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Bulletin Board > Words per day? Best time of day you like to write?

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message 1: by Preston (new)

Preston Orrick (prestonorrick) | 110 comments How many words or pages do you try to write each day? What's your best or preferred time of the day to write?

Personally, I try for 2,000 words per day, but I'm aiming for 3,000-4,000 per day in the future.


message 2: by R. (new)

R. (rholland) | 102 comments I write best at night into the early morning. 2,000-5,000 on weekends. Something is better than nothing.


message 3: by Preston (new)

Preston Orrick (prestonorrick) | 110 comments "Something is better than nothing."

Very, very true. Good point.


message 4: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Keane (StuartKeane) I always aim for 2,000 minimum a day. Even if its not the best, its the blueprint I can add to later on. I find it easy to keep a routine this way.

I prefer to write in the evenings. My fiancée goes to bed early so between 2300 to 0300 is my prime writing time. I have no distraction so it means I can focus and get stuff done.

As R said, something is better than nothing. Excellent point!


message 5: by Rory (new)

Rory | 104 comments Most of the time I'm a morning writer. My wife is sleeping-in and I have a hot cup of coffee and the admiration of my cat, Tory. Sometime I get on a roll and write long into the night. Just finishing a Christmas Novella. :o) Best of Luck to all - just sit down and start writing - Rory


message 6: by Victoria (new)

Victoria Zigler (toriz) | 2898 comments I don't have a set writing time, because I don't have what you would call a normal sleeping schedule, so doing things at set times is difficult to say the least. I can write at any time of the day or night, but I prefer to write when I know I won't be disturbed, so when I'll write will depend on my current sleep time and what else needs to be achieved on any given day.

I don't do word goals or page goals either. My writing goal for each day is just to write something every day, be it just a paragraph or several pages. When I feel I'm not writing enough, I'll be more likely to set a time goal than a word goal, when I'll set an alarm and sit down and write until the alarm goes off (usually when I do that it's for an hour). If I set word goals I just keep checking the word count and obsessing about how many words I've written, andI want my mind on the story rather than the number of words or pages I've done, so for that reason I don't set those kinds of goals.


message 7: by S. (new)

S. Aksah | 387 comments writing mostly at night.. definitely not a morning person..


message 8: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (paranormalromancejunkie) | 9 comments When i'm listening to music and sometimes when i have quite...im in the middle of writing my first ever novel...and have writer's block...hopefully the trip for a change of scenery will change all that!!! And i can write again!!!


message 9: by S. (new)

S. Aksah | 387 comments Dawn wrote: "When i'm listening to music and sometimes when i have quite...im in the middle of writing my first ever novel...and have writer's block...hopefully the trip for a change of scenery will change all ..."

good luck with the writing :)


message 10: by S. (new)

S. Aksah | 387 comments I don't normally get writer's block but sometimes I do run out of things to write if the sources do not want to tell anything to me..what I do then is to find the story from another sources :)..so i guess talking to other people could help also with the block :)


message 11: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (paranormalromancejunkie) | 9 comments S. wrote: "I don't normally get writer's block but sometimes I do run out of things to write if the sources do not want to tell anything to me..what I do then is to find the story from another sources :)..so ..."

Thanks S...and thanks for friending me :)


message 12: by Brenda (new)

Brenda Clough (brendaclough) | 361 comments It totally depends. If I am writing the first draft, I can be very fast. But it is not DONE with the first draft; rewrite can take months and that cannot be calculated by words/day.


message 13: by Salem (new)

Salem Archer | 7 comments I like to write mostly in the morning, but my day job keeps getting in the way (Darn mortgage must be paid, right?). I do, however, have inspirational lightning strike moments during the oddest times (like 2:30 in the morning). That's always fun. Picture this: Me hiding with my tablet under the covers because I don't want to wake my husband, but I also don't want to get out of bed just to record the seeds of a great idea. My muse is obviously a trickster (and possibly likes to drink--a lot):)


message 14: by Stan (new)

Stan Morris (morriss003) | 362 comments There is no way I can set a time or word count, but I do see patterns in my writing. I start at night, get interested in the book, and move farther toward the morning. When I wake up, boot my computer, and start Word instead of my browser, I know I'm getting serious.

As far as word count, it ranges from 0 to 5,000 words a day.


message 15: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 87 comments I find I write best when I keep to a schedule, though my own writing period includes a lot of pacing and thinking. Breakfast and gym first thing in the morning, then Netflix until 10 o'clock, and then write until I hit 1000 words. The rest of the day from there is a mix of incentives--watch shows until I need to write, then write until I need a break.

When I was writing my first story, I had a minimum goal of about 2000 words per day. Now that I'm working on its sequel, the rate has slowed to about 1500 words. Once the writing picks up speed, though, I can easily put down five hundred words at a time without realizing it. As the story progresses and I have a better idea of its direction, the words-per-day seem to increase.

I absolutely advocate writing in the morning when you're alone, though. I can't accomplish a single thing once other people join me.


message 16: by Justin (new)

Justin (justinbienvenue) | 2274 comments I answered this question during an interview yesterday. I usually write during the early afternoon and late at night. I don't aim for a word count cause I figure I'll focus more on that number and not reach it.


message 17: by D.R. (new)

D.R. (drshoultz) | 34 comments I usually write in the early morning or late at night. Sometimes, if words are flowing, I'll write all day.

When I write short stories, I find I can get in a rhythm and crank out 3,000+ words in a day--maybe even write an entire 5,000 story. For novels, it varies. If I have a clear storyboard of where I'm headed, I can write 2,000+ words, but if I'm struggling with a chapter or element of the story, I might not get 200 words down that day. Regardless, I never set a target.


message 18: by Patti (new)

Patti (gridirongranny) | 4 comments I usually write after everyone goes to bed and continue until dawn. I find I'm more productive during those hours.


message 19: by Janys (new)

Janys (janyshyde) | 35 comments Early in the morning before the rest of the crew get up. By the evening I am just too tired to put my brain into gear. We normally eat around 8pm to 8.30pm, and what with a meal and maybe a beer or glass of wine, I am out for the count. :(


message 20: by Leah (new)

Leah Shay | 1 comments I write when everyone is in bed from about midnight to early morning - with the help of Chopin or Mozart to get my creative juice flowing. I'll set a deadline word count distracts me.


message 21: by M.K. (new)

M.K. Theodoratus (mktheodoratus) | 79 comments I try to keep to a schedule of writing 250-500 words a day. Most days I manage it between interruptions and snags by social meida.

I also blog and do a guest blog post for writers on Thursdays which takes time to set up.


message 22: by Rhoda (new)

Rhoda D'Ettore (RhodaDEttore) | 73 comments Patti wrote: "I usually write after everyone goes to bed and continue until dawn. I find I'm more productive during those hours."

Patti, I'm the same way! I still havent slept from last night because I was up writing all night. I do like to limit myself however. I think my changes moods make for a better story. Today I am mad, and foreshadowing I am going to murder a character... then tomorrow I kill off the wrong one! lol


message 23: by I. (new)

I.  (leavemylyricsalone) | 14 comments Love this topic!! Best time for me is during early morning hours before dawn when all daily activities of the day have ceased, if only for a few hours, and I also use music as a driving force for my best creative muse and inspirations.


message 24: by Lynette (new)

Lynette White (lynettewhite) | 18 comments My life is so nuts I have no set time to write, but I tend to write most often in the evenings and on into the night. It is quiet during that time and my mind is more creative. However, I have learned editing and proofreading works better for me in the morning when my mind is awake and more alert. I know it makes little sense, believe you me I don't understand it either. I just know it works so I stay with it.


message 25: by Stan (new)

Stan Morris (morriss003) | 362 comments I was trying to figure it out, because I've been writing several different books, but I think that so far this year, I've written about 55,000 words, which is a little less than average for me.


message 26: by Lynette (new)

Lynette White (lynettewhite) | 18 comments Between the 5 anthologies I have stories in that have been published in the last few months and my own solo novel I am probably right there with you Stan.


message 27: by Mariel (new)

Mariel Grey | 123 comments Anytime I can make time! The key word is "make" because I literally have to create time and carve it out of my schedule. In a perfect world, I would writer daily between about 8am and noon when I'm feeling my freshest after a good night of sleep.


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