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.
If you really need a hard number, use your own counting system. Anything will work as long as you keep it consistent.
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).]
But yeah, word count is just a rough guide.
When editing already written fiction, I count pages.
When editing already written fiction, I count chapters. 
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.
When editing old fiction, I count lines changed in my revision control system.
Mercurial rules (if you save your stuff as .rtf, not .doc).