Chris himself writes 7000 a day, if you didn't know. I believe that you should just get into the flow and keep it like that for 60 minutes. Edit: I just paid attention to the video and realised that this is exactly what he said. Sorry for wasting your time.
This is so good! I always used to think that 1million words was way out of reach. But I came to the same realization earlier this year and now I'm on track to hit this goal. Just about 170k away. Great reminder to keep pushing the limits. Thanks Chris!
Chris - Great video! The message was inspirational, and has me examining how I can increase my own productivity. This was the (very polite) kick in the pants we writers need from time to time to smash through our plateaus!
this is why I don't set myself word limits. What usually happens for me is that I go on writing binges where I set down an entire vignette in a single day, and usually do pretty much nothing else. Then I can't do anything for weeks on end. This is why I haven't published anything, well that and I'm a better editor than I am a writer xD.
Thanks for the shout out, Chris. I'm a firm believer that many limits are self imposed. I remember when 1k a day was hard. When 5k a day became standard while still working a full time job, I knew it was time to level up. There are simply too many stories sitting in my head needing to get out! Keep at it!
Thanks for lighting a fire under me. I've maintained a great speed since I've come home, and it doesn't feel that challenging. 7k is very doable every day, though I still struggle to consistently make it beyond that. Practice, practice, practice. So many stories, so little time =D
Thanks, Chris! You know I needed this. You’re my mentor in my head lol I always love your motivational videos! Great to hear you’re having fun writing your latest novel!
I'm aiming to write 3,000 words a day. My ultimate goal, my definition of super-success, is to some day make $2,000 a month with my writing. It seems utterly impossible to me at this point, but I'm going to work at it and throw off my self-imposed limitations.
I'm always battling in my head about words per day productivity. Half of me wants to settle on 20 - 25k per week, because it allows me not to stress and feel comfortable in achieving my goals. The other half of me wants me to write word counts I've never gotten to yet, and basically be working on this 16 hours a day. The first half has been winning recently, even though it is very hard to convince myself I should be content with the amount. Now I think my mind is back to chaos again.
Good video man, as always. I was aware of this and I was a bit confused to see you staying at 5k words a day, but I said "well, that works for him" and didn't mentioned it. Chris, I do have a question for you, maybe you can even put it into a video even which would be awesome a give me a better answer, but that's up to you. The matter is regarding your book "Write to Market", and in a video not so long ago you put a video of guys doing it great that applied what you teached in Write to Market right, with even some doing actually incredible. I watched it, but something struck me odd, maybe is my lack of experience with Amazon, but one of the Author you showed had a book in some genres that, when I saw, I thought they were really full with competition, but the Author put a book there and managed to be successful. My question is then: ¿How do you know when a market, lets say, Space Opera, is full, and when it has chances for new Authors to publish their books in said market? I understand that the answer will not be set in stone, but I'm asking for your opinion and knowledge of what you consider when a market is full and when a market is open for new authors to establish themselves. I thought previously that I had it but with your video it was clear to me that maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture. Thanks for your time.
This video comes at the perfect time. I’ve been struggling with writing two weeks out of the month for the last couple months because of hormonal issues that make me ADHD and depression systems worse. A couple of days ago, I felt like giving up and planned to only write during my two most functional weeks and do other stuff for the bad weeks. Then I remembered that I had already messaged my psychiatrist for an adjustment in my medication to help me function better during those weeks. He granted my request, and if need be, I can take an antidepressant as well. So, I just wanted to say that even if mental health is a limit, talking to a psychiatrist about it can help, and that’s what I finally did. I’m just so relieved that I might be able to feel like my old self again when my medication worked fine all month long. I hope to get back to writing and publishing more often, and I almost want to cry in relief.
Only those who suffer from depression really understand how it saps the color from the world. I'm so glad to hear you're finding a medication that works. Mental illness is incredibly common among creatives, and most of us understand how tough it can be. Hang in there =)
Great video, Chris. This couldn’t have come at a better time! At some point I’ve convinced myself that I only had on average 3 writing hours available per day-and it’s really been bothering me. But after this video, I realise that I have way more than 3 hrs if I weed out the time-killers (twitter, deciding on meals for the day, etc.) there’s at least another 90 mins waiting to be filled with writing. Thanks for the kick up the backside 🙂 Quick question: how long do you allow for your planning? Additional question: do you still write on those days, or do you focus solely on the new story?
Quick answer: As long as it takes. That meant 3 extra weeks of planning on Void Wyrm that I didn't budget in when I set up the preorder. It hurt, but I made myself do it. I don't think it's ever worth shortchanging the planning process. Additional Answer: I'm always plotting, even on writing days. It's sort of the accretion model. I add a bit to several different books. So, for example, today I added a note to The Ark War, another to Helios Ship, and a third to Magitech. I still write my words on those days. However, when it comes time to buckle down and make a hard outline that's all I do on those days. It usually takes 2-3, and I definitely don't write while doing that kind of heavy mental lifting.
Thanks for taking the time to give a detailed answer. I've wondered about the balance of writing new words and outlining for a while now, and I've been unable to find anyone talk about it. Good luck with the writing, and thanks for sharing these super helpful videos. :)
Chris, is it possible for you to stream one of you daily writing sessions? Filming the whole session from start to finish so we could see your speed, the kind of first draft you create, and stuff like that. It would be a tremendous source of motivation to watch that and then write along.
Yes! Loved this and as usual this video comes at the perfect time. NINC made me realize I'm not working as hard as I could be. I too want to make 7500 and up my new normal. If we're not growing we're not progressing. Thanks, friend! There are no limits!
Thanks for this. Some people thought I was crazy for trying to write 25k a week (daily goals are tough with work and insomnia) especially since I never broke 10k in a week. Well, I'm about to hit 20k for the first week and even if I fail, I still broke a milestone. Yeah. Failing can feel.good :)
Although I’ve decided not to measure my daily success in writing by word count, I think this is an awesome video and your point remains just as poignant. Since my second book was published a lot has changed in my life, much having to do with how I am changing and beginning to see the kind of life I’m living more clearly, and what I want that life to look like one day, and includes my life as a writer, especially a published one. My productivity has grown considerably in writing, as has my sense of vision and willpower to execute that vision and bring it to life, and for the first time I’m learning how to push past crippling self doubt and allow myself to love my own art as if it were a favorite author’s of mine. And this in turn pushes me forward and makes me hungry and excited as an artist, as a writer.Anyway, wonderful video. Among many other wonderful videos!
Loved this, but gonna start small. My current target is 3k words daily, I'll up it to 5k - I dont want to know how it feels to set a 10k goal and not reach it. Cheers Chris.
Great advice! I'm just two weeks into writing the first draft of my first book, and I will strive to remember this video every time I sit down to write. Thank you for this.
While I agree with pushing yourself to be better, at what point will you experience "The Law of Diminishing Returns" I've been hearing so much about lately? Okay, so you write 10K words a day; at what point does that become 3K words too much? When you're so brain-dead from pushing yourself that you can't think straight? It's almost like saying just because Arnold Schwarzenegger could bench-press X amount of weight in his prime, I should be able to do so as well. Consequently, I think this is different for everybody. This can easily become a game of comparing yourself to others when, in fact, you'll never be them; you can only be yourself. But you can be your BEST self. I'm all for pushing yourself, but-not to override this video's title and main thought-you have to know your own limits.
I guess what I don't understand is what's lost in the attempt? I try for 10k a day and find that 7,500 works better. I'm still way ahead of where I was, and all it cost me was a few tough days of trying to find my new limits. And about comparing yourself to Arnold here's the question. Do you want to be the best powerlifter in the world? Do you want to go for Mr. Olympia? Then yes, you need to compare yourself to Arnold. Limits are personal, and each of us gets to decide what ours are. Maybe you don't want to go on that kind of obsessive quest to the best that results in comparing yourself to the top people in your field. I do. I want to be the best in the world at this when I'm 60. And that requires big dreams. Many of the authors I work with only want to finish a book every couple years. They're fine at 1,000 words a day and not looking to go any faster. There's no right path. Like you said, it's different for everybody. But we're so conditioned in our society to not try, and not push ourselves, and to pat ourselves on the back for the slightest amount of effort. I think we're capable of more.
I get where you are coming from, but I think one of the major points he mentioned is that he said "I'm feeling comfortable with 5k words". I think that was the point. You are completely right in what you're saying there, but think of it from the other side. What I mean is: Instead of increasing more and more and then eventually recognizing "wow this is way too much", maybe think more like "hey, if I'm honest with myself, this is actually a bit to easy, I'm not even working up a little sweat while doing this".
