And I'm back with the next installment of "How to Not to Write a Novel." So. Word count. When starting out writing a book is a pretty daunting task. Especially for the beginner. There is a lot of pressure to get those words out! Authors post about getting thousands and thousands of words a day and the NaNoWriMo tallies are even worse!
So what happens when you aren't cranking out 10K a day? Well, feel awful for one thing... But, you aren't alone. Some authors can get two or three books out a year. Some get out one, some maybe one every other year.
The hardest thing to accept, if you aren't fast, is respecting your process. Maybe you can get 1K a week. Maybe only 250. Maybe you go for a week or two without writing anything then get 3k in a day.
It's easy to compare yourself to other writers. To feel bad that you aren't doing more, writing for five or six hours with only a fifteen minute lunch break. But not everyone writes the same way. Maybe you edit as you go, working carefully before putting new words down. Maybe you just charge to the end and vow to fix it later.
No matter how you write, books get written one word at a time.
Lastly for the interested- I already did the bloghop! It's on my Wordpress Blog!
5 comments:
Just checked out your blog hop article on Wordpress Blog. The book sounds really interesting.
I used to beat myself up for not measuring up to other people's definitions of 'productive writer'. I've learned to respect my process now. I know when I'm being lazy, and I know when I'm allowing the ideas to 'cook' before committing them to print--and I also know when I simply can't put in the time (or word count) because I'm committed to other priorities.
Woohoo! Comments!! Thanks Jewel and Liane!
I hope Tx3 is interesting! LOL! That was a saga to write...
And yes- the pressure to be productive is tough. Especially when so many non-writers think you aren't doing anything at all!
On the writing issue: I've gone through all phases. I started writing as a hobby, writing only when I have the desire to. I tried the NaNoRimo "unofficially" and failed miserably. But it prepared me for the times when I had to write my novellas in under a month ("From SKB with Love" in the "Holiday Brides" anthology)and under three weeks (Indiscretion).
But knowing that I can do it has given me the confidence and discipline to resist the pressure of word counts. My writing schedule now varies as I see fit. I don't consider writing as just being in front of a computer tapping on keys. While I'm letting my imagination run while is part of the writing process and that can be done any where, any time. Promoting, editing, reading and research are also parts of the process. So forget about word count.
I tell people that if you only write 300 words a day, you'll have nearly 40,000 words by the end of the year. Now I just have to take my own advice!
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