posted
So when you count the words you have written in a day, do you count only the new parts of a story which is incomplete, or do you count increases in words that happen as a result of editing a rough draft? Or both?
Posts: 440 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I try to finish the story first, then later I print it out and do all my editing with a ballpoint pen. So, I guess I just count the new words I've written.
Posts: 628 | Registered: Nov 2009
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posted
Why are you worried about counting every little word? Word count, I think, is just a general gauge to help keep you working. As long as you're working, writing or editing, you're doing it right. I'd say don't sweat it.
If you really need a hard number, use your own counting system. Anything will work as long as you keep it consistent.
posted
I fall into this all the time. I think the word count makes it easier to quantify our commitment or drive. Bottom line is for me at this point, it isnt about the number of words, because I am capable of writing 3,000 an hour, and if in a flow, a pretty decent rough draft at that, although I average 1,000 words an hour. I am more worried about quality of time. In other words 2 hours of editing, great, 2 hours of sitting and doing nothing, not great, even if I say, well I was thinking. Those are the hours I want back.
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posted
I guess I want to feel validated. When I see people posting about the 500 or more words they've written that day, and I've done around 150, I feel like a slacker. I am a slacker, really, but that just proves it to me.
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posted
Word counts are really meaningless in editing unless you are out to increase or decrease the word count. I am in the process of cutting ten thousand words out of my work, so movement in word count is critical. when simply editing, I have removed entire passages and added others, and while I might have wrote two thousand words, I ended up with only one or two hundred when I did a word count.
so the answer is, are you trying to change the word count or improve the work? If it is simply to improve the work, then ignore word count.
quote:I guess I want to feel validated. When I see people posting about the 500 or more words they've written that day, and I've done around 150, I feel like a slacker. I am a slacker, really, but that just proves it to me.
Don't fall into that trap of thinking more is better. Very easy to do in our numbers=results sort of society. You can write a single gem of a sentence that is worth more than 1000 words on another day. The important thing is to make the most of the time you have to write. Worry about writing words, not counting them.
quote:I guess I want to feel validated. When I see people posting about the 500 or more words they've written that day, and I've done around 150, I feel like a slacker. I am a slacker, really, but that just proves it to me.
I know exactly what you mean. I like having that number as well. But again, its just a word count. I stopped posting my 500 words because to be honest some times I did them in 20 minutes, but the 500 words dont mean 1/100th as much as the hours I have put in on a query letter that only amounts to 250 words.
I think word count can be a great motavator but, with writing there is more than just new words. The important part is just keep writing, whether its writing, editing, polishing, drafting, whatever you call it, each day.
For my added motivation I do either 500 words a day or an hour of editing, and such, query letter, synopsis. And then post in my word file. I like to see the weeks when I don't miss a day.
Even though I had a high word count for this week. There will still be a lot of work in editing. The only reason its high is from valuable lessons I have learned from people here about stop worrying about what you just wrote and keep moving forward. You can easily get lost if you keep stopping and reviewing what you just did. That's why its good to have an outline. If you haven't strayed to far from it. You don't need to back track to figure out what your characters are going to do next. If you already have there paths figured out all you need is to write it out as best you can for the first draft till its completion and then come back and edit once done. To many times have I failed because I stopped to worry about this direction or that direction, and lost motivation to continue or got distracted by another idea. Best thing is to get the story/novel written and then come back and poke at it latter.
Don't worry about word counts. Just write. I wrote all last night and have no clue as to the word count. I'm just happy I feel so inspired. Find what you want to write, and write it till it's finished, and don't look back till it's done.
That's my best advice I've learn here,
If you feel a daily word count is important just do a daily whole document word count. Write it down. Deduct the previous day and you have what you wrote that day, or in word for example if you highlight what you wrote that day and go under tools - word count. It will give you the highlighted areas word count.
Just a couple of thoughts,
W.
[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 28, 2010).]
posted
Thanks! I appreciate all the advice. My editing is to improve the story, btw, but part of that includes adding additional detail that I left out in the first draft--so my word count for this novel is increasing slowly. Not that I'm trying to pad the book, just make it richer and give it more sensory appeal.
Posts: 440 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
If I'm reading over what I've written before beginning new stuff for the day and add anything in, I count those words. If I'm doing my clean-up draft and add anything, no, I don't count those.
posted
Since I figured out that there was a feature on my word processor I could use to count words, I count it all---new stuff and revision inserts.
Back in the days of the typewriter, I counted pages---trying for four a day, but seldom reaching that high. I figured out word count when I was done with something. The word rate on pages is highly variable, though.
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