Getting your daily word count in for the day or the week is good and necessary.
But . . .
Don’t underestimate the value of writing one good line.
Could be a line of dialogue or a sentence of description or a pivotal moment in the story that’s summed up with one distinct set of words.
A great story doesn’t have all great lines–that would be overkill.
A great story has great lines at selected points of the story.
So if that’s all you do in a day–hey, consider yourself lucky.
Just make sure you get back to the daily word count so you are able to finish that great story.
(And in case you’re thinking I wrote this to justify writing one line of dialogue today, think again. Got my word count in this morning and afternoon, and the day isn’t done yet!)
What is your goal for a daily word count?
Hi James. I usually try to do around 2,000 words in the morning. Since I'm juggling a few projects, I have weekly goals (since I'm doing okay on time). So this week I have a goal of 6,250 words in one project, 2,900 words in another, and 3,600 words in a book I'm rewriting (so some of that is copying and pasting).
In an ideal world, I'd be working on one project, but these are different enough to allow my brain to adjust.
So you are a professional writer and a professional juggler. If writing novels becomes illegal, you could join the circus!
Have you found that 2000 words a day is a lot compared to other writers, or is that about average?
I'd love to join the circus!
Hard to say about the average since every author is different. I think 2,000 words would be a good mark per day if you do it six days a week. Some days you'll have more, some less. Obviously quality counts more than quantity. And the use of italics.
Ah, italics! A writer's best friend/enemy/cohort/adversary/etc./etc.
I also try to write 2K a day and usually do. Something about that two with three zeros just feels right.
What a crazy, awesome thing this writing journey is. Thanks for sharing.