I call myself a writer. I’ve been doing the writing thing for a few decades. In high school, I was recruited into our newspaper staff, more like shamed into it, by my English teacher, Sr. Marie, a Benedictine nun. She read aloud one of my essays in English Literature class, but kept the source anonymous. I squirmed in my seat, the heat of embarrassment unnoticed. Then she announced that the writer should join the school newspaper. Did I need a more directly indirect directive? The truth is, I didn’t think my writing was good enough for the newspaper staff. I felt like an outsider to their exclusive club and after-school huddle. Did they begrudge assigning stories to me? I thought so. Sure, my school grades were decent. I escaped English Lit finals a couple of semesters due to my consistently high grades. But writing for a readership? Well, I’m not saying I invented the Imposter Syndrome but I identified with ease. Yet, a similar scenario of being singled out occurred in my college freshman year. We had to define success in my English 101 basic writing class. Whatever I’d written escapes me now BUT my professor handed out copies, writer unidentified, as a model essay.
Years later, I freelanced by penning feature articles for our local newspaper, finally comfortable with bylines and being considered a writer. With a stint as a news reporter, long career as a grant writer, playwright of two staged one-acts, screenwriter, novelist with two published books, I still cringe before sitting down to write! If I’m an imposter, it doesn’t matter because I’m miserable when I’m not writing! It’s the core of my makeup, and the writing muscle needs to be exercised to prevent atrophy. Neglect of the writing habit would create additional stress in my psyche and a road block to achieving my best self.
Okay, I’m a writer, grateful for published work, if that’s the defining measure. The next hurdle? Productivity. I attend virtual seminars and workshops, in-person conferences, webinars, etc. I’ve heard authors claim an average of three published books per year. Some esteemed writers have published 20 or more books annually and sustain a massive following. I don’t fit the profile. Seven years lapsed between publishing Book One and Book Two of my five-novel series. I’m now drafting Book Three of “The Miriam Chronicles.” I could easily succumb to the “what is wrong with me?” mentality but that doesn’t solve anything.
Here’s my new motto. When it comes to writing, productivity can only be measured by the outcome. Oh, I get it. Writing is messy business, whether you’re a plotter, pantser, or combo of the two. I’m a plotter who regularly deviates from the plot. I call myself a plotter with pantser tendencies. A former member of my writing group wrote 80,000 words before getting to the heart of her story. Most of her pre-writing would be cut. I can’t relate. I’m a miser when dispensing words that process through my imagination and thoughts before flowing to my fingers. And I need a blueprint or sequence of plot points to work from before committing to the story. Still, new and unexpected characters pop up. The storyline can change directions at any time, but it has to diverge from something initially intended.
Another question remains. How much does the average writer write per day? Prolific writers, especially the ones making a fulltime career of it, average 1000 words daily at minimum. There are exceptions. William Faulkner wrote up to 10,000 words per day. Ernest Hemingway wrote an average of 500 words and stated, “When I am working on a book or a story, I write every morning as soon after first light as possible.” I’ve read online that it takes roughly 30 minutes to write between 300 and 500 words. If that’s the case, I could conceivably write 1,000 words in an hour! But I doubt it.
The key is not to measure your success by someone else’s writing habit. You, the writer, will learn what suits you. Learn about yourself as a writer. What time of day is best for your creative process? I prefer predawn, like 4am to 6am. Do you set project deadlines? Do you have a plan? With my first book, “Unearthing Christmas” months went by between writing stints to complete the first draft. But something happened half way through. Once I committed to the story, I persevered. And I credit the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reaching the finish line. The first edition was published in 2015 and survived two more publishers since then. In 2022 “Unearthing Christmas” was depublished by the current publisher who merged with my former one. Crazy as it sounds, “Unearthing Christmas” climbed the ranks to an Amazon Bestseller last year in the subgenre of Teen and Young Adult Christian Sci Fi.
I don’t count words. A story needs to settle in my mind, an indispensable reality. For me, devoted time to thinking about the story is tantamount to knowing the characters.
My advice? If the word count is part of your discipline, then use it. If not, then commit to your writing with other goals in mind. Remember, it’s a process, not a contest. Once you commit to a story, whether fiction or non-fiction, you will tell it. You must tell it. Embrace the process.
I’ll close with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Mark Twain. “A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.” But first, put your heart and soul into the messy business of it! Eventually, you’ll know what belongs and what shapes your story! Happy writing!