How to Set Your Daily Word Count
My daily word count goal is 500 words a day. I’ve tried a few different word counts through the years but 500 is my sweet spot. A daily word count is individual to each writer. What works for me might not work for you.
How did I decide on 500?
In a 15 minute writing sprint, I can write on average 500 words. When I’m really in the zone, I can hit 800.
500 is the lowest I’m willing to write in a day. Do I write more than 500 words a day? Yes, on most days.
Then, why so low?
I’ve tried upping my word count to 1000 and even higher to 1500. The problem with this for me is that a higher word count hampered my creativity. I was too worried about hitting my word count and forgetting to enjoy the process of writing. I write because it’s fun. If I take the fun out of my writing, then what’s the point?
I’ve set my word count low enough that I consistently can hit it but also high enough that it’s enough words to make progress on my books. When my word count was too high, I wouldn’t hit it every day, which brought on a tremendous amount of guilt. It slowed my momentum and got in the way of joy.
Experiment with your daily word count. Set it low. See how it goes for a week. Set it a bit higher and see how that feels. Find your writing sweet spot.
What’s your daily word count?
