Ten years ago this fall, when my kids were all in school, I was pounding out close to 1000 words per day.
Three years ago this month, I had turned over baby-sitting duties to my oldest granddaughter, so I could write Best of Both Worlds and turn it into my editor by July 1st. Yes, I managed it.
During Word Wars on Twitter, where several friends and I devote 45 minute word sprints to encourage each other to get our books written, I was managing anywhere from 300-700 word counts....IF the words were flowing, I wasn't hearing "Grandma/Mo-om!", or distracted by conversations on Facebook.
Two years ago, I was trying to homeschool my youngest child, rid my house of a bed bug and lice infestation (thanks to the granddaughter's biological father), and write three books. Only two were written; my child did manage to finish the 4th and 5th grades, and while we got rid of the lice, we still find a bed bug or two. Bottom line is, they're under control.
So yes, my IDEAL word count would be that 1500-2000 per day.
What's my REALITY, though?
-We took possession of two abandoned houses and are in the middle of sorting, selling, donating, etc, the contents of both houses.
-My older grandkids are here for the summer
-We moved to our new house in December and I'm still cleaning out a storage unit.
-My youngest granddaughter is now five, and wants to spend more time outside in our larger yard.
-The only writing I seem to accomplish these days are two weekly blog posts, my morning FB updates, and the 300 words I can crank out at my weekly writer's meeting.
But hey, I've been here before, back in 2011. Two short years later, I could barely write fast enough as the characters dictated their woes.
So do they really matter? Only if you're on deadline. I found out in 2007 that I have MAJOR perfectionistic tendencies. If I've told someone of a goal, I'll sacrifice everything to attain it. (I've eased up, somewhat....that's why I still have a book that's now 2 years overdue!)
It all depends on what goals you've set for yourself and how hard you're willing to work toward those goals.
Or if you're like me these days and LIFE has smacked you upside the head.
To see what other authors have to say on this subject, go here .
****If the topic was how many words are in a book, then my short stories run 4500-6000; my longest book is 54K; my 'comfort zone' is 30-40K. Sorry if I've misunderstood the topic.*******
12 comments:
I went the "how many words are in a book?" route on my blog, but I think I misunderstood the topic. Then again, maybe both options are valid. Who knows? What I do know is that I enjoyed your post, especially as I gear up to have my grandkids visit for a month and know that my daily word count will be nonexistent until the end of July. But isn't that the great thing about what we do?
Man even when my kids are in school I wasn't getting 1000 words. Some days I'd surprise myself but most times not. LOL Now they are home for summer and it's slow going. The hubs did just get me some noise cancelling headphones for my birthday so hope that will help cut down the distractions.
If only there was that cabin in the woods to escape the demands of life that interfere with word count! At least that's my thought. Enjoyed the post!
My first grandchild is arriving the end of July, and I'm wondering, will I get much writing done after that?
@Sherry: When my kids were young, nap time was my 'me' time, and I thought I'd either go back to school to finish my BSW or re-enter the workforce. But by the time my daughter was in kindergarten, I realized how much I LIKED staying home to write all day, and I loved having my summers free:) I think that's what I love most about my career; having the flexibility to be HOME with my kids in the summertime. Maybe I was spoiled by a mom who had her summers off (she was a HS nurse), but as I grew older, I realized what a gift she gave my sister and I.
Kenzie Michaels
@Meka: Some days I would LOVE some noise-cancelling head phones!
Kenzie Michaels
@Maureen: I've often said I'd love to lock myself in a motel room for about a month; I might finish my unfinished projects! Of course, I'd have to stay off the internet....;)
Kenzie Michaels
@Alina: Not much until the 4th week, lol! How exciting! Please post pics on your blog when the little angel makes his/her appearance? Enjoy!
Kenzie Michaels
I think we all can understand where you're at right now. Sometimes you just have to hold on by your fingernails and not give up, because it would be so very much harder to start up again if you did.
@Ed: Definitely not giving up! Back in 2002, when I worked full time, I wasn't able to write for nearly 2 months. When the guy I was filling in for returned, I think I wrote for 3 days straight. Cranked out 60 handwritten pages.....then had to decipher my handwriting and try to type it up, lol!
Kenzie Michaels
I'm like you. Family responsibilities (read opportunities you don't want to miss out on); caregiving; cleaning out a home of 30+ years, cleaning out a storage unit; and then the grand finale an out-of-state move kicked any dreams of a high word count out the door. I would love to get 1200 words a day done. But the way things are going, even if 100 words get written, the hard drive will crash and I'll lose it.
At least I'm getting the challenge done.
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