How fast do you write?

[layla]

Typing directly into word I can get between 65 - 70 WPM, writing long form into my notebook I'm unsure, i've never timed it but I can still fill pages pretty fast. If I don't get any interruptions, I can manage about 8000 words a writing session, sometimes more depending on how much free time I have. On a really slow day, when i'm distracted and constantly interrupted, I'll max out at about 4000 for the day.

[The Pecman]

Good material, or bad?

 

If I'm really cranking, I can knock out 2000 words in 4-5 hours, easy. The trick is making it good. Just typing words on a page doesn't hack it for me, and there's far too many times I just stare at the blank screen, trying desperately to figure out what comes next. Often my problems boil down to transitions: how do I get from scene X to scene Y? Structural issues like this are tough to solve, and it's not just a question of words; it's more about the approach. 

 

I have to say, one of the most interesting parts of writing for me is: I dive back into a chapter, go back to the head, start reading, I begin to get into the story, then I scroll down and... blank screen! That compels me to want to write more, simply because I can't wait to find out what happens next.

 

I wrote my first novel in about 30 days, 120,000 words total, and posted each chapter on the net every 3-4 days. That's fine and good if you don't have a 9-5 job and a bunch of other commitments. In the real world, I think devoting a couple of hours a day to getting maybe two good, solid pages -- 600-1000 words -- is a reasonable goal. And I make notes almost every single day, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes for bits of story that aren't going to happen for many, many chapters.

[Thorn Wilde]

It really varies for me. I can go months without really writing anything, though the past year or so has seen me quite active with my writing. When I'm really inspired, especially if I've just started a new project, I can easily make it to 4000 words in a day, sometimes even more. Then, when I start getting on a little bit, it stagnates and I go down to maybe 2000 or a little under per day. Some days, I don't actually write anything new at all, instead opting to go back and edit and tweak what I've already written, sometimes adding new scenes or removing ones that weren't working, re-doing dialogue, editing descriptions and speech patterns and what have you.

[Former Member]

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.

 

I've found that if I write long hand, I will write ten times less words than if I had sat at the computer.  I think that it's because my hand-writing is so big and so spaced out that it looks like I've written this big hulking paragraph...that turns out to be three lines once I type it all out.  Or it might be that my hand gets tired. *shrug*  I like writing in long form because I tend to take things slower and think more about what I'm writing than if I sit down and word vomit all over the place.  I tend to type faster than I think sometimes so things get jumbled pretty quickly.

 

As for words per day?  I try to go by NaNoWriMo rules.  1667 a day.  Any less and I really don't think I've accomplished much, and more is always a bonus!  My best day was 12,000 when I was trying to catch up on my NaNo.  But I have never done that again.  If I'm seriously (and I mean *seriously*) inspired I may be able to knock out 3500 in an hour, but that, again, is exceedingly rare.

[Dolores Esteban]

When I have a full day for writing and I'm very inspired, I manage 3,000 to 6,000 words a day. My best day was 10,000, my best week 50,000. But it's rare.

[Sasha Distan]

1500wpd is a good number. dude!

 

it sort of depends on lots of things.

 

Say a weekend or half term day when it's raining and i'm not going anywhere? 4000wpd

weekday at school? 1000wpd

sunny day in the summer with horses and farm to do? no words that day

 

i once wrote 17000 in one sitting and over last half term i averaged 6000 word each day because i was super focused. i'm not sure i could ever do the 17k day again though. i was tired.