When the timer goes off, take a brief break (getting up to move is good), and rinse and repeat. Set a timer for 30 minutes (or longer) and focus only on your writing for that time. One way to utilize the time count method is to do sprints. And so what if I say I wrote for an hour, when really, ten minutes of that was staring? (And thinking deep thoughts, of course.) Does that count? Only you can decide, but it makes me feel like I’m cheating. I don’t like this method because I tend to stare off into space for periods when I’m writing. Time Countīut maybe you find tracking word count or pages anathema to your style. Trying to use word count for tracking in this situation is an exercise in frustration. Set a page goal depending on how much work the project needs and how much time you have and go to it. You might also use this method when editing or rewriting. If you’re using a smaller size notebook you might want to go for more.Īnd if three pages a day doesn’t sound like much, consider that at the end of just one month of diligent work, you’d have amassed 90 pages. I’m talking standard 8.5 by 11 size paper here. And three pages is a great amount to aim for. Taking a wild stab of a guess, 1,000 manuscript words might equal three pages handwritten. (And if your handwriting is anything like mine, its nearly illegible anyway, which makes the process more difficult.) Even the most dedicated of trackers will not want to count each word they’ve written in a notebook. But if you are a writer who likes to write drafts by hand, setting a page goal is going to work much, much better for you. Not bad! Page Countįiguring by the page is less accurate because of differences in font size, and individual preference. That’s a solid amount to achieve in a session, and doing it daily nets you a draft in 60 to 90 days. If you want to follow this method, a good daily word count to aim for is 1,000. To me, though, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. She wrote 5,000 words today and I only managed 500? What’s wrong with me? Comparing your production to that of others can make you discouraged. There’s no research on this, but this method can also lead to writer’s angst. Two hundred words to go? Let’s see how many extra words I can cram into this next paragraph! But that’s an extreme case. Desperately trying to reach your word count goal can lead to padding of sentences, and lower quality writing. But I have noticed a couple of drawbacks. This is the method I prefer because of its ease. If you make a note on a calendar or in your journal, it’s incredibly satisfying to go back and look over your progress. Set a word count goal, type away, check how many words you’ve written, end your session. This is because counting words is the most efficient and easiest to quantify. Instagram and Twitter are laden with posts from triumphant writers chortling about their word counts.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each. What is the best way to do it? There are several methods you can follow. But, seeing as how most writers will do just about anything to improve their output and their writing, it might be something you want to try if you’re not already doing it. What works great for me may just make you anxious and discouraged. Of course, the tricky part is figuring out what works for you. My modus operandi as a writer is to do whatever works to help me write more and write better, and I coach my clients to do the same. And since tracking is a form of setting and writing down goals, it follows that it is a helpful activity. But over and over again many different studies show that writing down your goals makes them more likely to happen.
A study at Duke University found that tracking steps made people walk farther - but enjoy it less. Looking to other kinds of tracking sheds a bit of light, but not much. Is tracking your words a helpful habit or a counter-productive one? Finding research on the benefits of tracking for writers is difficult, because it is apparently non-existent.
I just find that tracking helps keep me aware and on task in several areas of my life. I’m not obsessed, though it may sound like it. And, most of the time, I track my daily word count. Like so many others, I track my steps daily.