My Secrets to Writing 6000 Words a Day
It’s not just about getting my butt in the chair.
I realized some time ago I am what one would term a “prolific writer.”
People in that category put out a lot of work and words, sometimes to their own detriment.
On average, I write 6000 words a day. Some of that is article writing for my own purposes, while I do others as ghostwriting. Being able to write fast as a freelancer definitely has its perks.
Other words go into my own books, short stories, and marketing blurbs. I won’t claim every word I write is gold, but an advantage of getting a lot out is I have more chances to make them decent.
I love sharing some of the methods I’ve come up with to make it happen, and hopefully, it will help you out as well.
I’m not the healthiest guy around.
Before delving too deep into what does work for me, I thought I’d share what I have going against me.
That way, you can see there’s nothing “magical” or “skilled” about it. I have quite a few health issues that cause direct resistance to getting words in.
I have arthritis, including in my legs, hands, and tailbone. Sitting for extended periods causes a lot of pain, unfortunately. Add to it fibromyalgia, and it makes quite an uncomfortable soup.
I’m also blind, though I have a small bit of visual acuity. It’s enough to allow me to have my monitor on an arm that lets me get it to within an inch or two of my face. If I squint like mad, I can make out some shapes of words.
It causes a lot of pain, though, so I try to limit that kind of thing to special moments.
I also have a ton of PTSD related to my writing, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and Dissociative Identity Disorder.
In other words, I’m a mess.
A lot of things conspire within me to find excuses not to write, and I suppose I have every reason in the world to avoid it.
I try to not let any of that stop me.
It’s definitely not about dictation.
A lot of authors swear by dictation.
There are a good amount of apps and software available these days to make dictation as easy as possible. With training, one can put out a lot of words using the method.
It’s not for me.
I love to get flowery in my fiction writing. I will sometimes spend long moments trying to come up with the best purple prose I can (within limits of boring the readers). I love coming up with interesting turns of phrase and ensuring my readers are always as hooked as they can be, pushing them to the next sentence and chapter.
Trying to do that with dictation is simply not in my bailiwick. More power to those who can, but when I try, my prose turns into “durr, brought flower.”
Interestingly, I hosted talk radio shows for years. I loved to talk on air, so using a microphone to get words out is definitely not unfamiliar. I just can’t do it with creative fiction or non-fiction.
I have deep respect for anyone who can do fiction descriptions with it. That’s a super-brain-to-mouth-action I simply do not possess.
I write daily.
There is something to be said about habits affecting your life in ways you might not consciously grasp.
A daily writing pattern has definitely been a big impactor on the number of words I’ve learned to churn out.
I have a routine I follow, regardless of if I feel sick or in pain. I will still try to accomplish some kind of goal with my writing career. One might even say I am obsessive about it.
Sure, sometimes it’s nothing more than reading articles from other folks and making comments, but I do my best to make sure the comments I leave are as in-depth and thoughtful as I can make them.
People inspire me. It makes me want to write more.
Writing, and reading other people’s work regularly are, I think, essential habits to get into.
That doesn’t mean neglecting the rest of your life, though. It’s important to take breaks when you need them. It’s just a goal, not a requirement.
I work in the same spaces.
Going with the idea of habit having an influence, I’ve also come to learn where I write is just as important as how I write.
If you’re wanting to get into good writing routines, a great way to start is to create a space for yourself devoted strictly to it.
If you have a spare room in the house, see if you can find a way to create a writer’s cave there. Got a few extra feet in the garage not being used? Pop a little comfy desk there with some things that inspire you.
Some people have limited room, but it’s still doable. The idea is to have a place in your house you dedicate only to writing.
That way, when you are there, you habituate your brain into “this is the time for writer’s mode.” The synapses are already firing on all cylinders and you’re good to go.
Adding to the space, it’s also important to use the same equipment. Don’t try switching keyboards around, or using different pens and notebooks, if you can avoid it.
The idea is to make everything as static as possible, so there is nothing in the environment that can cause resistance.
It’s a way of telling your brain to shut up and write.
Working within specific time-frames works for some, as well, but I rarely bother with it. I’m home and writing pretty much all the time, so scheduling is unnecessary for me.
Set goals for yourself.
This is, I think, where the real magic kicks in.
I love creating challenges for myself. No, not making my life challenging… it’s already that enough.
What I mean is to set goals you know you can achieve, if you try.
An example I do is a 30-day writing challenge.
One of my favorite things is to write short stories. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, anything that my little mind can explore, fascinates me.
My 30-day challenge is to, each day for a month, come up with a new short story.
Genre doesn’t matter. Length doesn’t really mean anything, either. The point is to have one story, fully written, edited, and ready for publishing each day.
I’ve reached it a few times. One particular month, I was able to make it to the 17-day mark and struck on an idea for a novel.
I finished writing that book in the next 13 days.
The cool part of that month was that the novel ended up being the seed of a trilogy series of urban fantasy awesomeness. I still write within the world I created that month.
If you currently do 300 words a day, try the challenge of making it 500 a day. When (not if!) you succeed, push it to 750 words in the day.
Make each step one you can reach easily if you were to put the energy into it. Don’t go from 500 daily words to 3000. You’re only going to break your own heart and discourage yourself.
Listen to what inspires, but doesn’t distract you.
The environment you write in makes a tremendous difference. That includes the things coming into your ears as you work.
When I write, I am always wearing my headphones. They’re comfortable, which helps keep distractions down. I barely notice they exist.
I listen to music as I write, but I avoid anything that has lyrics to it. I’ve tried to do otherwise before, but find myself accidentally setting a tone in my story or article that matches that of the lyrics, and I don’t want that.
What works well for me as genres are post-modern rock, symphonic or orchestral style, and progressive rock. I also love ambient sounds, such as space station atmospheres with spaceships coming in for landings and things of that sort.
I do it, though, because sometimes the house gets a little loud. I have two adult children who aren’t the quietest of folks at times, and a mother deep in the throes of dementia.
I need to be in my own little world to help make it happen.
Keep strict office hours.
I, thankfully, do not have to do this as much as I used to, but it might apply to your case.
People don’t understand, especially if you’re a full-time writer, that your time is sacred. It’s easy for Brenda to call and interrupt you. Mike is always disrespectful of your time.
“You can do that any time!” Oh my precious ears. I can’t tell you how many times I heard that stuff.
The harsh truth is, if you want to be serious about your progress, treat it like a job.
You have to set “office hours” for yourself and make sure everyone knows you are sticking to them. Be a stickler about it.
After all, Mike can’t get personal calls while he’s at his desk at work, and Brenda isn’t allowed to talk on her cell or have visitors come while she’s slinging burgers. Why should they think your “job” is any different?
The sad thing is writing is one of the few careers you can undertake where we have to train people to be considerate of our time.
Don’t get me wrong. If you have little-little ones and are trying to be a full-time writer while being a stay-at-home parent, it’s not always appropriate to do that kind of thing. The babies still need to be taken care of and they should come first.
However, my kiddos reached the age where they could entertain themselves and I felt I didn’t have to worry about them burning the house down. They knew when I was at my keyboard typing, they could take care of themselves for a bit. Unless someone was bleeding or smoke was in the air, they could handle themselves.
The same goes for our parents, friends, and relatives. Make sure they have reverence for the time you are investing in yourself and your career.
Take a number, oh person-who-keeps-interrupting-me. I’m working here.
There is, of course, more.
There are a lot of little tricks and tips I use to help up my personal word counts, but these things are the major players.
Once I got a handle on respecting time, habituating myself to the space and equipment, and cut the distractions, the only other thing was to have my butt in the chair.
Consistent writing garners experience, and experience breeds doing what you do faster. It just comes naturally with time.
The main takeaway for it all, though, is to be easy on yourself. Yes, I write a lot. Yes, other authors may write a lot, too.
But if you can only manage 500 words a day, there is nothing wrong with that. Do what you can, when you can. Do it, and you’ll always grow.
Stephen King only writes 2000 words a day, but he does it with every single passing of the sun, regardless of how else he feels.
Other stories from me:
About me:
I am an author with over a dozen books and dozens of short stories published. I have experience with both traditional and self-publishing and love to discuss the pros and cons of both.
Why do I write? Because I am blind and live on woefully low disability payments each month. The government graced me with trying to live on about $700 per month, and I decided to start publishing because I also like to be able to eat.
If you like my work and feel inclined to support it, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.
Thank you from the depths of my soul for being here. Keep striving to “be the best you that you can be” at this moment.
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