How I Learned to Stop Counting Words and Just Write (Mostly)
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A friend asked me the other day, hi Leah, about my process. Do I set goals for writing? Word counts? Daily targets? It’s probably worth talking about.
I’ve tried setting word goals. I even read 2,000 to 10,000: How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron. It didn’t stick.
One time, I wrote five thousand words on back-to-back days, but that was pure adrenaline. I was this close to finishing my first novel. Even then, it was a slog. I was deployed to Spain for a flying mission (Libya, if you must know), and when we weren’t flying, I was writing.
I wrote a lot during deployments to Qatar, too, mostly working on my MFA thesis. The first year I did NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, now defunct, I wrote 50,000 words in thirty days.
It about broke my marriage.
So yes, I can write a lot of words. But then there was this woman in my NaNo group who wrote over 400,000 words in a month. Four novels worth of words. Probably not good novels, but still, my brain can’t even process that kind of output.
I’m not a prodigious writer. I’ve got friends who write every day, seven days a week, and crank out book after book. Since I “retired,” I’ve written most days, not every day, but close. And my word count still sucks. I haven’t finished a single manuscript this year. I have written four short stories and started three other books, though, but still, not ideal.
So what did I tell Leah?
Right now, I don’t have word goals.
At the start of the year, my editor invited me to join a shared spreadsheet that tracked daily word counts. That actually worked. It gave me accountability and a weird sort of communal energy, seeing other writers make progress made me want to do the same. I was hitting about 15,000 words a month and pressing for more. Then I hit revision season, and everything went sideways. Tracking word count during edits is chaos, so I stopped.
Before I retired, my main writing goal was simple: get my butt in the chair. That was the hardest part back then. Once I sat down, the words usually came.
Since January, I’ve been putting my butt in the chair every day. But the words? Not so much. Ironically, I think I wrote more before I retired to write full-time. There’s something about scarcity that sharpens focus.
And I’ve learned something important: I don’t actually want to be a full-time writer. I’m planning to un-retire in December, and I suspect I’ll write better once my time has boundaries again.
There’s no single way to do this book-making thing. Some people write early mornings before work; others sneak in five-minute bursts between kid wrangling and life chaos. Some only write on weekends. Others hit it daily like it’s a religion.
Here’s the truth: If you can write 250 words a day, about one page, you’ll have a rough draft by the end of the year. That’s it. A novel in a year, one page at a time.
Set a small goal. Sit down. Once you’re there, you’ll usually keep going.
The spreadsheet worked for me before, and I think it will again. So I’m going back to it.
Recently I read a post shared by Karin Gillespie, originally by Alexandra Sokoloff, about pantsing versus outlining, Let’s talk about pantsing. Karin’s take was that most pros outline something, and Alexandra agreed: even if the plan lives only in your head, it helps. She said she writes faster when she outlines, and I 100% believe that.
I started out a pantser, writing by the seat of my pants, and struggled to find my way to an ending. Once I tried outlining, things clicked. It gave me markers, small signposts, to aim for, so I was never stuck wondering what came next.
That’s a whole other post, whether or not to outline. Where Do You Start with a New Novel?
And that pesky word should.
There are no commandments in writing. No sacred rules. Just you, a blank page, and the willingness to start typing.
Set the bar low enough that you trip over it. Then do it again tomorrow.