Years ago, I decided that New Year’s resolutions dealing with productivity and, thus, increased future revenues, were far more fun than those of the weight loss variety. So, I switched to resolutions that would, quite simply, end up increasing my bottom line. The more books I write and release, the more money I make. It’s that simple. The problem? Finding the time to be that productive! (And, yes, I still try to eat healthy and get exercise but I don’t need to a New Year’s Resolution to remember to do that.)
During my early morning writing routine, I used to try to pack a certain number of pages in before the mayhem of the day took all my attention. But, using that method, my productivity was inconsistent. A different page size in MSWord, a different type of book (i.e. non-fiction with more paragraph breaks than a novel), or even a fiction passage with more dialogue than other parts of the book could skew my results.
A few weeks ago, I switched gears. I started aiming toward a solid word count goal for each morning and it’s working great!. This is how I do it:
Once I sit down at my laptop, before I do anything else (including checking email, the weather, Facebook, etc.), I close my “home office” door, tell everyone that I am not to be interrupted except for emergencies, open my current book file in MSWord, and:
1. Re-read and re-edit what I wrote yesterday.
2. Type at least 750+ new words (using MSWord’s word count function). I can type more than 750 but I can’t ever type less.
3. I am allowed NO editing during typing. No back spaces for quick corrections. No pesky changes that can wait until later. I just allow my brain to run on overdrive and my fingers follow suit.
4. After I have my 750 words in, only then can I go back and edit.
NOTE: I never stop writing at the end of a chapter. I always go ahead and begin the next chapter. It’s easier (for me, at least) to pick up in the middle of action, or the middle of a topic, than it is to start something fresh first thing in the morning.
The following day, I do it all over again. Writing seven days a week, by the end of the month, I will have typed and edited 22,500 words. Sure, I’d like to type more but I’m running a business AND homeschooling two children. If your schedule isn’t as hectic as mine, you can probably do more!
I was inspired to try a daily-word-count method by the book 5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox. While I’d love to try to create at that level, it’s unrealistic for my current lifestyle.
If you try this method, too, let me know how it works out for you!
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Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
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I wrote 1500 words on Sunday and 1700 this morning. 🙂
Okay – I tried this over the three day weekend and I was amazed at how much I wrote. The key is TURN OFF YOUR INTERNAL EDITOR. Do not look back at the material written – just write more words. Thanks Angela for the tip.
This is actually smart!
I am glad someone has done serious research into this.
I tried the ‘I can write a page an hrs hour so I will write 4 hrs’ routine and it didn’t work. I would always stop to edit. But saying 750 words — that is doable (especially if you DON’T edit).
As a linux-head I have an easier method of counting words. Most Windows and Mac users have been trained to hate and fear the command line. I use it to save keystrokes and mouse clicks. I learned how to touch-type many decades ago. Mouse clicks take my hand off the keyboard.
First I do use a mouse click to open a console window. For a column I am already in my
home directory. For a book I create a separate directory and switch to it e.g.:
mkdir /usr/local/active/newbook.
cd /usr/local/active/newbook
I type all documents using a plain text editor, Gvim. e.g.:
gvim cct346.txt
cct means an editorial column from the Carroll County Times and 346 is my column number. The
gvim editor appears on my screen in a window but the console command line is still there in my console window. So I enter another command in the console window after I have typed for a while.
wc cct346.txt
This command gives me three numbers, number of characters, number of words, and number of lines.
As work progresses I click on that console window periodically
do an up arrow (shows the last command entered, e.g., wc cct346.txt) and do a carriage return. So with one mouse click, an up arrow and a carriage return I get the latest count. I try to make my newspaper columns no less then 550 words and no more than 750 words. Newspapers have minimum and maximums to be considered..
When writing books the page count is more important than a the word count. Less than 100 pages is more likely to be a pamphlet. If I change margins, or page size, or font size, or spacing between lines, or even the format of chapter head pages, the page count goes up or down. If I am preparing the book using some form of TeX I write a little script that has several steps: generate the book, generate the index, generate the book again (this step includes an up to date toc and index) and and then view the pdf. The pdf shows me the page count on the bottom of its window. I can use that script over for other books, e.g.,
pdftex book.tex
makeindex -s latex.ist book.idx
pdftex book.tex
okular book.pdf
I use okular for viewing pdfs but Windows users can as easily use Acrobat Reader.
I always name books as “book.tex” or “book.sla” etc..so I can use the same script over and over again.
Scribus makes placing graphics on text pages much easier but generating the TOC and the index much harder. Once again the plain text format comes to the rescue. From the pdf file I can save the text and use that file in text format useful as the basis for a TeX file created solely for generating an index and TOC.
Hmm: Maybe this comment is really an article. Use it as you wish.
Great advice! A little tricky for those of us who are compelled to edit and re-edit and re-edit as we go! But I’m willing to take the plunge! A big “thank you” for all your help with my novel: Bridge of Sighs and Dreams!” Happy New Year!!! Cheers!!!
I love this, and I’m going to commit to 1,000 a day for 2016!
I have always enforced a 1000 word commitment on myself. it’s like, You can’t go anywhere until you eat your peas. Stephen King does 2000, to which I aspire.