Tortoise vs. The Hare

When I started writing I was amazed at the pace some people are able to produce writing. There are authors who push out two or three books per year and they all seem t do relatively well and aren't riddled with poor sentence structure, etc.

I don't know how they do it. I know some have ghosts who take an idea and create a draft that the author then turns into a finished book, but there are others who do it on their own. I used to think that if I couldn't manage to produce at least at a similar level then I must not measure up.

One of many moments a new writer has to overcome on their path to a career.

The fact is, some people produce writing fast and others take their time. I think, and I may be wrong, that the fast crowd is heavily into story and drama and doesn't dive too deeply into the waters they write. The slow crowd, I believe, tends to take a more craftsman-like approach where there is little excess and each piece is thought out and shaped into something approaching art.

Or I could be wrong.

Either way, I was left wondering how to manage my own production. How do I keep my nose on the page and not wandering around outside?

There are as many tricks for this as there are writers, but one of the best is setting a daily or weekly word count. If you go to monthly, you will most likely let days pass without writing (never a good idea) and that will turn into weeks and then frustration.

I also don't believe there is a word count that is too low. One-hundred words per day will lead to a complete book and is a manageable goal. Five-hundred works too. And then there are those who manage two-thousand or more.

The point is, set a goal that doesn't feel overwhelming and then, as with all endeavors, be prepared to forgive yourself if you miss your count, but have ways to hold yourself accountable.