# Do you write every day, when and how many words?



## Kingstonmike (Jul 15, 2014)

As for me:

Trying to...

Early in the morning and when the kids are gone to bed.

I shoot for 750 but am happy at 500+...:sunny:


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## BeastlyBeast (Jul 15, 2014)

ugh... unfortunately, I do not write nearly as much as I should... my signature tells my tale quite nicely. LOL. I am trying to get a story idea together, though, and I'm hoping to soon make some characters and at least a general outline. Then, it's writing time for as long as it takes to get the book done.


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## Greimour (Jul 15, 2014)

Hmm... your question holds implication but not clarification.

For that reason, I could answer honestly at 10,000 words+ daily... in fact, within about 2 hours I responded to a thread on here with approximately 2400 words (including a few short quotes). 

None of that however went into any of my Works In Progress (WIPs)

So for your question, I think you must mean "How many words per day do your write for the piece you are currently working on?"

In which case, I haven't written (or typed) a single word for a few months now. I have no works in the grinder that I am overly excited about so I just keep bashing out my notepads and stuff. Jotting ideas and thoughts and what-not until my next revelation decides to play drummer-boy on my keyboard.


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## dale (Jul 15, 2014)

i write far less letters than contained in a can of alphabet soup a day, usually. that's why i need to start buying different soup.


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## Bishop (Jul 15, 2014)

2000 minimum unless my real actual job gets in the way. I do this pretty consistently  , but have had some failures  .

My record for any period of time is finishing 105K words in 43 days, which was my novel Beyond Light. My daily record is 10,238, on the day I finished said novel.


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## BeastlyBeast (Jul 15, 2014)

Dang... wish I had your zeal, Bishop... I wish I could write 10k+ words in any given day. Gosh, I'd have a full-fledged novel in just over a week!


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## Kingstonmike (Jul 16, 2014)

Bishop said:


> 2000 minimum unless my real actual job gets in the way. I do this pretty consistently  , but have had some failures  .
> 
> My record for any period of time is finishing 105K words in 43 days, which was my novel Beyond Light. My daily record is 10,238, on the day I finished said novel.



That's very impressive, but you knew that already, didncha?


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## JimJanuary (Jul 16, 2014)

My goal (when I have routine going, which isn't now unfortunately) is around 500+ words a day. Usually in the morning/afternoon when I first get up and then edit it at night. But with pressure to finish uni assignments I can sometimes bust out 2000+ in a sitting (whole lot of coffee)


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## popsprocket (Jul 16, 2014)

I am at the moment. Doing 1500 words per day at the very least.


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## garza (Jul 16, 2014)

There's always something that needs writing. I don't keep a word count.


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## Ixarku (Jul 16, 2014)

As far as writing fiction goes, I don't have a fixed goal.  I put enough pressure on myself over various things as it is, so adding to that isn't an effective incentive for me.  In practice, though, I try to work a minimum of 4 days a week, and if I'm actively writing a story and can get out between 500 and 1500 words at a sitting, then I consider my goals met.  I differentiate between "actively writing" and other activities because if I'm brainstorming ideas or working on background material, word count doesn't mean anything.  My prime hours for working are anytime after 7pm up until 10:30pm Monday through Thursday.  I probably average about 2 1/2 hours a sitting, although I shoot for 3 hours.  I occasionally will work on the weekends as well, but that's highly variable; I've got other things to do then -- errands to run and chores to do -- so the writing has to take a back seat to more worldly concerns.


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## Katie GlassSlipper (Jul 16, 2014)

I haven't paid attention to daily word counts until recently. I'd say I average anywhere between 2,000  and 5,000 words a day on any working day. Those words are often split between fiction works in progress and my freelance writing gigs.


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## Terry D (Jul 16, 2014)

I try to write 5 days/week, minimum. 1 to 1.5 hours on week nights and 3 to 4 hours/session on weekends. I don't have a word count goal and my output varies widely from just a couple hundred words to 2,000+. Earlier in my 'career' my slow pace worried me, but, by writing methodically, I find that I do very little re-writing and I almost never write myself into a corner.


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## Pidgeon84 (Jul 16, 2014)

I definitely write in spurts. I may not write for a couple weeks but then something will click and I'll start writing like a mad man.


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## BeastlyBeast (Jul 16, 2014)

Heh, I wish I never wrote myself into a corner! LOL! It is absolute that when I write I will write myself into 3 corners minimum and one will 100% definitely be within the first 5 chapters of the dang story! Ugh. With the book I'm writing now, I am in the character creation stage, then I will probably iron out a few more details and make an outline, then get writing, hopefully a couple thousand words a day.


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## Riptide (Jul 16, 2014)

I write every day, but the length varies on what I'm writing. If it's several projects then I spread out 500 here, 700 there, oh God a 1000 for you, kind of deal, but on singular projects when I have completion as the goal and soon, I can knock out who knows how many words? Many, many words


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## DannyMullen (Jul 16, 2014)

I go by time: 2–2.5 hours, six days a week. 

The probem I've always had with word counts is, sometimes when I'm working on a particularly significant passage, one paragraph or so can take a full day. If that paragraph ends up being fantastic, then that's a day well spent in my mind. I wouldn't want to pressure myself into turning out mediocrity just because I've been sitting at the desk for an hour and a half and still only have 150 words.


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## Trent Barker (Jul 16, 2014)

I consider myself happy if I manage to write 300 words a day. 
Though I have ideas well developed in my mind, I find it hard to put them on paper at a fast pace.


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## Ixarku (Jul 16, 2014)

DannyMullen said:


> I go by time: 2–2.5 hours, six days a week.
> 
> The probem I've always had with word counts is, sometimes when I'm working on a particularly significant passage, one paragraph or so can take a full day. If that paragraph ends up being fantastic, then that's a day well spent in my mind. I wouldn't want to pressure myself into turning out mediocrity just because I've been sitting at the desk for an hour and a half and still only have 150 words.




I agree with this.  Any time spent producing and moving a story forward is time well-spent, regardless of how much actually makes it on paper.  I've had many nights where I've spent hours staring at the screen typing and retyping only to discover that I've put out only a few hundred words.  Regardless of any single day's word count, if I've discovered something about the story that I didn't know before, or if I put something down that I really like, then I'm in a better position to build on it the next time.


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## Newman (Jul 16, 2014)

Kingstonmike said:


> Do you write every day, when and how many words?



Everyday when I've a story to finish.

A few pages a day. It adds up quickly.


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## Kyle R (Jul 17, 2014)

I write every day, whenever I have the available time to do so. 

Word-count isn't really something I measure anymore. Though, if you had to press me for an estimate, I'd say my output is around 3,000 words a day. 

Some days it's higher. Some days it's lower. 

Mostly, I try to be as productive as I can when I'm at the keyboard. This requires turning off all distractions (like the beautiful internet), as well as disabling my internal editor.

For me, writing time is writing time, editing time is editing time, and play time is play time. I try not to let any of the three overlap. :encouragement:


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## garza (Jul 17, 2014)

Because there seems to be such an emphasis on daily output, I decided to measure all that I did yesterday.

The total unedited production reached 157 words by the end of the day. Of those, two were accidental repeats, three were profane, one was obscene, and four appeared to be strings of unreadable typos, all of which, a total of ten, had to be deleted. 

Thus the edited total output yesterday was 147 words, about average.


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## shadowwalker (Jul 17, 2014)

When I first got back into writing, I did one completed chapter each day (avg 5-7 pages). Now, some 9 years later, I'm not as rigid - I work on my writing for x amount of time each day instead, and that includes research time, editing/revision, etc, and don't get bent out of shape if I can't work on it at all some days.


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## garza (Jul 17, 2014)

Sorry. I've only now discovered a massive error in yesterday's word count which now brings the daily total to just over a hundred words.

I apologise for any inconvenience.


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## David Gordon Burke (Jul 17, 2014)

I remember early on when I started posting to this forum, getting blasted by those people who had been around for a while for posting something about adverbs.  I still shun them (adverbs that is....not the other forum members), but now I do it more out of my own personal taste and experience and less because I read it in some 'how to write manual.'  

That said, there seems to be a huge consensus that the 'regularity' of writing and the word count somehow are relevant to 'quality' and 'credibility' as a writer.  Again, something you read time and again in the 'how to' manuals.  I no longer think that way.  

I now write when I want to write and / or have something to write.  I am no longer trying to churn out quantity.  Whether or not what I do write when I write is quality is in the eyes of the beholder and I'm not really going to get wrapped up in it or worry about it.  

In a sense, every word that comes out of your mouth is practice for writing.  Every correspondence, forum post, blog post, BB comment etc.  On the other hand you either ARE or AREN'T a writer...you either have the writer's soul and perspective or you don't.  I could point the finger at one or two (ex)forum members who will remain nameless, whose questions raise(d) such ire among those of us who take the art seriously - it was obvious from their posts that they were here in the 'poser' capacity and to appease some inner demon.  Writers they were not.  

Of course if a person's ambition is of the 'James Patterson' realm of writing (insert puking special effect here) then YEAH...get your word count up to 10,000 words per day.  

I'm not discouraging anyone from writing daily but by the same token, for those who suffer from self incrimination and flogging...the whole 'I must write every day' mentality could be a cause for much grief and possible writer's block.  

Be your own boss.  Hell, isn't that one of the advantages of writing in the first place?  
Who among those people who took this advice from Stephen King's 'On Writing' (where I first read that advice) hasn't read a King novel that was a complete waste of time?  I don't know how long it took Mr. King to write 'Hearts in Atlantis' or 'The Plant' but in my humble opinion, he could have spent his time playing wiith his kids or planting a veggie garden with little or no harm done to the world.

David Gordon Burke


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## garza (Jul 17, 2014)

Being your own boss _the_ big advantage of staying freelance and never going staff. You have the liberty of making more money if you work hard enough but also the freedom to starve if you don't. 

Fiction writers, I suppose, are always freelance unless you land a contract with one of the supermarket check-out romance publishers or someone of that ilk

Never having held a staff position, the habit of sufficient daily output to buy my daily bread took hold early on and continues to this day, long after any need exists. 

Please forgive my weak attempt at humour in my previous two posts. I have no idea how much a day I write, and it amused me to see how seriously some people take a daily word count if there is no per-word reward at the end of the day. I do continue to write every day, but ninety percent of my writing now is hobby writing for which there is no need to keep a word count. I write from the beginning of a story to its end and stop. That's the only kind of 'word count' I see as important today. In the old days when I was 'selling my soul for pennies a word,' as one New Yorker said to me once, a literal word count was significant. No more.


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## Bishop (Jul 17, 2014)

garza said:


> ... it amused me to see how seriously some people take a daily word count if there is no per-word reward at the end of the day.



There's a per-word reward, it's just not monetary. My word count is important because it keeps me productive. If I just say "I'll write when I feel like it," I would probably not write nearly as much as I do. But committing to a daily goal, I can push myself to something tangible. It's hobby writing, sure, but it holds importance. I take it seriously because it's a part of who I am, my writing, and in order for that writing to be better, I need to practice. I suppose it's the same reason that intramural sports players practice on a regular basis. It's not for money, it's not for an editor or publisher, it's not even necessarily for the reader. It's for me, to flesh out my creativity and to better myself.


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## Kingstonmike (Jul 17, 2014)

"Who among those people who took this advice from Stephen King's 'On  Writing' (where I first read that advice) hasn't read a King novel that  was a complete waste of time?  I don't know how long it took Mr. King to  write 'Hearts in Atlantis' or 'The Plant' but in my humble opinion, he  could have spent his time playing wiith his kids or planting a veggie  garden with little or no harm done to the world."

The Tommyknockers" was that book, for me... I still think he's a far better short story writer than he is a novelist.


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## Terry D (Jul 17, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> Of course if a person's ambition is of the 'James Patterson' realm of writing (insert puking special effect here) then YEAH...get your word count up to 10,000 words per day.
> 
> I'm not discouraging anyone from writing daily but by the same token, for those who suffer from self incrimination and flogging...the whole 'I must write every day' mentality could be a cause for much grief and possible writer's block.
> 
> ...



I have to take issue with using Patterson and King as examples of why not to set goals (be they word counts, or days/week, or whatever). You may not like what Patterson and King put out, but I expect that's more because of the content than the writing. The content of Patterson's books has become derivative and cookie-cutter-like (I stopped reading him years ago), but the writing is still proficient. King has some clunkers, but he's still an excellent writer. Sticking to goals--no matter how loose, or strict--isn't going to change the concept and structure of a book.  If I was sure pounding out 3,500 words a day, seven days a week would make me write like Steven King, I'd quit my job tomorrow.


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## mraven (Jul 17, 2014)

As a blogger, I pretend to myself that people are reading my blog so it forces me to generally blog every other day, but of course the tricky thing is having something half decent to say - I can churn SOMETHING out, but it's trying to write something vaguely readable that is tricky!


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## garza (Jul 17, 2014)

Bishop - I see your point, so perhaps my goal of starting and finishing a story is not so different from your goal of writing a set number of words.


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## shadowwalker (Jul 18, 2014)

I've seen this idea of writing every day for "practice" mentioned before -  not sure which forum, however. But - and this is JMHO - writing every day is _not _for practice. It's to develop good habits. Now, if one is strictly a hobbyist and not looking to publish except for a few friends/family, it probably isn't needed. But if one wants to get published, and stay published, one has to learn to get away from the idea of waiting for a muse or inspiration, of doing other things instead of writing, of just saying "I don't feel like it". One has to develop self-discipline, and learn to sit down and be productive whether one "feels like it" or not. Until the habit of writing every day is established, it's too easy to procrastinate - and the books never get written, never get submitted, never get published. Once that habit is _firmly _established, the one can choose to take a day or two off, or schedule an actual vacation, and getting started again is no problem.


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## Kyle R (Jul 18, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> Who among those people who took this advice from Stephen King's 'On Writing' (where I first read that advice) hasn't read a King novel that was a complete waste of time?  I don't know how long it took Mr. King to write 'Hearts in Atlantis' or 'The Plant' but in my humble opinion, he could have spent his time playing wiith his kids or planting a veggie garden with little or no harm done to the world.



King's a fast and furious writer. He probably cranked those stories out in a single afternoon, one handed, _while_ planting a vegetable garden with his family using his other hand.


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## David Gordon Burke (Jul 18, 2014)

Terry D said:


> You may not like what Patterson and King put out, but I expect that's more because of the content than the writing.
> King has some clunkers, but he's still an excellent writer.



Just the opposite.  

I have no idea what Patterson is writing today (actually, I should say what he is paying his team of grunt writers to write for him) but in the early days I did enjoy the stories...back then I wasn't as critical of the prose as I am today.  

As for Stephen King...regardless of the odd bomb that he has released, no one can deny that he has had some masterful moments with the odd spark of brilliance.  

Actually, although I did mention them together in my earlier post, I wouldn't compare them or put them in the same league.  In Patterson's case I wholly reject the notion that his prose is still proficient.  I consider it RANK beyond the excusable.  (a J P sex scene 'I was as hot as a ten dollar pistol' ... just shoot me before I have to read that kind of drek)

King's prose is almost always acceptable with a very few exceptions....and many brilliant turns of a phrase.  Where I have problems with him is the occasional trip down some fantasy lane that I either just can't follow or am not at all interested in.  

My ambition is to write ONE amazing, unforgettable, classic novel in my lifetime (of the calibre of Count of Monte Cristo or Lonesome Dove) ....not 300 pulp fiction titles.  Until then I hope to write about one good novel per year.  Still, I agree, for someone who wants to do it full time, you need to do it full time.  

I am reminded of a social / psychology experiment that I read about.

Basket ball players are broken into three groups of ten.
They shoot baskets and their scores are recorded.
Group 1 is told to practice one hour every day.
Group 2 is told not to practice at all.
Group 3 is told to visualize themselves one hour every day shooting baskets.

After 1 month they test the groups again.
Group 1 has a 25% increase in balls going through the hoop.
Group 2 has no increase.
Group 3 has a 21% increase.

The moral of my story is why do I need to get it down on paper (or type it out in a file on my computer) if I am not going to use it at all?  I visualize and practice in my head for hours every day and do it while putting together a delicious dinner of Pollo con Mole or my famous Seafood Lasagne.  

This methodology I also use where music is concerned.  Half the work of practicing the instrument is done in advance long before I sit down with my guitar.  

David Gordon Burke


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## Kyle R (Jul 18, 2014)

David Gordon Burke said:


> I am reminded of a social / psychology experiment that I read about.
> 
> Basket ball players are broken into three groups of ten.
> They shoot baskets and their scores are recorded.
> ...



Interesting study! For those interested, it was conducted by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago, as explained here: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/mental/visualization.html :encouragement:


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## Terry D (Jul 18, 2014)

Visualization is an adequate, if limited, alternative to actual practice for physical tasks like shooting baskets, throwing a football (QBs like to talk about getting mental reps), or guitar playing, but I don't see how visualizing myself sitting at my desk writing is going to help when the time comes to actually come up with the words and their order. I can come up with some great plot twists in my head, and even some phrases, but none of that helps with the storytelling in any realistic way. At least that's my experience. What does help is to get my mind and body in the habit of writing on a regular basis. I find that when I am on-schedule, I can sit down, turn on the computer, read the last couple of paragraphs from my previous session, and start writing. No need to get into the flow, or de-rust any creative gears.

But that's just what works for me.


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## Grizzly (Jul 18, 2014)

I write every day at work. 
Being a receptionist at a nail salon, with a wonderful manager who "doesn't care what I do so long as there aren't any customers to tend to," I get to read and write and get paid to do it.


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## Firemajic (Jul 18, 2014)

Wish I had the nerve to even START a book...that is why I write poetry.
I just am afraid of the time commitment.  Also I would not like myself much--if I started something
I could not finish...that would be one dream shattered...Peace...Jul


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## dale (Jul 18, 2014)

Firemajic said:


> Wish I had the nerve to even START a book...that is why I write poetry.
> I just am afraid of the time commitment.  Also I would not like myself much--if I started something
> I could not finish...that would be one dream shattered...Peace...Jul


but you said in another thread that you had a poem and months later realized it wasn't finished. maybe you should just clear in your mind the "runway"
to write longer works. have your poetry, but then at least have a story to tinker with.


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## dvspec (Jul 18, 2014)

> Wish I had the nerve to even START a book...that is why I write poetry.
> I just am afraid of the time commitment.  Also I would not like myself much--if I started something
> I could not finish...that would be one dream shattered...Peace...Jul



You should check out "Telling Lies for Fun and Profit" by Lawrence Block 

I'm reading it now and one thing stuck with me.  If you only write one page a day, you will have a novel by the end of the year.  A novel is a hard to obtain goal.  A page a day is easy.  It's like eating an elephant.  You do it one bite at a time.


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## Shaudawn (Jul 18, 2014)

I try to write every day, or at least every weekday.  It doesn't matter if it is on my projects or something else.  I view all of it as good practice.  

Since I use several venues, I don't really have a way to track word count, but over the years, I've had so many people say I write too much that volume isn't an issue to me.  So, perhaps a better gauge for myself is some sense of a completed thought or concept.


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## Ixarku (Jul 19, 2014)

Firemajic said:


> I just am afraid of the time commitment.  Also I would not like myself much--if I started something
> I could not finish...that would be one dream shattered.




I had this same attitude for several years.  Four or five years ago, I gave up writing completely because I kept struggling and failing.  Over the last couple of years, I thought about picking it up again, but the time commitment daunted me and the thought of more wasted months and unfinished work terrified me.  At some point, you just have to decide whether to take the plunge or abandon the dream altogether.  Never taking the risk means zero chance of seeing the dream come to life.  The other folks have good advice -- the best being that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  So I suggest asking yourself:  can I give up my dream for good?  If the answer is no, then the only way you're going to be able to live with yourself is to clear the obstacles, learn what it takes to make it happen, and do it.  It really is that simple.


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## Firemajic (Jul 19, 2014)

You ALL are right--words of wisdom.  letting go of the dream is not an option...Peace...Jul


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## Nicholas McConnaughay (Jul 24, 2014)

If we consider everything that I do, including reviews, expositions, posts, articles, columns, and whatnot. I write somewhere north of 10,000 words a day. As for what I write in my actual novels, short-stories, or flash-fictions, I don't write every day. I write every other day, and when I do, I usually try to shoot at around 1000-1500 words.


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## bookmasta (Jul 24, 2014)

This depends. When I was chasing a million words I was writing 5,000 words a day on two projects while spending the rest of my day reading. I was in a sort of zone and ended up staying in it for over a month until I hit the magic million. Earlier in the year near September I was doing 3,000 words a day and around October, 1,000, until I picked up to 1,500 in December and then 2,500 in February until I went for the 5,000 mark in May. And this isn't counting the time I've spent editing... At this point, I don't really care much for word count. It doesn't move me in the same manner as others just to finish the rough draft of a manuscript. I don't worry about how high my word count is either. I'm more concerned on seeing the projects I'm editing through in their own production and being consistent on a day to day basis with my writing. For now, the minimum is 500 words, but I find myself going well over it some days and others just doing the minimum as I feel. It doesn't matter so long as I do what I'm asking of myself. In the past fourteen months I've only missed three days of writing and these were while I was a spending part of my summer as a camp counselor. So its like I mentioned, from my basis its not count that matters, but consistency.


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