Target setting with a novel can be your friend as well as an enemy.

Previous posts will highlight how by Thinking-Less and Writing-More, I have come leaps and bounds to being capable of writing a 60k MS within 6 weeks. Believe me, back in the day when I was hitting 3 months to get anywhere near that level, current improvements are amazing.

What spurs me on is aiming for a 2k daily word target (or less if it’s a short chapter).

Now, by setting 2k, it can stifle productivity, because all we do is aim for the 2k, rather than going with the flow and letting the word count form of its own accord. For me – I do need a target.

It gets me going.

And I don’t just stop with 2k a day. I aim for 12k per week (a little leeway allowed rather than 2 x 7 days)… and if for ‘whatever’ reason I miss a day, or don’t hit the word count, then I have to pull in double time on the weekend to hit the 12k goal line.

Each session of writing starts with an A5 page that lists the key events planned for the chapter. Of course they can change as the story unfolds, but it’s a marker for me.

Then, as I write, every 10-15 mins, I take stock of the word count. In the past, I was averaging 400 words per hour. That is a terrible stat, and it was because I thought too much. Now, thinking less, I can easily hit 1000 words per hour. 2k per day suddenly became a doddle.

There’s nothing better than when you hit the point of having 500 words left to go… then 300… and soon 100.

So, if you can only put aside time to do 500 words a day, and you commit to it, then there’s a chance you can have a novel completed quicker than stop/starting whenever your mood allows.

Are you with me?

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