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After weeks of trying to balance family visits, work, and a
sliver of a personal life, it’s become clear I need to set a minimum daily word
count when writing.
In case you’re just tuning in, I have a short (flash) story
currently under review at Flash Fiction Online. While I await a response, I’m
working on another longer short story called Weather Balloon. It began its life
as flash fiction, but didn’t win the contest to which it was submitted and sat
languishing for months (maybe years). So now I’ve expanded it with more
character development and added a conspiracy. I have to admit, I’m pretty
excited.
At any rate, I’ve having a devil of a time gaining any
traction moving toward the conclusion. I’ve tried different approaches like
minimum number of pages, minimum amount of time spent writing as well as word
count, the latter of which I’ve found works best for me.
So how many words should I shoot for? If I remember
correctly, Stephen King writes about two thousand words per day. Every day. I’m
not even going to pretend that’s feasible. My friend and fellow author J.R. McLemore writes a thousand words a
day when he’s not editing or marketing or some other unavoidable task that
prevents writers from writing. Still too much for me at this stage. Since I’m
crafting a short story, I may be able to get away with fewer words. Maybe 500?
I’ve found the answer in a wonderful (and I don’t use that
word often) book entitled The
Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises
by James Scott Bell. It really is
beneficial to anyone needing advice, strategy, inspiration or other help when
writing. In the book, Mr. Bell says on page 199 “Minimum 350 words a day. A
baboon can do 350 words a day. Don’t be shown up by a baboon.”
I've thought it over and it turns out I don’t want to be shown up by a baboon. So 350 words a day it is. Considering
this post is just over 350 words, I think it’s a good starting place for me.
Care to share your daily word count? Feel free to let me
know in the comments.
Thanks for the mention, it was quite unexpected. I commend you for trying so hard to find a method that works for you. I know how hard it can be. Also, I should say that, in my opinion, word count isn't really what makes writers bite the bullet and write, it's pure discipline, which comes with writing over time. When I started, I had trouble making any commitment. Eventually, I settled on a word count, now, I simply sit and write whatever I can, whether it's a thousand words or more or less.
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