How much do you really write per day? - Writers Forum

blankslatejoe · 07-26-2005, 12:01 AM

Hey everyone, I'm just curious about the average pace of writing around here. I've been keeping a log, a serious log, of how much I write every day.

Now, after ten days and a little averaging math, I can say that ,sadly, it's not much. I'm trying to work my way up to 2000 words a day, of fiction, non fiction, ANYTHING, and hold that for a month. It's my own "Nanowrimo in July!" party.

right now I float from 1000-2000, only hitting my goal on weekends, and that's without any editing or revising.

what about you guys?

Spooky · 07-26-2005, 12:18 AM

I don't stop until I'm past 2000. Some days that takes much longer than others.

demonic_harmonic · 07-26-2005, 12:35 AM

Some days I write nothing.

Other days I write six pages- typed.

It all depends. And right now, my Muse and Determination are really, really, really bugging me to get upstairs and write.

Maybe I'll get something done... *sigh*

Hodge · 07-26-2005, 12:40 AM

On weekdays I mostly revise. On weekends I try to write at least one short piece (and I usually post it up here as soon as I finish it as well).

Wizard · 07-26-2005, 02:00 AM

I feel so lazy . . . I don't think I could ever do 2,000 words a day. However, keeping a log seems like a great idea. As it is, I only seem to get about 200 words every two days . . .

Then again, I find I'm always editing what I've written or editing my "plan book," where I'm planning out my novel and the stuff I haven't written yet. I just keep tweaking and daydreaming and tweaking and daydreaming . . .

Creative Mind · 07-26-2005, 09:58 AM

I try to write at least 1000 words a day...but as I said in a previous post, I have a two month old at home, so it doesn't always happen. When my husband gets home he's pretty good about holding her so I can get something accomplished. Unfortunately, I have a Sept. 1 deadline for a sequel I'm writing... and I don't think it will happen.

I should be writing now... only I'm holding/feeding her with one hand, and typing with the other. Kinda hard to get 1000 words that way.

mammamaia · 07-26-2005, 10:00 AM

the longtime goal for a good day's work for a writer still holds true... ten pages... that's about 2,500 words, when using standard ms format...

when working on a major project, i'll work non-stop for 18-20 hours a day, 2-3 weeks at a time... needless to say, my output would be well above that goal during those bursts of brilliance[

]...

even now, just doing the boards daily and then the mail and working on all the stuff people send me for help in , since i'm online from 7am to 9-10 pm...

but, that's ALL i do, so don't think you have to compete... my only life is this work [by choice, so don't go feeling sorry for me, ok?], so nothing else eats into my work time...

i'm sure the rest of you all have 'another life' and have to work the writing into it... look at it this way... ANY amount of work you get done is MORE than you had before, right?

love and hugs, maia

blankslatejoe · 07-26-2005, 12:21 PM

thats a good point mammamaia. I've been fitting my writing into a busy professional life. I've decided my social life can take the hits for awhile, and even in the past few days of writing, seriously writing, everyday I have improved.

I mean, i used to write every once and awhile for fun, but never seriously, never as a mainstay hobby. I was just curious how slowly my brain and fingereds worked compared to other hobbyists or professionals.

thedarkboots · 07-26-2005, 01:09 PM

Its hard when you work full time doing 10 hour shifts but i make sure that i write every day. I usually take my notebook to bed and write until im tired.

noahtgreat · 07-26-2005, 01:46 PM

It's quite variable. Sometimes I'll write 6,000 words in a day without breaking a sweat, only forcing myself to stop when it's time for bed. Other days I'm lucky if I can write a single sentence.

I find that if I can't get any words typed out I'll just sit down, watch a movie and scribble little ideas in a notebook. Having a notebook full of random ideas, character sketches and plot-points is always useful, and gives you the feeling of having accomplished something even if you have the arduous task of actually writing ahead of you.

TimK · 07-26-2005, 01:54 PM

I'm in the same boat as blankslatejoe. After work and family, I'm lucky to get out 1,000 words a week. (But I also edit my writing as I go along.) During a burst, I can finish a short story in a month or two. (But bursts are exhausting.)

-TimK

noahtgreat · 07-26-2005, 04:45 PM

I think word quotas are actually rather helpful, especially for the struggling novice. Tis better to write something than to have written nothing. At least you get the garbage out of your system that way, and maybe there's a diamond in there that you can polish later.

If we all only wrote when we were specifically inspired we'd never get anything done.

Practice does make perfect after all.

bmroyer · 07-26-2005, 07:48 PM

I'm still working on the background/character of my story, so its pretty much just stopping and starting. But I have heard over and over that writing is a craft, and you can only get better if you write every chance you get. So I decided to write a journal on my day to day activitys, which aren't that interesting, but I try to make them sound interesting. Just something to get creative with! So I write probally a page of notebook paper per day, and today will be day 3 of writing it.

blankslatejoe · 07-26-2005, 08:17 PM

i read somewhere that by the time you write one million crappy words, you'll finally be able to pump out 1 good story.

I'm not suprised at that; I come from an artist's background, and the adage there goes; draw a thousand bad drawings, and get one good one.
That even holds true in professionals.

Kikster · 07-26-2005, 10:34 PM

I never thought about it... I have no idea how much I write every day.

some days I write a lot, and by that I mean that I write the whole day, which usually translates in a lot of pages...

some days I don't write at all, because I don't feel inspired and I don't like to force myself.

some days I feel like writing stories, some others I feel like writing in my journal or on my blog.

I am very inconsistant, as you can tell...