I'm on fire!

Prawn · Feb 25, 2007

I have written two thousand words a day since last Saturday. Yep, 18,000 words in one week! I am in the zone. I have about 50K and am aiming for 80-90K for a rough draft. I thought it might take me a few months to get there. Can I sustain this pace? If so, I will be done with the rough draft in three weeks! No, it can't be. Can it?

scarletpeaches · Feb 25, 2007

Oh thank god for that.

I thought you meant someone had poured the petrol on and...

Phew.

Prawn · Feb 25, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
Oh thank god for that.

I thought you meant someone had poured the petrol on and...

Phew.

If that was what I meant, it would take more than one Phew to put me out!

More even than a few phews.

Thump · Feb 25, 2007

heheh

<-- is jealous

I can't even do that much during NaNoWriMo and I try!

BlueBadger · Feb 25, 2007

I broke a nasty, nasty writer's block too. Yay! But I can't type that much in such a short time ... I think my wrist is starting to give out.

johnzakour · Feb 25, 2007

I can write way fast too. Watch:

"A a a a a a a a a in in in in at at at at is is is is I I I I I I..." ;-)

Wow, 27 words in 3 seconds! (You have to trust me.) That comes out to 540 words a minute (also my new typing record) and 32,400 words in an hour! That might even be faster than Stephen King!

Of course if you want the words to make sense (and have more than two letters, though rock at typing the and and) it takes me a bit longer.

All kidding aside, I like to average a chapter a day. I don't restrain myself with word limits. I figure if I knock off a chapter a day that means I'll have the first draft of a book in 40 days. (Yeah it's kind of biblical.)

Seriously though it's not about the speed*, speed is nice but it's far more important to find the best words. I've found the faster I write a chapter the longer it takes me to edit that chapter.

That's just me.

Glad you're churning out the words though. I think I've only actually moved that fast twice in ten years as a writer.

*disclaimer it is about the speed if your editor calls you up and says "Oh I need your book by next week." Or another editor calls up and reminds you, "Don't forget you promised me a 20K short story for Monday."

Edward G · Feb 25, 2007

Prawn said:
I have written two thousand words a day since last Saturday. Yep, 18,000 words in one week! I am in the zone. I have about 50K and am aiming for 80-90K for a rough draft. I thought it might take me a few months to get there. Can I sustain this pace? If so, I will be done with the rough draft in three weeks! No, it can't be. Can it?

So, I came rushing in with the pin pulled on a type C, and a big smile on my face, and nothing. Thanks man; thanks a lot.

Seriously though, I don't dare write that much. The quality of my writing really goes down after a thousand words. But that's me. I shoot for 500 words a day. I usually write a little more, but I try to keep it around 500. So, what's the back flap going to say on "Crossing the Green Line"? What's the story?

Gordon

Judg · Feb 25, 2007

Congratulations. Someday that may happen to me. I know of writers whose daily goal is 2000 words. I hate them. 500 average makes me happy.

One memorable day I actually cranked out about 4000 words. I had a friendly challenge going on with another writer and I was sure I'd finally pulled even with her. She did 7000 that day, although she willingly admits they were crap. Then again, she's not trying to get published... But it sure burst my bubble.

My 4000 words might have been crap too, but I don't remember which 4000 they were...

san_remo_ave · Feb 25, 2007

That's incredible progress --only in my dreams can I achieve such productivity.

May the muse stay ever by your side!

Prawn · Feb 25, 2007

I have never been so productive, and it all feels like good stuff, too! I am amazed, and I can only hope that it lasts.

GordonJerome said:
So, what's the back flap going to say on "Crossing the Green Line"? What's the story?

Thank you for asking!

Here's a draft from of blurb from the cover letter I am working on, soon to be posted for critique:

What happens when a man opposed to violence comes face to face with his daughter’s killer?

Israeli police officer AKIVA finds the body of a teen-aged girl washed up on a Tel Aviv beach who reminds him of his own daughter, killed three years before in a terrorist bombing. Akiva begins an investigation, but when he discovers that the dead girl was Palestinian, suddenly the Israeli media loses interest, and Akiva is reassigned to another case. He finds he must go ACROSS THE GREEN LINE into Gaza to meet with the Palestinian police. What he discovers there brings him face to face with his own daughter’s killer and the most difficult decision of his life.

Edward G · Feb 25, 2007

Prawn said:
I have never been so productive, and it all feels like good stuff, too! I am amazed, and I can only hope that it lasts.

Thank you for asking!

Here's a draft from of blurb from the cover letter I am working on, soon to be posted for critique:

What happens when a man opposed to violence comes face to face with his daughter’s killer?

Israeli police officer AKIVA finds a teen-aged girl washed up on a Tel Aviv beach who reminds him of his own daughter, killed three years before in a terrorist bombing. Akiva begins an investigation, but when he discovers that she was Palestinian, suddenly the Israeli media loses interest, and Akiva is reassigned to another case. He finds he must go ACROSS THE GREEN LINE into Gaza to meet with the Palestinian police. What he discovers there brings him face to face with his own daughter’s killer and the most difficult decision of his life.

Cool. I'd read it. I'm sold. Absolutely.

Zoombie · Feb 25, 2007

When I saw the tital of this thread, my first thougt was: "Well you better put yourself out!"

And I've been pretty preductive a few days...then the fire thing falls off and I feel dreadfully unproductive.

PeeDee · Feb 25, 2007

Except when real life intervenes, I do about 2,000 words a day. On good days, I do about 6,000 comfortably. On excessive days, it goes up to 10,000.

If you can maintain your pace without actually catching aflame, you'll do pretty damn good. Go! Go! Go!

johnzakour · Feb 25, 2007

PeeDee said:
Except when real life intervenes, I do about 2,000 words a day. On good days, I do about 6,000 comfortably. On excessive days, it goes up to 10,000.

I don't think I've done 10,000 words (that make sense) in a day.

PeeDee · Feb 25, 2007

When life aligns and I can get working, I write pretty fast. It's getting everything settled enough that I have the time for it that's the trick.

alaskamatt17 · Feb 25, 2007

I wish I could go back to those speeds. I've lost all capacity for fast writing. I'm lucky to get in 500 words a day. Two years ago, I somehow managed 30,000 words in a week, 12,000 in a single day. It doesn't seem like that'll ever happen again.

johnzakour · Feb 25, 2007

alaskamatt17 said:
I wish I could go back to those speeds. I've lost all capacity for fast writing. I'm lucky to get in 500 words a day. Two years ago, I somehow managed 30,000 words in a week, 12,000 in a single day. It doesn't seem like that'll ever happen again.

That's okay. It's more a marathon than a sprint anyhow.

Raphee · Feb 25, 2007

Better make a back up. Computers do not like being overworked.

Mr. Funktastic · Feb 25, 2007

Congrats... I've written 1300 in about a week. *sigh*

I had a big writing spree a couple months ago, though. It was nice. But I normally pump out about 1000 a day.

seun · Feb 28, 2007

I think my best was around 3500 words in a day. I average 1300-2000. Anything over 2000 is a bonus.

As for 10,000...I'd be dead before I got that much done in a day.

zornhau · Feb 28, 2007

Congratulations!

Prawn said:
I have written two thousand words a day since last Saturday. Yep, 18,000 words in one week! I am in the zone. I have about 50K and am aiming for 80-90K for a rough draft. I thought it might take me a few months to get there. Can I sustain this pace? If so, I will be done with the rough draft in three weeks! No, it can't be. Can it?

And envy.

However, one pro writer manages just under that wordcount, most of it publishable, in just one day.

scarletpeaches · Feb 28, 2007

My best ever was 6k in a day. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me. I think someone put speed in my cornflakes that morning.

Robyn · Feb 28, 2007

Very nice. I don't give myself a goal of words per say. I have about an hour or so that I'm able to write each day. Now when I do get to do my writing I totally zone into what i'm doing and the words tend to just flow from me like a tidal wave. Most times I average 2-3k in a session. I don't force it they come naturally. Maybe it's because I only am able to write such a limited amount of time I don't know but I won't knock it either.

Éclairer · Feb 28, 2007

Prawn said:
What happens when a man opposed to violence comes face to face with his daughter’s killer? Israeli police officer AKIVA finds the body of a teen-aged girl washed up on a Tel Aviv beach who reminds him of his own daughter, killed three years before in a terrorist bombing. Akiva begins an investigation, but when he discovers that the dead girl was Palestinian, suddenly the Israeli media loses interest, and Akiva is reassigned to another case. He finds he must go ACROSS THE GREEN LINE into Gaza to meet with the Palestinian police. What he discovers there brings him face to face with his own daughter’s killer and the most difficult decision of his life.

That sounds so good. I would definitely read it.

As far as writing fast. I'm in college. I write fast come midterms. Eight pages hand-written, single spaced, in two hours. On Descartes.

I am so quick.

Prawn · Feb 28, 2007

Thanks for everyone's support! I am glad my synopsis seems interesting. I worked on that little paragraph for hours.

So far so good this week. I have done 2000 words a day every day this week. I have never been this productive, and I am going to ride this wave as long as I can, hopefully all the way to the end of the novel!
P

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