I’m proud of my word output, minuscule though it may be.
I’ve written over 8,400 words in the last two weeks. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot for most professional writers. In fact, I know it’s not a lot. I listen to podcasts where people talk about a daily output of 1,000 to 2,000 words a day. In fact, I heard one where the person (humble)bragged about being able to write 5,000 words per day. Makes my average of 560 per day seem rather anemic.
That is when I stop, take a step back, and remind myself of a few things. The people who I’ve heard talking about writing massive quantities of words and put out multiple books a year are people who write as a full-time job. They have a supportive spouse and family that they can depend on.
Me, I’m juggling my day job, caring for my mother, and behind-the-scenes work of self-publishing all on my own. And did I mention that Sherbert likes to help me write?
So, yeah. I’m not going to be one of those people who put out a book every three months. At this point, I’ll be lucky to put out a book a year. My day job isn’t going away anytime soon. My mother, knock on wood, won’t be either. So I’m learning to not compare my output to people who can sit in front of their computer for eight hours and do their job. Those people put out multiple books a year. Does that make me a failure to only be able to do one book a year?
No, it does not.
Now once I start publishing, things may change. I’m fumbling around right now, learning everything as I go. And I know there are a few tricks I could use to up my output. But here’s the important thing. I get to decide what success is. If it’s writing 840 words a day, good. If it’s writing 8,400 words a day, good. If it’s writing one word a day, good. It’s all up to me.