How Many Hours Should You Write Per Day?

How Many Hours Should You Write Per Day?

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In this post, I’d like to discuss the idea that to be a “serious” writer, you have to work for a certain number of hours each day.

Maybe you think you have to write for 8 hours a day to be a writer.

I don’t think that’s true.

There’s a lot of factors that will determine how much you can write per day and how quickly you can do it. Some people can write 2,000 words an hour. Others can’t type that quickly. Some people are even able to dictate books and can fill up 10 pages per day.

I have rarely seen anyone that can keep up 2,000 words an hour for many hours. Some people can, but I think it’s probably a smaller number of them.

Some people can only write 250 words in an hour, but they can keep up the pace all day.

So, which are you? And does it matter?

I think the easiest way to figure out what works best for you as an individual is just to write a lot and keep track of it. maybe you notice that you start to fizzle out after 3 hours. It doesn’t matter how many words you get in, you simply run out of steam and ideas after 3 hours. You might write really quickly but you burn out after an hour. That’s fine too. Just write every day and then see what average amount of words you write and how long you write for.

I did this for almost a year. While I did occasionally have some days where I wrote 5,000-7,000 words in one sitting, I averaged out about 2,500 words in 1-2 hours. Unless I was really on a roll and ended up around 4,000 words, or I was slugging along and couldn’t get down more than a few hundred.

I discovered that I should plan before I sit down to write. Even if it is only a few sentences of an outline that give me a jumping-off point, I need to know where to start. Then once I do, I won’t expect to keep going for more than 2 hours. If I’m still inspired, then I will keep going. Otherwise, I’ll stop.

I have had success breaking it up into multiple sessions. Perhaps I write once in the day during lunch hour and then I dedicate a few hours at night. This does help me to get in an extra thousand words or so, without feeling burnt out.

If I am writing a new manuscript, this means I might be able to write a 50,000-word manuscript in just over 2 weeks. That’s insanely fast and it’s only a few hours a day.

I find it nearly impossible to “pants” my way through like that, however. I have sat down and written a 70,000-word manuscript in a month. But it was pretty much garbage by the time I was done. This is partly because there are times when I struggle with “what’s next” while I’m writing, so it might end up with many twists and turns because I’m not sure where I’m going. Some people are amazing at just sitting down and going for it. It’s really individual.

So, my point is that if you’re a really fast writer, you might need to slow down and take the time to plot it out first. If you’re a really slow writer, it probably doesn’t matter as long as you still show up every day.

And finally, you can be a serious writer even if you only spend one or two hours writing a day. The thing that makes you a writer is that you show up and write.

I hope you’re all well!

Eliza

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