Support for Indie Authors discussion

As it says on the tin. Do you have a special time set aside? A daily word count / number of pages? I'd be interested to know for a blog I'm writing.

My minimum is a thousand words a day, five days a week. If I've worked that day, I get them in before bed.

On a really good day, with no 'day job' and no distractions, I can get ten thousand words in.

I try to write 1000 words a day. I also write very carefully, which makes the editing process much simpler.

Espresso inspires a lot of my writing ;) Unless I drink too much, and then I start raving like a lunatic.

Nope. I write when the mood strikes. Sometimes I'll go weeks without writing a word. Other times, I'll write for 24 or 36 hours straight. No telling when or which.

My special time to write is whenever I can. Any free moment is good. When I have a full day dedicated to writing then I can go up to 5000 words a day. But I have no specific rules, Owen said "when the mood strikes", I'll say "when the emotions are there."

Currently, I have a pretty long day job finishing anywhere between 7pm to midnight, so when I write varies hugely. I did one book draft solely over a year of late nights/early mornings.

My soft target now is getting a draft done between 3-6 months so I tend to work backwards from that. Generally I just try to write as much as I can when i'm in the zone.

It equates to around 5,000+ in a work week. I take hours I think I have free x 500 words an hour and set myself that deadline or I'd laze around and get nothing done.

Usually I'm pretty happy as long as I feel I'm making good progress

I usually write every day, but right now I am taking a sabatical from writing my own to editing and recovering old classics in the public domain. My first project was "The Curse of Capistrano:The Mark of Zorro," and now I am working on "The Sea Wolf." So, either editing or writing, it is every day, except weekends when I spend time with family and do chores.

Morris

I rely on inspiration, a magical thing, which I am happy to report is real. It can be frustrating, when far from home, pen and notebook, to have words worth writing down come to me, but usually I remember them, and they find their way onto the page. When I have not written anything for a while, I find that I cannot imagine ever writing anything again, but then something inspires me, like a golden lion on a syrup tin, and I feel grateful to be scribbling again.

Rachael wrote: "As it says on the tin. Do you have a special time set aside? A daily word count / number of pages? I'd be interested to know for a blog I'm writing."

I write pretty much when I can. On my work days, my time is limited, but days off I write quite a bit. I don't really set a goal of how many words. Out of curiosity, I just checked and found that I've been averaging around 1,800 words a day for the last 35. If that seems low, remember some of those days I wasn't able to write and some I wrote little. Also, I did spend at least two days doing a little editing before moving on with the writing.

I try to write everyday, but life gets in the way, especially with two little girls. So when I get a break from them is when I write. Usually in the morning some and at night when they go to bed.

I write when i can. Depending on work and school i sometimes dont have time. Then there are days where i get a good two solid hours in. It all depends on how im feeling and my motivation.

I "work" anywhere from 8-10 hours Mon-Fri as an author, but how much of that is writing depends on the day, my mood, and uncontrollable factors (like the storm we are currently having that is making my dogs freak out, thus I am unable to concentrate). If I were to set a daily word count goal, I would never get anything done.

Frankly, I'm at that age where I do what I want to do, when I want to do it (except going to the grocery store; I hate that). I write when I want to write, and when I don't want to write, I don't. If I'm sitting at my computer and decide instead to play computer games all day, that's what I do. Don't worry, be happy.

I write two nights a week, around 3000 words each night. Then there is usually at least one other night devoted to meeting with my writing partner and breaking the next part of the project, or the next story. Rest of the time is work and family.
This summer is going to be interesting, as I will be writing 40 hours a week a minimum. Excited to see what that will look like.

Great responses here!

The nearest I have to a schedule is trying to write something at least once a week, and even then that's only likely to be about two to four pages. There's also typing up and proofreading as well; does that count? I try to do that at least one night a week (or Saturday if I have the flat to myself).

As well as that there's my blog, my Facebook page ... A writer's work is never done!

Not as much as I would like or as much as I should given what I posted on my blog about being a late bloomer trying to "catch up". I am retired but have a part-time day job keeping the books for a food bank/thrift store. I used to laugh when retired people would tell me how busy they are but.. guess what!

I write about 15-20 hours per week. I used to go by word counts but, since I’m outlining, I’m trying not to put pressure on myself and just concentrate on whatever I can get from the ideas. I try for about 1,000 words whenever I have a secession of writing, though.

V.M. wrote: "I struggle to find time between full time work and family. So mine is limited to a few hours during the week and several more on the weekends. Wish I could stay home and write all day. Know that so..."

Honestly V.M... it sounds like the dream, but I miss my job! As such, I write everyday. Blog posts, reviews, stuff I wouldn't share with the world if my life depended on it (Mostly because it would get me ostracized) and of course, I write on my books.

Gotta agree with Riley. Some days I feel like a shut in and wonder if I've forgotten how to interact with humans. On those days I tend to walk to the store just to see people.

I think being in the presence of people - even if you're not interacting - can be helpful in a way. Maybe that's part of why I write in cafes. It helps me focus without all the distractions at home but it also makes me feel like I'm not entirely closed off.

At least three times a day, six days a week. When working on a first draft, 5,000 words a day.

I write every chance I get. My problem is finding time to do anything else. I get ornery when life gets in the way of me and my characters. (I know that is not a good thing but I tell myself I'll get over it someday)

Yes, people keep expecting me to work, keep house, and make meals... If I had my way, I'd do little other than write...

It really fluctuates for me. 8-16 hours per weekend is typical, plus a few lunch hours scattered through the week and sometimes a few hours at night.

But it depends on what I'm writing and where I am in the cycle. Right now I'm stuck in editing, which slows me way down.

Give me a good story with clear sailing and the wind to my back and I'll do 1,500 to 3,000 in a day. But I don't work from an outline. Did that once and it burned me out. And I ended up changing the outline to fit what I'd written rather than the other way around!

I need a starting point, an ending point, and a handful of set piece scenes...then I wing it. That ultimately leads me into valleys where I'm blind and can't find the path out to the next set piece.

Every day.... writing or editing... sometimes I can only do a chapter, sometimes more, sometimes a page. But, it's important to stay in the pool so I stay warm!

Rachael wrote: " A writer's work is never done!"

We likes to call that job security. ;-)

Oh, yeah -- does posting here count? [LOL]

I try to write everyday, most the time that works and if I know I have a programme on a day the day before I try to write more so I don't fall behind xx

I write as much as time allows. However, school takes up a lot of time.

My goal is simply to write something every day. Sometimes it's only 75 words. Sometimes its as much as 5k.

My output has ebbed and flowed over the years, but my goal is to get something written each and every day. I also write pretty quickly, so I can get a lot done even if I write for an hour or so. But yeah, the real trick is get something done every day. This has worked well for me in my 20+ years as a screenwriter and now as a novelist.