How fast do you write?

[Kev de Cauchery]

I just want to know how fast you write. The average words per day when you're focused on the project. If you do several projects at the same time, the total number.

 

I'm asking because I really want to get motivated and inspired. I'm now focused on a project and i'm only getting average 1500 wpd out of myself.

 

Thing is, this project has a deadline, and i'm focused, as in, I wake up, talk a little with friends online, write, water, toilet, write, rest with music, write, cook meal, write, spend time in GA chat room. All these in 15 hours.

 

I'm thinking that I sleep too much too, and too much distractions. I may argue that I've always been a slow writer, but I'm just too frustrated. :wacko:

 

Also what happens is I seem to slow down every day after reaching the 1000 words.

 

Thing is, I wasn't always like this. I once finished a novelette in one day. Though not much words, but still there was more. So I'm thinking maybe I'm not inspired enough.

 

 

 

I don't like it with myself.

 

So gimme big numbers. Need to get motivated!

 

 

 

 

Edited: Grammar mistakes.

 

 

[jian_sierra]

Well if there's one thing I've learned, it is that pressuring yourself to write is not the best way to go at it. You should be relaxed and inspired and all that and you'll find out that writing will come easily. Writing should be fun, right? At least that's how I see it so I make it a point that I enjoy every story I write. I find that putting pressure to myself just ends up in me not writing anything. Or at least not writing anything good.

 

As for the average per day, if it's a weekend, I can probably do 2,000 words which is equivalent to a chapter on any of my stories and I'm happy about that. I find that I write less now than before, but I think it's for the better because I'm being more mindful of the quality than the quantity or at least my version of what is quality

[Marzipan]

On an averidge day I usually write about 2000 words a day/story. Sometimes if I feel energetic and crazy and have free hours a day, I might write another 2000, but not in the same story. My speed is about 500-1000 words/hour.

 

I try to write daily. If I have a killer week at work, I can only focus on things I can finish and that means poetry. I try to keep my inspiration up and words flowing so I write whenever I can focus on it.

[AnytaSunday]

1500 is good

 

I average 1000 a day (though I haven't done anything for weeks with this move to the States). The important thing is to write when you're inspired. Oh, and make damn sure that you're inspired everyday. hehe.

 

Coffee helps. A lot.

[LemonFresh]

no where near as fast as i wish i did anyone who fallows my stories can tell you its a Beotch waiting on my slow ass lol actully it because between school karate class friends studying my times is strapped so if i write its useally late at night and soemtimes im tired so im only writing a little bit on weekend nights lol i need to try and magange my time to betterf it writing into it.

[Dark]

Wow. You guys are all speed demons compared to me. Writing an average of two hours a day still only nets me about 5000 words per week. Now, I have had occasions when I've written 5000 words in a day, but that's a really long day.

[Kev de Cauchery]

Now I feel a bit better.

 

After posting this thread last night, I tried writing again, when I consciously judge the process of my writing.

 

Here's the conclusion: There's definitely a lot of distractions. I get emails every once in a while and I checked them every time they're in. In my browser, I have two M-W's pages open, one for dicitonary, one for thesaurus, anther Chinese-English dictionary open, and a fourth Wiki page. I constantly worry about my word choices and I spent time researching every once in a while.

 

After I posted last night and judged myself for a while, I actually feel not as frustrated now, especially after reading you guys' posts.

 

I found my words would kinda flow if there wasn't the distractions. Maybe I'd just need to let go and not worry about my word choices in my first draft.

 

 

 

 

Thank you guys.

 

 

[colinian]

When I'm writing a short story or a chapter, and I don't have any interruptions or distractions and don't have any school assignments or projects to work on, I can write about 4,000 words per day. Those 4,000 words need at least one revision pass and a couple of editing passes for typos and word choice and missing closing quotes.

 

Most of my writing is done late, from around 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. That's the time when I find I get into "the zone" and let the writing become semi-automated.

 

Colin

[Johnathan Colourfield]

Well if i have a project, i write in sections and each section is about 700 words. So i write between 1300-1600 a night if i focusing. But thats because of the deadline

 

When i'm not on a project, i write about 500 words a time

 

so you aren't that slow

[J.T.]

I've written chapters as quickly as one night a chapter... to writer's block times when it's been over 3 months and I still haven't banged out the chapter that's crucial to rest of the plotline... :\ Don't mind me. I'm a noob

[hh5]

me is slowwww no idea how many wpd .... there are days my head can not work out the english .... I guess the situation I am in is snuffing out my writing ... and the story I'm writing ... well perhaps time helps smooth it out

unless I start writing another story to break the patten of some writers block

[Tipdin]

Finding an average would be impossible for me. Sometimes I go weeks without writing a single word. Then there are days that I shut out the world and focus, pumping out over 100,000 words. Not saying they're all GOOD words, but it gets the idea on paper and helps me to clean up plot lines and things.

 

In order to write, many writers have their habits and time slots. Some spend an unfocused 10 hours per day, others have a laser focus for only an hour or two per day so in general, averages don't mean a whole lot. As long as you meet your deadlines and your work is the best quality that you can produce, be satisfied..!

Edited May 14, 2011 by Tipdin

[Mchoule]

I am a slow writer, mostly because I think a lot before I write (until the inspiration strikes and then I am unstopable) and my average is around 800/day when I work, and around the double when I don't have to go to my dayjob.

[Mikelaing74]

I'm a very slow writer. I've written about 15,000 words for the next chapter, but I've disposed of 13,000 of them ! On average I like to do about 1,000 a week. But if the inspiration isn't there, then it just isn't going to work.

[Andy78]

I can usually write 3-4k a week

[JamesSavik]

It really depends. Short works tend to come off fast.

 

Longer, novel length works take more.

 

More planning, more attention to character, more attention to setting, more attention to details, more attention to continuity, more attention to research: more attention all the way around.

 

Broken- emotionally charged stuff take months or even years to get out.

 

Shadows of the Dragon- chapters took from two to three weeks.

 

Operation Hammerhead- chapters are taking about a month.

[scavola]

Some days more than others, from 500 to 5,000 depending. It usually takes me 3-4 weeks to knock out the first draft of a 60,000 word book, so that's like a 2,000 word-a-day average.

[W_L]

Depends on my mood, the story, and the idea in my head.

 

Inspiration comes from life, so if I see something and imagine scenarios based off it, then I'd probably get into the story a lot faster.

 

For me, I can write anywhere from 2K a day to 15K a day, if I am working on top of writing. If I have weekends or a long vacation, 50K is my max per day, but it takes a huge deal of energy and inspiration to write that much.

 

Science fiction stories take me the most time to write, historical fiction a little less, and fantasy I have found to be my easiest.

 

In terms of getting inspired, I use an old trick I learned a long time ago: the Random Word game

 

Basically, write down the first words that come to your mind like this:

 

Aliens

Pipes

Streaks

Music

Asshole

 

Well that list might inspire me immediately with some things, but I take it one step further. When I read back each word, I get more thoughts in my head:

 

Aliens--->Movies, gut punchers, cute ewoks.....

Pipes---->Organs, pot, old urban legends about the babysitter...

 

If you want to get inspiration for length, it is good to draw on the subject and think around it to what comes to your mind and what it relates in your mind.

Edited June 10, 2012 by W_L

[intune]

I write sooo slow. It's not so much how I write per day but how long it takes to write a cohesive chapter. When I'm in the mood I can write a few thousand words at a time but if I'm not I can't write at all. So... slow.

[Bleu]

"Write" and "fast" don't belong in the same sentence in my world.

 

*sigh*

 

(took me 10 minutes to come up with this )

[Phantom]

Well with me it depends on a few things:

 

1. If I have my story outlined and how well I follow it (and the plot bunnies don't attack halfway through)

2. How much research I need to put into it to make it feasible and/or make sense

3. How horrible my grammar is and I don't get shot by my beta

4. Last but certainly not least (this applied when I had my PC, not my Mac *knock on wood*) if my computer eats my document.

5. Me being a perfectionist and actually publishing things if they meet my standards.

 

On average though if I sit down and everything works out perfectly I can usually bang out 1-2k a day sometimes less.

[podga]

No averages for me.

 

I can sometimes knock out an entire story in one day, and on another I find it hard to get beyond a 100-word paragraph. And it's not really tied to inspiration, either. In fact, it often seems like it's when I'm the most inspired that I just cannot get it written.

 

In my experience, cutting down the distractions works, as does writing something, anything, even if it's all crap. Get it down, because then at least it's there to play around with and improve on. And even if you eventually decide to throw it all away, there's still probably going to be something in there, a turn of phrase, a situation, a description that you really like and can save to dust off and use in the future.

 

I found my words would kinda flow if there wasn't the distractions. Maybe I'd just need to let go and not worry about my word choices in my first draft.

 

 

And this is key, IMO. Looking for the perfect 1st draft just cuts the flow. As does going over and over and over the first pages, when you haven't finished the story and have no idea how to continue (sometimes it's an inspiration to write further if you're really stuck, but I think it's mostly just procastination, though it we tell ourselves it really isn't )

 

Finish it, THEN edit it, THEN decide if you like it and if it's good. That's my mantra.

Edited July 12, 2012 by podga

[Xtro]

A little late to the plate, but I find I tend to write more when focussed, though I have also found that having several projects on the go at once also allows me to come back to something with a freshness - usually reworking the last couple of pages and then off again. It's a bit James Patterson-ish, but most of my projects are novels - with short material designed for a quick sell so as to keep the novels going.

 

True, I also have to work full time, but the little bits from various e-anthologies and the like keep me in the occasional toner cartridge, etc.

 

As for time processing? Write it, review it, edit it, re-write it several times after periods of leaving it alone. Example - finish a novel (100k words) leave it for a month or more, take it out and have another look at it, put it away, drag it back out and attack it with a knife (100k down to 80k) then I get a friend to have a look at editing it as well.

[RobsWriting]

The last time I checked my typing speed (mistakes, corrections and all), I came out at around 45wpm without bothering to look at the keyboard and about 55wpm with downward glances.

 

To be honest, on a typical day I probably cover about 2000-ish words, once distractions, research (which also includes browsing Amazon.com *cough*) and text messages/e-mails have been dealt with. On a good day, I have managed about 3000-ish. On a really excellent day, I manage about 6000 and if I am absolutely "in the zone" I have been known to rarely turn out 10,000 (of which about half gets canned in the first edit).

 

I think it also helps that my first draft mantra tends to be, "Don't get it perfect, get it down on paper. You can agonise about the details as much as you like during your three or four edits."

[pmdacey]

I have no idea how fast I write, but I know it is not fast.  That is because I always write everything out in long hand first.  I guess in this era that makes me a little weird.  After that I type in, usually with a lot of changes in the process, followed by wasting paper by printing it so that I can edit it.  I have never got the hang of composing directly on the computer, not only that but I do a lot of writing when I am not near a computer and I only have a notebook and pen.