Everyone writes at their own pace. While some of us can easily crank out 2,000 words per day, others take their time and write a couple of hundred. It also depends on how many distractions you have in front of you.
For instance, it’s difficult to carve a bit of time to write when caring for young children.
Some people seem to think that I’m some kind of gifted wizard when I sit down to write. In reality, it’s more about putting everything I’ve learned over the last decade into practice.
I’ve spent a lot of time developing my skills and workflow. I didn’t just wake up one day thinking I could write a new book every two months or so.
Writing 2,000 Words Per Day During the Sprints
I started the writing sprints as a way to keep myself accountable. If I am live, there is the potential that someone will join or watch the show. Essentially, I’m using viewers to stand over my shoulder to make sure I’m writing.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to write. My issue is that I am often easily distracted and will wind up doing something else instead of working on my books.
Anyway, the writing sprints have been extremely helpful in finishing Shadows of Atlantic City and Fury, my next two books.
So, what goes into whipping up 2,000 words per day during the writing sprints?
I Am a Plotter
I don’t know why there is any debate about plotters vs pantsers. In the grand scheme of things, it all comes down to what works best for you. As long as you can put together a comprehensive story people like, that’s all that really matters.
Before I start writing a book, I plot out and outline key moments throughout the entire manuscript. Then, I just have to worry about connecting the dots.
This is what works best for me, especially since I forget a lot. This isn’t to say that I don’t add more to the outline. In fact, in the last couple of writing sprints, I added a great deal that wasn’t in the original outline.
Block of Dedicated Time
I schedule a two-hour block of time Monday through Friday to write my books. These are chunks that I arranged to not interfere with everything else I plan on doing that day.
In that two-hour period, I can write about 2,000 words per day, depending on the scene and whether I have a headache or not. Sometimes I can write around 1900, and on other days, I’ll crank out nearly 2400.
The point here is that I set aside time specifically for writing my books. If I don’t, I’ll either forget or get sidetracked with other tasks. And timing it with the live writing sprints helps reinforce the sense of urgency that I need to write.
Forcing a Stop After 25 Minutes
I purposely stop writing as soon as the writing sprint timer goes off after 25 minutes. Usually, I’ll even stop in mid-sentence.
This is to give me a quick break, allowing my mind to process what I’ve written and come back to the story somewhat refreshed.
It’s kind of like a form of tantric writing. I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I always seem to keep the flow going by hitting the breaks once my time is up.
Relaxing Ambience
Some people listen to music, and some people need to have it absolutely silent to write their books. In my case, I love having a background ambiance of nature. It’s kind of like turning on the TV just to have something going on in the background.
White noise, if you will.
So far, the rainforest and beach sounds that I created with Epidemic Sound have been the most engaging. There have been times when I was blown away by how fast 25 minutes seemed.
Perhaps one of the reasons why this works so well for me is because the sounds that I use help relax my mind. When you’re as stressed as I am, nature sounds work well to center yourself.
Not Focusing on Perfection
If I had to pick just one piece of advice for new writers, it’s not to worry about creating a perfect first draft. The book you start writing today is not the one you’ll publish tomorrow.
That’s because you’ll undoubtedly go through and make various changes to the manuscript. Not even Stephen King writes a perfect first draft.
Yes, you’ll want to tell the best story you can from the beginning. But don’t worry about trying to fix everything until you start the editing process. Editing as you write can slow you down and prevent you from hitting 2,000 words per day.
This isn’t to say that editing while you write is bad. Some people are perfectly capable of doing so. For me, though, it’s all about writing that first draft and then fixing it up later.
It’s more of a confidence booster than anything, and being proud of the accomplishment that I finished yet another first draft of a book. That feeling of pride keeps the fire burning to publish.
Typing Speed (obviously)
I’ve been typing in one form or another since I was nine years old. At 15, I was typing at around 68 words per minute with a 98% accuracy.
I usually test myself every couple of months using a variety of typing test apps online. Some of them have a social element that makes the process fun, so they’re worth your time if you’re curious.
Regardless, you’ll improve your speed the more often you type. But as they say, practice makes perfect.
Why Is Writing 2,000 Words Per Day Easy for Me?
There are a lot of people out there who can write more than 2,000 words per day. I see a lot of people on Threads share as much. But for someone who has an awful lot on his plate, it’s perhaps the best goal for my situation.
I’ve always been able to process information quickly as I write, which is one of the reasons why I was so successful with content mills like Textbroker.
I’m not perfect, mind you. In fact, my edits are often quite extensive when polishing up the first draft. But I’m probably one of the few authors out there who loves the editing process.
It gives me a chance to relive my story and to make it better for others. After all, you gotta love what you write if you want to maintain being successful.
I’ve been called “gifted” by viewers on YouTube because I can write without hesitation. I don’t suffer from writer’s block like many others and have developed methods for myself to keep writing.
For instance, I’ll often write a book out of order instead of dwelling on a specific scene.
I don’t know if it’s a gift rather than knowing what I want to create and then putting in the effort to connect it all together. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been writing since I was so young and it’s essentially part and parcel of who I am.
In any case, I suppose I’m thankful that I have the time and motivation to write 2,000 words per day.
My oldest son asked if I was afraid of burning out as I write every day. My response was, “Absolutely not.” I am a writer, and if I could write blogs and books all day long, I would. I have stories upon stories that are waiting to be told.
Find What Works Best for You
Don’t try to force writing. Just because I can write 2,000 words per day, doesn’t mean you’re any less of a writer if you can’t. As I said before, our individual situations dictate our productivity.
The best thing you can do is to keep motivating yourself to continue with any bit of writing time you can carve out. Those small baby steps are what lead us to run. But without learning balance in the beginning, you’ll crash head-first into a coffee table.
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