How Many Words? #MFRWAuthor Blog Challenge
Words on the Page
For this week’s MFRW Blog Challenge and Hop, we’re talking about word count.
One thing is for sure: if you’re going to write a book, you need to get words on a page. But how many? How often?
One Author’s Rule
Author John Grisham just came out with some rules for writers, and one of them was that you should produce 200 words every day on your work in progress. That is a slow process for a full-length book!
But it makes sense. And if you set that as the low bar, you can work guilt-free through bouts of sick kids, visits from in-laws, and crises in the day job.
My Way
One of the hardest things in the world for me is getting that first draft on the page. I actually enjoy the editing, revising, and polishing processes, which take me forever…because getting the first draft down is excruciating.
I only have hard and fast rules about word count when I’m challenging myself to get the first draft out. I’m in the midst of one of those challenges right now, working on the fifth book in my Sons of the Spy Lord series. I’m shooting for 500 words per day, and so far not doing so well.
And so…I’d better get back to that book!
This is a blog hop, so hop along with my fellow MFRW authors and see what they have to say on this topic.
Image credits: MFRW, and Wikimedia Commons
I’m beginning to realize that my brain was in a totally different place when I wrote my blog post than everyone else’s LOL. I didn’t even think about daily word count, but that’s probably because a few years ago I had to stop setting word-count goals and focus on time spent in front of the computer. I agree with you that the bottom line is that a writer needs to get words on the page. We each need to do what works for us at the moment. There have been times in my career when I’d have laughed at Grisham’s 200 words a day, and other times when that rule would have felt far too demanding.
Going by time spent at the computer is another good way to manage, as long as I don’t start browsing through social media!
Good luck with the rough draft, Alina. They can sometimes be excruciating.
Oh boy, and this one is like pulling teeth!
Good luck with your draft. 500 words sounds doable, if you’re not me. LOL I set a goal for 600 words a day this year and yeah, it’s been a struggle. But I keep trying.
I like Nora Roberts’ philosophy–if the words aren’t on the page, we can’t fix them later.
AMEN! 200 words is still 200 you didn’t write yesterday:) Took me a while to learn that. Keep up the good work!
For sure, and thanks!
The thing with aiming for 500 or 200 words per day, or even 8 minutes of writing per day, is that is gets you to sit down and just write. Some days, you’ll undoubtedly write more than you expect, which is manna from heaven.
Isn’t it wonderful when the words flow?
Social media and blog posts like the ones we are doing for this challenge sure can get in the way of actual WIP writing. I’m learning to write first and check social media later…way later.
I’ve been trying to do the writing first also, Robin!