Word Count – Could It Be Hurting Your Writing Life?

Posted by in Publishing, Writing

At the beginning of national novel writing month, it’s worth asking, does setting word count goals help?

I’ve always had students who do this, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily counts. And then I’ve had students who are intimidated by this.

Here’s what I think. Sometimes having an artificial word count (even a ridiculous one like in NANOWRIMO) can help spur you on, move you past the negative judgmental voices in your head, and get you writing in flow. Even if you ultimately cut half the words you write, at least now you have a lot of words on the page to work with. Writing in flow to me is always the goal.

But creativity is definitely not linear. I have observed that there are times when I can show up and write out three pages effortlessly, and have to stop before I’m done. I have also shown up and had a paltry few sentences eeked out. In the end, what matters for me is whether I show up. There’s an ebb and there’s a flow, and the point is to be there through both. If I have an expectation that I must write 500 words and it’s just not there that day, that may throw me off and set me back much longer than accepting that today, in this hour, I am happy with 100 words, and tomorrow I may easily do 850.

So this month, sure, if it gets you going and you don’t beat yourself up too much for not hitting the goal that day (or in the entire month) go for it. But as a regular thing, I tell my students to commit to what they actually can control: showing up. Butt in the chair, fingers on the keyboard, ready to take dictation, or stumble blindly forward. Through the ebb and the flow, the up and the down, in the end, this is what produces new work.