I agree. Writing 1,000 words a day is a demanding goal (probably better suited to some — not all — experienced professional writers). But if you do 500 wpd then you’ll finish the first draft in 6 months, which is also very impressive!

It’s only the beginning, and i don’t think that i will be able to write 1000 words every day for three months:) But, however, it’s great to understand that the book can be written so quickly. Thank you

Do you know that if you’re able to write 1,000 words per day, you’ll produce an 80,000-word book in just 12 weeks? (I suggest you go a little slower than that and take weekends off, however!) Then, allow double that amount of time for editing.

I try to write a book for years:) I write a page, then I write one more page in a month, and two pages in two months. And I always have been thinking, that writing a book is a huge and very time-consuming thing. But two days ago I have read this article, and decided to try tracking. I got up at 5:30 and began to write. For an hour. Then I checked the number of words. There were 1054! For only one hour of morning working. I was really impressed. Today I have made the same, – one hour and 1046 words. And I understand, that this is my ordinary rhythm, I can do it without any particular efforts. Only one hour and a cup of coffee. And it seems, that i need only three months to write the whole book.

You are genius, Daphne, did you know that?

Hi Richard, I’m so glad this post has helped. Let me just clarify one point: I don’t belive there are dangers to editing per se. (Perhaps the only danger is in not editing enough!) But I do see many people who make the writing process miserable by editing WHILE they write. My main point is that these two jobs should always be tackled separately…

I have become very resistant to “xx steps” to doing anything. Sometimes
it seems like everyone has myriad steps for improvement of every step
of my life and the inner curmudgeon kicks to surface. Consequently
any email or post I see of that type gets only a brief scan. I do look
though. It’s just I feel, I suppose, tired of steps.

Two things you wrote – about the dangers of editing and then the keeping
of a diary resonated with me. I have fallen into the trap of endless
editing and revising.

Last week I started a diary in a spreadsheet and it has borne results already. I am delighted.

I feel vastly more focused and I have achieved better than at any time
in the last month or more. I’m getting an eBook cover created, due in 2
days, and I hope to publish with minimal delay after receiving it.

I also added columns to the spreadsheet diary for hours spent on
writing, editing, marketing, and also some calculations on words per
hour and the ratio of editing to writing. I suppose that’s the inner engineer
in me.

Thank you kindly,

Richard

“They know that a lot of important stuff happens when they’re not “working.” I love this passage from Graham Greene’s novel The End Of The Affair: “I was trying to write a book that simply would not come. I did my daily five hundred words, but the characters never began to live. So much in writing depends on the superficiality of one’s days. One may be preoccupied with shopping and income tax returns and chance conversations, but the stream of the unconscious continues to flow, undisturbed, solving problems, planning ahead: one sits down sterile and dispirited at the desk, and suddenly the words come as though from the air: the situations that seemed blocked in a hopeless impasse move forward: the work has been done while one slept or shopped or talked with friends.”

Productive writers have been through the cycle enough to know it’s a cycle, and sometimes you figure out problems while you’re walking the dog. They know to trust that and don’t get twitchy when the pages stop piling up.”

Excellent! Thank you.

Word can do calculations in tables. Try it out.