How Often Should You Be Writing:

There isn’t a simple answer to this question. Like most things in life, it depends. Your free time, your ability to focus, how much research your project requires, and a dozen other factors all play a part.

The average writer produces somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 words per day. Stephen King (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, It) once said he aims for 2,000 words daily. Many writers start to feel inadequate when they can’t reach it, but we are all different.

In an interview with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones), King admitted even he doesn’t always hit that goal. His consistent target is closer to 500-1,000 words. That’s still good—but remember, writing less doesn’t make you less of a writer. If you write and finish your work, you’re a writer. Period.

Here are a few examples of daily averages from well-known authors:

Tom Wolfe: 135 words

Jack London: 1,500 words

Sarah Waters: 1,000 words

J. G. Ballard: 1,000 words

Ernest Hemingway: 500 words

Arthur Hailey: 600 words

Anne Rice: 3,000 words

I’m not sure what my personal average is. Some days I hit 2,000 words, other days more than 7,000. But I often write ten hours a day, which brings me to time.

I write when I can. I’m addicted to it and feel guilty when I’m not writing, as if I’m letting myself or my family down. That mentality comes from years spent training, teaching, and fighting for a living. I used to tell myself, “If I’m not training, someone else is.” The same applies to writing. If you’re not writing, someone else is—and that someone is your competition.

When shouldn’t you write?

Don’t write if you’re not enjoying it. Don’t write when you’re stressed. Don’t write just because you read this post. Write because you’re compelled to, because you love it. Otherwise, what’s the point?

There are no rules to writing. Do it as often as you’re comfortable and enjoy the process. Writing 1,000 words a day will give you a 90,000-word novel in about three months. Writing 500 words a day will take six months to reach that same length.

Just don’t stop until you’re finished.

Challenge yourself.

C. R. Buchanan