Word Budgeting

I’m doing math. I know. Totally not writing. But it’s for writing so it counts, right?

Over Labour Day weekend, I attended a writeathon put on my Write Club here in Calgary. I could only attend for two of the three days, but I made it count. My goal was 9,999 words, just like last year. This year, I managed to make it to 10,065 words in the two days I participated.

Learning moments:

It’s amazing how fast you can write when your character is doing something you want to be doing. (My character was taking a bath and I was desperate for one at that point).
Reclining on a sofa to write that much will cause all my stress to lock up in my shoulders. Sitting properly at a table is where it’s at.
Setting a goal you don’t think you can hit is the best way to give you a confidence boost when you actually hit it. Breaking that down further, thinking that you CAN hit it is far more motivating and empowering than thinking you can’t at any given time.

So, now, back to the math.

My main word budgeting math question is:

How many words per week to meet my January 5th goal?

Answer:

If I’m drafting to 60,000 words, less what I have already written, I need to write 3,040 words per week.

If I’m drafting to 80,000 words, less what I have already written, I need to write 4,257 words per week.

Spreadsheets are my friends. They make this kind of math easy.

I calculated by week because calculating by day is stressful. Sometimes, you’re going to have bad days and holding yourself to strict words/day will defeat you even more. Sometimes, you’re going to have great days and you want those to roll over to give you time to relax, say, around Christmas/holidays.

The main thing I wanted was a manageable goal. I’ve been NaNoing for a few years and it gives me a great surge in words, but it ultimately harms me. I get really really tired of writing. If I make my goal, I don’t want to write. If I don’t make my goal, I don’t want to write.

I want to take this at a more relaxed pace and enjoy the art of writing again. I don’t need to live my writing life a month or three a year. I want to live my writing life over my entire life.

The post Word Budgeting appeared first on Anxiety Ink.