How many words should I write a day?

I wish I had an easy answer for this, but there’s no rule for how much a fiction writer should be aiming for. I try to be consistent in my daily word count, but I often fail.

I set my target at 2,500 words a day. That’s no small amount, but I also take weekends off. Usually I end up below target at 2,000 before making up for it on other days. When I was a ghostwriter I was responsible for 5,000 words a day, but the quality of writing suffered in turn.

Nowadays I’m more relaxed. Sometimes I get up to 4,000 words a day, and sometimes I fall as low as 500 words a day. Oftentimes I’ll technically start at 9:30 AM only to get all of my work done before 12 PM or just between 4-6 PM.

My writing process might hit a wall until I go for a bike ride or play a video game to whip it back into shape. Often I can spend several hours researching a topic like the history of rock-paper-scissors because I think it’s a vital step in writing the next scene. Is it? I’m not sure, but forcing myself to stare at a blank page often does more harm than good.

Discipline is a great idea, but my best writing often comes in a flood in the last hours of the night. I think a lot of writers benefit from finding out their most creative times and spaces and letting those carry the brunt of the writing work. I write while lying bed, which is a big no-no… but it’s comfortable and relaxing. My most productive time of day is 11PM followed closely by 3-6 PM, so I try not to stress out if the morning proves unproductive. Of course this becomes harder if you have other obligations during the day.

As for writer’s block? When I’m stuck, I brainstorm lore, write blog entries, redo my synopsis, or move on to the next scene. I also do a lot of unnecessary research because I’ve found that it also gives my plot ideas time to sit and percolate. Sometimes I also get some extra tidbit of authenticity from that research, so it always gets me jumpstarted on being productive.

I think 1000 words a day is a good goal for everybody to aim for, because that’s enough words to get the creative juices flowing more freely. Of course if you feel better at fewer or more, change your goal to follow suit. Every writer is different, and every project will vary as well.