Does Your Word Count Count?

By: Ella Unguren

​ When I took a gap semester from college, my foremost concern was this: how can I develop my writing abilities while not in school? At first, I decided I would simply write all the time. Thousands and thousands of words a day, all polished and ready to be sent off to publishers.

​Obviously, this was not accomplished. What with working a full-time job and trying to fit in time for my other hobbies, I found it harder than ever to write even a couple hundred words a day before I was too exhausted to think of another sentence. This caused a great deal of anxiety for me — how could I ever hope to become a great writer if I wasn’t turning out several pages of high-quality work every day?

​In my quest to find a healthy medium, I started researching the word counts of famous writers for inspiration. Stephen King currently writes about a thousand words a day. Brandon Sanderson aims for two thousand, although often writes much more. Graham Greene said he writes five hundred words a day and then quits, no matter where he is in a scene. The more I looked, the more variation I found. Everyone had highly different word counts, as well as different standards for how polished that daily writing was.

At first, I felt frustrated by the lack of consistency in these answers. I had hoped that most of these writers would have a similar word count or routine — the perfect routine. However, I quickly realized that a perfect routine didn’t exist. The trick is finding the one that allows you to write effectively.

​Currently, I write one thousand words a day. It isn’t polished writing, mind you — it’s about as rough as writing can get, and most days I read back what I spat out and can’t find anything worth salvaging. However, I’ve seen two major benefits from this practice. First, I’ve been able to comb through this writing and pick out different sections and ideas to fit into other projects. I’ve been able to compose essays and short stories based on little segments I jotted down a few months ago and forgot about. It’s incredibly helpful and allows me to have an idea bank whenever I’m feeling uninspired. Secondly, my writing has improved! It’s very gratifying to read through a day's writing and feel proud of what I’ve produced.

When it comes down to it, your daily writing quota is entirely up to you. You get to choose how many words it should be, how polished the final product is, or if you have guidelines at all. Above everything else, the most important thing to remember is this: write something. Whether that be five pages of polished writing or a hundred quick words jotted down before bed, taking a little time every day to get something on the page is the best way to improve as a writer.