I know 'size doesn't matter', but let's be honest. How many words a day? On average?

I'm a feast or famine writer. My average is probably quite...well, average, but I don't stick to that. I can go from writing over 10k a day (yes, really) to nothing for ages.

I'd like to stick to, say, 2k a day because then I could predict my own output. I've tried to discipline myself to do so, but...I resist for whatever reason. My willpower isn't strong enough.

So, like I said, feast or famine. It could be 10k, it could be 1k.

Well, 2k is only what I'd like to average out as.

Maybe I should make that my new year's resolution, although I aimed for 1,500 a day in 2011 and failed miserably.

Had a few 5k+ days though.

Good God; you've put an idea in my head that will really play with my OCD. Using a spreadsheet for a daily word count next year and working out my average on the 31st December.

That's if the Mayans are wrong and we don't all die on the 21st.

It depends a little on what I'm writing. Last novel I cracked 2k on all but a handful of days and I had a streak of 3 and 4k days. The current one I struggle to crack 1k a day.

Sadly very little lately. A short story (5kish) every now and then. Mostly I'm submitting already written stories and working on grad school stuff right now.

Anywhere from zero to eight thousand.

If I'm actually working on a project 1,250 words is my daily minimum.

1000

I try to do somewhere between 500 to 1000 (not counting blog posts). This is the first night in a LONG time that I haven't worked on my book, and it's really bothering me. I might have to edit...

It depends, but usually about 1k-2k. I need to get better about writing every day though, I don't do it as much as I should.

I'd say 2 or 3 hand written pages, which probably amounts to less than 1000 words. But that is an average. Some days I don't write anything, other days I might do as many as 15 or 20 pages.

When I'm NOT in the middle of moving from Japan to the States like I am right now, my daily quota is 5K. Sometimes I have 6-10K days, sometimes I don't make it past 3-4K, but most of the time, I do 5K.

2k is my goal. I don't always make it, sometimes I go over.

I try to push myself to do 200 words a day. I am usually happy if I can do between 500 and 800 words. I am really pleased when I can do over 1,000.

For me, it ranges anywhere between zero and 15k. Generally, though, when I'm actively working on something, I write somewhere between 100 and 5k words in a day, depending on what else I have going on. And I rarely take a day off once I've started on something new.

I also often take months off between projects, which brings my overall average word count way down.

Like Scarlet, I'm a feast or famine writer, although my feasts aren't that rich. I don't like to write in short spurts; it takes me a while to get into the zone so I don't write daily what with the day job and all. I might do 6000 - 8000 words a week when I stay focused, but it could be less. Occasionally it's also more, but rarely. I'm a slow writer, a 12 hour stint may only leave me with 3000 words I keep.

How do you write 3 to 5000 words a day?
I'm lucky if I get 800.
How much time in the chair does it take to get up to 3000 words?

Ses said:

How much time in the chair does it take to get up to 3000 words?

Click to expand...

For me, anything from 3 hours to 12 hours.

I guess I'm feast or famine as well... when I'm depressed (which I so often am) nothing comes out. When I'm not depressed or I'm on a deadline I can write up to 8000 or more per day.
Generally if I'm on a roll I write about 2000-5000 per day.

I wish I was on a roll now.

I don't set myself a word limit and, strangely enough for a writer, I never check how many I've written at the end of a session.

I used to have two days to write. So I'd just start in the morning and not stop until it was time to pick the kids up and repeat until the end of the second day. Sometimes I'd do nights and then I'd just write until 11pm.

In the New Year, kids will be doing afternoon sessions, 5 days a week so I'll have 3 hours each day to write.

So yeah, no word limit for me - it's more about the clock.

cameron_chapman said:

For me, it ranges anywhere between zero and 15k. Generally, though, when I'm actively working on something, I write somewhere between 100 and 5k words in a day, depending on what else I have going on. And I rarely take a day off once I've started on something new.

I also often take months off between projects, which brings my overall average word count way down.

Click to expand...

15k? You can do that? Is that in a 24 hour period or a typical work day period, say 9-5. If ever I were to write 15k a day my head would have melted off my neck by the end of it. At the least I'd be in great need of a stiff drink.

Who says size doesn't matter?

Back to the thread.
I don't really take too much notice of word count, I know I produced around 2000 yesterday [about a typed chapter.]

Managed 1k a day when I was on a writing retreat, usually 2-300 a day