How To Write 1,000 Words A Day
The Simplest Way to write 1,000 words A Day
I’m often asked, “How can I write more and better?” There are two answers to that question. The first is that by following a few simple tips, anyone can learn how to write consistently. Here’s how to write 1,000 words a day, it’s not as hard as you may think.
The second answer is much more difficult: It’s intentionally creating the time in your schedule for writing. But once you do, you’ll have a reliable daily writing habit and will be well on your way to becoming an effective writer! Writing is a skill and a practice and must be treated with the same non-negotiable dedication you would treat for a sport or musical instrument.
Set a schedule
Once you’ve decided you are serious about building a daily writing habit, then it’s important to set a schedule and stick to it. It doesn’t matter when you do it. It just matters that there is a rhythm to when you do it.
You can be flexible within the framework of your schedule, but having a general idea of when and how much time you’ll be putting into your writing will help you get more writing done in less time.
It’s also important not to be afraid of being strict with yourself. If there are times when something comes up that prevents you from writing for a day or two, don’t let that discourage you from continuing on with your goal! Just pick up where you left off and keep going until that next scheduled day arrives.
Alternatively (or additionally), if there’s some sort of event coming up in which your schedule is likely going to change dramatically—for example, if there’s an upcoming vacation or road trip—then consider making adjustments accordingly so as not to feel overwhelmed by changes later on down the line when they finally do come around again after all those prior interruptions have already passed by once before already.”
Stay Consistent
Now that you know how much writing a 1,000 words a day can do for you, it’s time to focus on the next step: staying consistent.
There is no such thing as perfection in life, but striving for perfection and knowing what kind of daily routine will get you there is the key to success. For example, if I want to make sure I hit my goal every single day, then I should be prepared with everything I need before sitting down at my computer.
Maybe writing isn’t your thing and reading is more enjoyable for you (and who am I to judge?), then read an article about how good habits are formed before writing something else first—like this one!
The point here is that having a set routine will help keep your motivation high so that when those days come around where nothing seems right or anything goes well because life happens…you won’t quit on yourself or feel like giving up altogether!
Write the easy parts first
This step is a little counterintuitive. As you’re writing your first draft, you’re probably thinking that the hardest parts are the most important to get down on paper first. But if you write the hard parts first, it will be harder to write the easy parts later on. What happens?
I have some experience with this myself. I wrote my book in thirds: First was an outline of all the events that would happen in each chapter; then I wrote those chapters; and finally I edited each one individually before moving onto another (and then repeating this process twice).
By doing it in this order, I had no trouble writing any given chapter—even though they were completely different from each other—because they were all based on my outline and therefore not too difficult for me to recall as I was writing them.
However, when it came time for me to edit them later on (which was fun but also very challenging), some were much easier than others because they didn’t require as much thought or creativity (the ones based on my outline).
On top of that, some paragraphs were more difficult than others because they needed extra work after being written (the ones which weren’t based on an outline).
Don’t edit while you write
Don’t edit while you write. I repeat! Do not edit while you write!
Think about it, If you’re trying to write 1,000 words a day, then editing won’t get you anywhere. You’ll just be wasting your time and energy. These 1,000 words must be a free flow of whatever topic you are writing about. I call it plopping the wet clay on the board. Something needs to be on the page before you can carve and mold it into a masterpiece.
Instead, figure out what the best way is for you to write without stopping (I use Scrivener) and then stick with it.
Give yourself a word goal
Scrivener is amazing software that allows you to track word goals for any project you are working on. There are many different ways to set a word goal for yourself, depending on your writing habits.
The moment you know how many words you write each day, then simply multiply that number by the number of days in a row that you want to write 1,000 words.
For example, if I have only been writing 200 words per day or fallen into a slump, but I want to be consistent with my daily word count and do it every day of the week, then my target would be 1,200 words per week (200 x 5).
That’s easy enough—but what if you don’t know your average writing pace? Or what if all of your projects are different? Maybe some take longer and others take less time; maybe some require more research than others; maybe some require more research and others don’t require any research at all! Well fear not! Here’s where things get interesting.
Let’s say that one project requires 500 words per day while another requires 30-40 hours of work over two weeks instead of just an hour or two each day like most other projects do…what should we do now?
In these situations it helps me to calculate how many words I need for both scenarios separately so I have an idea about whether or not I’m making progress toward my goal on either front (or both).
But once you do, you’ll have a reliable daily writing habit
The more you write, the better you’ll get at it. When you start out, writing 1,000 words a day might be difficult and feel like a chore. But once you do, you’ll have a reliable daily writing habit that will make writing easier and more enjoyable.
Writing 1,000 words a day isn’t just about quantity—it’s also about quality. As your body of work grows (which it will!), so does your ability to see what works for readers and what doesn’t work for them.
Writing a set amount of words is A RITUAL
Writing consistently may seem like a never-ending battle, but by setting yourself up for success and following these tips, you can make it happen. There are so many reasons why people don’t write consistently, but the most common one is that they feel overwhelmed by the task of doing so. If that’s you: take heart! You’re not alone on this journey.
Just remember that writing is a skill like any other–if you practice it enough times, then eventually it’ll become easier for you to do so each time thereafter until eventually (if we’re lucky) one day we won’t even notice ourselves doing anything at all anymore because there won’t be anything left except our thoughts and words being spoken aloud…and maybe some paper too if they get lucky enough ;).
