a day, but he does it every day, rain or shine, sick or well.

Hope all of this helps, and if it does, then go write!