how many words do you write per day?

[corvus]

Just out of curiosity, how many words do you write per day?

 

If you're like me, there's quite a few days in the year that you don't write at all. But say it's a writing day. How many words do you pump you?

 

For me, if I've got something good going, I wind up with 500 words in one sitting. If I've the whole day myself, it doubles, or even quadruples to 2,000. My record has been 7,000 words in one day, which I really can't see myself repeating...

[Hylas]

I don't write everyday I don't count em and I don't care. LOL (I guess I'm lazy )

[Graeme]

I've never looked at word counts.

 

Okay, I have looked at word counts when it's relevant (like with anthology or other word-count-restricted projects), but otherwise I don't.

 

How many words do I write minimum? Usually quite a lot, because I count ALL my words as words I write. Even posts like this While they aren't contributing to a story, I still think about sentence structure, word choice and clarity. I received some advice a while ago and it was to write every day -- write something every day, even if it isn't in a story.

 

On a good writing day, I'll do between three and eight pages of writing (12 point, Times Roman, on an A4 page), but there are times I'm happy with half a page. I also spend time refining pages already written -- do they count, even though I'm not increasing the word count by much, if at all?

 

I've written an entire story in less than two pages -- I have several that are less than three pages in length. I'm more interesting in completing a good story than how many words I've written

 

Sorry I can't answer your questions. I know some authors do look at that sort of detail, and I hope they answer them for you, but it's not for me, and I've hopefully explained why.

[wolfwalker]

Now don't get discouraged as the amount of words per day is very dependant on how long your day is and how many distractions you have to deal with I usually start mine now at five a.m.

 

On average because I do try to keep my chapters close to 10K on my latest monster, I run about 7500 words a day, that is if you take a one weeks tally and dived it by seven. some days I get more done some less.

 

 

I think one of the best and worst things I did was to buy a laptop, now I can write while at work, I can do that becuase I own the store

 

you know how hard it is to be writing a sex scene and really getting into it and have a group of old ladies walk in to browse

[BeaStKid]

When my muse likes it, he'll make me write...a lot. The most i have ever done in a day is around 4,000 words for the Fall Anthology. And I do not write everyday.

 

There are times when what I write on one day seems like a piece of crap on another day and I re-write it into something better. There are days when I want to write but no words would come out. Then there are days when I can churn out a 1,000 words an hour.

 

But the crux is, i never write regularly, and I don't count the words I write. That is because I write on a pad and then copy it to the computer. lol

 

BeaStKid

[corvus]

I've never looked at word counts.

 

Okay, I have looked at word counts when it's relevant (like with anthology or other word-count-restricted projects), but otherwise I don't.

 

How many words do I write minimum? Usually quite a lot, because I count ALL my words as words I write. Even posts like this While they aren't contributing to a story, I still think about sentence structure, word choice and clarity. I received some advice a while ago and it was to write every day -- write something every day, even if it isn't in a story.

 

On a good writing day, I'll do between three and eight pages of writing (12 point, Times Roman, on an A4 page), but there are times I'm happy with half a page. I also spend time refining pages already written -- do they count, even though I'm not increasing the word count by much, if at all?

 

I've written an entire story in less than two pages -- I have several that are less than three pages in length. I'm more interesting in completing a good story than how many words I've written

 

Sorry I can't answer your questions. I know some authors do look at that sort of detail, and I hope they answer them for you, but it's not for me, and I've hopefully explained why.

 

Hmm, yes, word count certainly isn't important with regards to the quality of the story. Nonetheless, it's something I think writers tend look out for, the way some people keep track of their weight. The way I phrased the question is even less relevant the people on this forum, since most of us aren't (I think) professional writers and therefore don't sit down every day to satisfy a quota.

 

Refining pages definitely counts. One is still spinning together words and doing grammar gymnastics.

[Lugh]

ok this is kinda silly but I do keep a word count journal...

 

I usually hit 15,000 words a week -- and that with work, school, and an active social life.

 

The most I've ever written in one sitting was just over 1,000 words in 15 minutes.

 

The most I've ever written in one DAY (defined as a 24 hour period) was just over 17,000 words.

 

I do write a bit differently than others as I write to a timer. Fifteen minutes of words five minutes for chats.... this breaks the hour down into three 20 minute sessions and I can be social. It also helps that my writers group is very wordage oriented. And, no Graeme, posts and emails do not count.

 

I have been known to write and edit and deliver a short story all in one day, blessings on my editor-on-call, may he forever remain that way.

[Menzoberranzen]

As with the rest, it varies from day to day. I write a lot that I end up discarding or letting rot in my computer, but when inspiration strikes, I can write a fair amount in a single day. My spring anthology entry is almost 6K and I wrote that in a couple of hours. And then there are weeks when I barely have time to get work done, let alone write anything.

 

Menzo (quality over quantity)

[FrenchCanadian]

For me it depends on if the plan is clear in my head or not (and how difficult the part I'm writing is), it depends also on how long I have.) In general I write about 1,000 words per day, making writing my chapters in a little more than 2 days.

 

Tho, earlier this week, I've wrote an entire short story of 3,500 words in a sitting

[JamesSavik]

This is something I think might get in the way if you think about it too much.

 

A good solid paragraph is better than pages and pages of clutter.

 

IMHO strive for quality and the rest will take care of itself. There is a darn good reason that brevity is the soul of wit is a timeless axiom: it works all the time and every time.

[Former Member]

Hmmm i would say the most i write in a day if i actually sit down and write is maybe 200 words. I know that is nothing. But its like i'll get all these ideas in my head and its like "ok where can i fit this and oh where can i fit that" And sometimes i can get really inspired and just go off the wall typing for hours. Only to re read it later and be like "UMMM WHAT?" Ive been getting better at that problem because now i think about what im actually writing. It all depends to what my plans that day are like if i have no plans then i write. Lately i have spent more time editing my rough draft thing that i posted already for so many reasons. And now that im working on a 2nd part that is SOOOO awesome inside my head and i actually feel good about it. Im trying to fix the first 1 up a bit. I have a friend helping me with that thank god! Cuz its a mess

[BeaStKid]

Menzo (quality over quantity)

[Krista]

I kept tabs on how much I wrote in one session while working on my Spring Anthology and in that hour long session I wrote 3,200 words. I don't keep track of how much I write in one session usually. Some days I can write two chapters in one day - other days I can only manage one scene or even a few sentences.

 

 

I have wrote in total 9192 words for this anthology (sorry Menzo ) so far and I'm only half-way through my outline for the story depending on the way that I end it.

 

 

Quality matters more than word count. Only challenges revolving around word count would really push the issue onto my writing style, I try to keep my chapters 11-12 pages long though, but I have made mistakes chopping scenes or rushing scenes just to keep it within my standard 11 page goal.

[darkfoxprime]

My average is pretty darn close to 0. I get the writing "bug" very rarely, but when I do, I'm generally in the 3000-4000 word range per day. For everything I've written before my latest attempt, that would've been about one chapter. This time, my chapters are under 2000 words each, and I got three chapters transcribed from organic brain to electronic brain on the first day; then I lost the "bug" again, so now I'm doing about a hundred or two hundred words a day as I push through the "this is work" part of trying to continue the story.

 

- dfp

[S.L. Lewis]

Hum, within a day, with a plot bunny knawing at my ankle, a cup of water, some music and nearly no distractions (which happens about every day) and I'll crank out a chapter some where between 3,000 to 7, 000 words. Otherwise, some where between 900 to 2,000 a day.

[BeaStKid]

didn't count, but I must have topped 4,000 words yesterday!!

[Tristan Thinks]

Hah, I saw this thread yesterday and was tempted to post and then didn't. I've just had a change of mind since over the last 12 hours I've written a little over 11,250 words for my entry into the Spring 2008 Anthology.

I finished polishing it about an hour ago, but it really would have been better to go to bed - problem is, when the creative juices are flowing it's hard to ignore them!

[corvus]

Hah, I saw this thread yesterday and was tempted to post and then didn't. I've just had a change of mind since over the last 12 hours I've written a little over 11,250 words for my entry into the Spring 2008 Anthology.

I finished polishing it about an hour ago, but it really would have been better to go to bed - problem is, when the creative juices are flowing it's hard to ignore them!

 

Okay... you're officially a monster.

 

I spent all day writing yesterday and squeezed out only 3,000 words. Maybe it's the nature of the story I was writing. Still -- 11,250 words?? My God.

[Tiff]

Okay... you're officially a monster.

 

I spent all day writing yesterday and squeezed out only 3,000 words. Maybe it's the nature of the story I was writing. Still -- 11,250 words?? My God.

 

I second that. You ARE a monster. 11,250 words? Come on now, what are you? A machine? Did you plug yourself into a socket and just write and write until the END OF TIME? lol.

 

I can never write too much in one day. I get really tired. I'd estimate 1000, before I'd need to take a break and recharge. Although, in the early stages of writing, I'd write chapters of 20 plus pages in Word doc. in a day, perhaps more. It all depends I guess.

 

My anthology for the Spring submissions, well I chopped it down a lot to make it more concise, instead of going on and on- is around 5,500.

 

But man, 11,250----that's a lot!

[Tristan Thinks]

Hey, leave me alone, I can't help being hyper

 

I write this way all the time... when the dam bursts and the creative flows are unleashed I just go with it. Don't usually know where it's going to take me either, but I was really pleased with the twists and turns and surprises in the plot as it developed, I guess that's why I keep going, because like the reader I'm desperate to find out how it all ends

 

A while back I used to write an on-line journal and it wasn't unusual for me to write more than 60,000 words a week in that. It got to the point where the time it took to write was impinging on my days to the extent I switched from the journal to writing stories!

[Tiff]

Hey, leave me alone, I can't help being hyper

 

I write this way all the time... when the dam bursts and the creative flows are unleashed I just go with it. Don't usually know where it's going to take me either, but I was really pleased with the twists and turns and surprises in the plot as it developed, I guess that's why I keep going, because like the reader I'm desperate to find out how it all ends

 

A while back I used to write an on-line journal and it wasn't unusual for me to write more than 60,000 words a week in that. It got to the point where the time it took to write was impinging on my days to the extent I switched from the journal to writing stories!

 

Nothing wrong with being hyper and full of energy, especially creative energy because something great can come out of it.

 

And gahhh, 60,000 words a week-----(eyeballs fall out). The thought of writing that many words makes me want to just take a long nap.

 

But I commend you on writing more; I prefer long stories or long chapters in a series as opposed to shorter ones. There seems to be more plot development in those types of stories. Have you published anything? Here or elsewhere?

[Tristan Thinks]

Have you published anything? Here or elsewhere?

I'm slowly working through my collection tidying it up and publishing on my web-site. I'm also posting the prepared chapters on nifty. Currently there are two stories with a handful of chapters each: "True Tales of a Farmboy", "Infuriating Dilemma". There's also a screenplay: "Anchored" which is a sequel to Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing.