2600 words today, though I may get some more words in before bed. I had a pretty good writing day today. I passed the midpoint and am officially at the 26K mark, or around 52%.
I had a realization today. Don’t be scared of the math—there’s a lesson at the end.
This week, I’m on track to write approximately 20,000 words. I think this week is a “blah” week (boo hoo me), but really, it is compared to ME. I didn’t wake up early this week because my wife and daughter were sick and the season change affected me, honestly. If I had woken up early, I’m fairly certain I could have gotten in an extra 1000-2000 words per day, which might have put me somewhere around 30,000 words. That’s approximately 60% of NaNoWriMo in one week. That would have been a killer week.
But, let’s do some math:
- 20,000 words per week x 4 = 80,000 words per month
- 80,000 words per month x 12 = 960,000 words per year
That’s damn near Pulp Speed One (as Dean Wesley Smith says). It’s the very bottom echelon of what old school pulp writers used to manage. If you think I’m fast, pulp writers wrote circles around ME. Pulp Speed One is 1 million words per year, which is very hard for most to wrap their heads around.
But it’s doable. I’m not a full-time writer. I have a job, a family, and other obligations. I have housework and chores. I have to be an adult…but I can get the words in because I’ve trained myself to focus and eliminate anything that doesn’t serve my goals. Imagine what I could do if I did this full-time.
This isn’t about me so much as it is you. Don’t compare yourself to my numbers. But maybe your writing numbers are better than you think they are. Think long term.
Sure, you may only write one book per year. That’s 10 books in 10 years, and if you’re young enough (or old and healthy enough) to do this for a while, that’s 50 books 50 years, which is a respectable number.
I started publishing at age 27 and I wish I had started sooner. I average 10 books per year. Assuming I live to at least 75 years old and I publish consistently between now and then, that’s 750 books. To put that into perspective, Barbara Cartland is considered to be one of the most prolific authors in history (in the English language) at 723 books.
Wow…
It just goes to show you that the work you’re doing today, right now, at this very minute, matters. Even if you’re not having the best writing day. If you keep showing up and putting in the time and energy even when you don’t feel like it, one day you’ll wake up with a crapton of books—and people will line up to pay you for them. Forget what the critics and snobs say.
Anyway, just some simple math to show you the power of showing up.
Speaking of showing up, don’t forget that I have a power hour tomorrow at 10AM Central Time.
Anyhoo, I’m off to publish a book. 🙂
WANT TO WIN NANOWRIMO THIS YEAR?
Check out this bundle of 16 books (including one of my own) to help you CRUSH NaNo this year: https://storybundle.com/nano
PROGRESS SO FAR:
Spirit Chaser (The Good Necromancer Book 3): 26,000 words.
Editing Book: 11,300 words. With proofreader.
Dictation Book: 12,500 words. With proofreader.
Author’s Guide to Strategy: 16,000 words. Published.
The Self-Publishing Advice Compendium: (Pre-Beast Mode book): 98,000 words. Published.
How to Write a Novel without an Outline: 43,100 words. With my cover designer.
Cold Hard Magic: 50,200 words. Published.
Indie Author Confidential Vol. 7: 14,900 words.
Rat City (Chicago Rat Shifter Book 2): 76,000 words. Published.
Writing App Book: 16,500 words. With my cover designer/
Writing App Tool: 100% complete
Indie Author Confidential Vol. 6: Published.
