New Blog – My Page Count Sucked Today
Some writers work for a certain number of hours, or an hour, and when the time is up they’re done for the day regardless of how much, or how little, they’ve written. Others do word count, a thousand words a day, or four thousand, and when they hit that, they’re done. I’ve always done page count, and I work until I’m done, or until I’m too exhausted to keep going. I post my page count for the day on line, a lot. Okay, I post it on Twitter a lot. My minimum page count goal is usually eight pages a day, but sometimes I’ll lower it to four pages, because some books are harder to write than others. I routinely do over ten pages a day when I’m deep into a book. When I’m really in the zone I can do twenty-plus pages a day for a week, or close to it. I have a lot of beginning writers, and even seasoned writers chastise themselves, because they can’t rival my page count per day. First, I type over two hundred words a minute, so that helps, and no, I have no idea how I type that fast, it’s a gift. But since a lot of the writers on line seem to get upset, because they can’t do it, I wanted to be sure and post today’s page count. Two pages, yeah you read that correctly, I have two pages for the entire day.
When I’m in the zone I can get twenty pages in two hours, but today it took me about eight hours to get those two pages. They’re good pages, strong pages, but it was a very frustrating day. I worked in the morning for no pages, and then went back after lunch, because I knew I had gym in the late afternoon, so I wanted to work until I had to leave for that. That’s how I got my two pages, by going back for a second session after a completely fruitless one that morning. Sometimes when the morning is completely dry like that I’ll give myself the rest of the day off, because the creative tank is empty and needs to fill up by doing something else, or I’m not sure what comes next in the book, or I know what’s next but don’t know exactly how to get from point A to point B. At times like that a few hours, or even a day away from the book can let my imagination work, and when I set down again I’ll feel refreshed, I’ll know what comes next, or I’ll know how to write the next part. But sometimes I just have to keep slogging away, until the creative log jam bursts and the waters come rushing through, or in this case trickling through. If I had given up and not gone back after lunch I wouldn’t have the two pages which lets me know exactly what comes next, and precisely how to write the next scene. I don’t feel a single hour at my keyboard was wasted today, because I know I needed every frustrating minute to finally break through what was clogging up the creative pipeline. Would I have rather had a day of twenty pages flowing like water from the proverbial cleft rock? Hell, yes, every writer would, but I’ve learned that the “bang your head against the problem” days are valuable to me as an artist. I don’t know why they’re necessary, but for me they seem to be part of my process especially early in a book. Tomorrow should be easier, because I planted the seeds of success today with those two hard won pages.
I’ve written and published over thirty novels, and I still have days when the words do not flow, the pages do not add up to much, so for all of you writers out there that have been watching me post my page count on line and despairing, I just wanted you to know that not every day is a home run, not even for me. Sometimes I’m just happy to get a runner on first base, and still be at bat. If you got any writing done today, give yourself a point, whether it was a few sentences, or paragraphs, or pages, if you sat your butt down and actually wrote – congratulations! Because writers, write, so you write your bad self into the next paragraph, or chapter, or short story tomorrow and think to yourself. Laurell K. Hamilton only did two pages yesterday, I can do two pages. You can, you know, you really can. Happy hunting!
31 thoughts on “New Blog – My Page Count Sucked Today”
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Holy cats – it’s like you wrote this for me, exactly on this day when I needed it most. Thank you for sharing. Seriously, thank you.
I used to write. Like all the time, to the point where my dad had to pull pen & paper from my hands. I’ve never really had a page limit or word limit. I just write. I write til my hands cramp or I’ve filled up a 5 subject notebook & then some. Or until the whole lot is out of my head & on paper. I don’t type until I’ve hand wrtten it all. And if I make a change or add something while typing the I add it to my margins in the notebook. I know, freakish. I was well known for it in high school & got laughed at for it. I just write. I let it go & it just comes. I’ve never wrote to be published before so maybe that makes it different. I only let my nearest & dearest read it. In fact this right now has me wanting to pen. It can be like an addiction for me.
♥
I’ve been trying to progress from poetry to books or at least short stories. I have so many ideas and not enough time, or will power. How do I make the leap from poet to author?
You could be like Ellen Hopkins and write poetry stories.
That’s not a bad idea either. I have pens that tell stories.
A lot of poetry is like snapshots, a photo taken of a particular time and place. They describe the emotion, the setting, all that is happening in that single moment. If you want to expand your poetry to a story, try expanding that moment. What’s the backstory? What brought the individual or individuals to that place? Where will it take them? Are there any particular problems or issues they might be struggling with that aren’t visible in that snapshot? I’m sure once you start this line of thinking ideas will just start exploding out. And if you have trouble writing contiguous scenes… just write snapshot after snapshot… then try and fill in the blanks – you might be pleasantly surprised. Good luck!
Thank you for the advice, thinking of it like that, in moments is a way I can transition. I decided to start a blog too that way I’m at least writing more often.
No, you don’t type over 200 wpm. The world record is 212 wpm. There is no way that you are typing at world record speeds. I think you need to take a reputable typing test, because whatever rubric you’re using here is clearly misleading you.
And industry standard in the publishing world is to measure output by “words”, not “pages”. That’s because one person’s “page” could have 400 words, but another’s could easily have twice that, all depending on font size and margins. Amateur writers who contact you and are amazed at your “page count” are probably not using the same font/margins as you, and don’t understand that you’ve produced much less wordage than they’re assuming. And “seasoned” writers aren’t chastising themselves for failing to keep up without your page count (and by the way, your pomposity in claiming that is frankly STAGGERING), they’re mocking your inability to comprehend and utilize industry standard. Professional writers measure by word count, not page count.
And frankly, I recall you repeatedly claiming to throw out hundreds and hundreds of pages on multiple books, so clearly whatever you actually are producing isn’t of great quality.
One – successful writers DO actually have people asking them for advice or talking to them about writing, even from “seasoned” writers as well as just us amateurs. I have written 9 books myself, because I felt a need to write them, which I will probably never try to get published. I am satisfied with them and my family enjoys them, and that’s enough for me right now.
Two – my own typing speed (as tested by a reputable test facility that measures typing speed for our provincial government departments – I’m from Canada) is a certified 206 words per minute, and there are probably hundreds of people, or more, around the world with typing speeds like mine (and Laurell’s). The fact that someone felt the need to brag to the world with a “world record” of 212 words per minute does not change the fact that there are a lot of people who are simply that fast, or even faster, but don’t need to brag about it. I can no longer type on an old-fashioned typewriter, because I type too fast for the mechanical keys to keep up, and there are some computers and keyboards that can’t keep up to me either. They had to shop around at work to find me a keyboard and computer that could keep up to my typing speed, and my bosses are very happy that they could keep me working comfortably.
Three – most people who write on a computer use Word or another standard word processing program, which uses a default set page size and font, and most writers I know just stick with the standard size and font. A page is the same size as a regular sheet of typing paper – 8.5 x 11 inches – and therefore a “page count” is a pretty standard way of measuring your progress in writing a book. I count my pages too. Once the book is done, then you can format the pages/fonts any way you want to – including to “industry standard”, whatever you mean by that. As far as I have discovered, every publisher uses their own standard style and size of finished product, so while there might be fairly standard sizes of finished books – paperbacks, hardcovers, etc. – the fonts and page styles inside the books are not “industry standard” to anyone except that publisher.
Four – why are you even here and ranting about a successful and extremely talented writer’s working style? If you enjoy Laurell’s books, like everyone else here does, then you appreciate and enjoy the glimpses of the woman behind the books and how she writes them, like everyone else here does. If you don’t enjoy them, then why are you here at all?
I absolutely agree with you Susan. Emily: why on earth are you even here if not to learn from/catch an inside glimpse of Ms. Hamilton? She’s a very popular and successful author, and sure, she may throw away a lot of pages; most authors do. Throwing away pages is the same as choosing three pictures out of a roll of 36 for a photographer. There’s a process, and that process often includes discarding crap or reworking mediocre material. Sometimes you work really hard, and get nothing. Sometimes you sit down and it all works out and you get a ton of good stuff. Perhaps she will use those two pages just the way they are, and perhaps out of the 20 or so pages she writes on another day she came up with 2 total pages of usable work, or maybe she’ll use all 20. Everyone’s process is different, and there is absolutely no need to criticize or judge or feel intimidated by an insight into someone else’s process. I know that I will never be a professional writer because I am too neurotic. I have to have each sentence perfect before I can move on to the next, and I struggle to do that. Some people can write that way, but I can’t. That’s why I really fell in love with film photography. I can’t go back and edit it. Not really. Not without ruining it. And I have very little idea of what I actually captured until I develop it. Perhaps you simply need to try a more restrictive art form. There is certainly no cause or purpose to being so afraid of someone else’s success or ability. In anything.
you should keep your ugliness to yourself.
Wow, Emily. It is unkind and unprofessional to be so rude on the blog of an author who is actually taking the time to help and encourage other writers. Every author measures his/her own productivity differently. And actually, in the publishing industry, when a manuscript is submitted and has completed the editing process, publication is done by page count not necessarily word count. The layout and cost is based on the number of pages. So many writers get caught up in word count, but published authors can usually predict how aggressive their editor is going to be and the approximate number of pages that their contract outlined. Please, in the future be respectful of the community and the author’s work. She doesn’t have to post your comments nor does she have to address them.
Actually, the publishing industry does go by words, not pages.
A novel is generally considered to be over 40,000 words.
A novella is 17,500- 40,000 words.
A short story is under 7, 500 words.
If a publishing house signs a contract for a novel, they aren’t going to be happy if the author turns in a novella instead. Same is true with magazines. If a submission guideline says it wants a short story, they are not going to pick a novella, even if it is a good novella. The author toggling the font, line spaces, margins, and chapter breaks in order to make a certain number of “pages” isn’t going to fool a publisher if the word count isn’t right.
Now, the publisher may very well go ahead and change up the font, margins, line spaces, and chapter breaks in order to make a little more out of the reader, but that doesn’t work for the author.
Laurell has stated that the reason she lists page counts per day is that she started writing back when she used a type writer and would have had to manually count the words each day, so there is a reason she lists her daily count that way.
As for what she ‘throws out’ it does into a file so that it can be looked back on later if it is useful somewhere else. Any artist always has things that gets ‘thrown out’ during the creative process.
Amen! I needed to read this today. I loved where you talked about planting the seeds of success with your two hard earned pages, it reminded me of something I read on another writers blog. Paraphrased it was something like, ‘You need to put sand in the sandbox before you can build castles.’ Sometimes though, it’s a SonofaBitch scooping sand with a teaspoon!
~Ala
Thank you, I do consider you to be somewhat of a writing Goddess, so knowing you have difficult days really helps. I’ve been struggling a lot with my word count lately, this helps lessen the angst a lot.
Ok, I thought my typing speed was fast. I’m flabbergasted by your speed. But nevermind that, great job on breaking through. Samantha’s Hell is on hold until I have a new laptop, so I get no cookies for writing today. But I’ll get there. And I’ll remember this. FYI, I’m a 2k word a night girl. But I don’t make my living writing yet, so I have to still work. LOL
That’s good for all of us to hear.
But just between you and me, I still don’t think you’re human 😉
You are awesome! Thank you for the encouragement and for letting us little folks know that even the greats have an off day!
Thank you Emily. I was thinking the same thing about this supposed typing speed. The official record is 212 wpm and the woman appeared on Letterman at the time. And she was tested by typing a predetermined text or listening to audio – she wasn’t also ‘creating’ original text at the time. Only words 5 characters or more count as a word – if it’s less (like ‘sad guy’) it takes 2 or more to count as one ‘word’.
I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints regarding ‘Shiver of Light’ about the repetitive lines and dialog, as well as the descriptions that go on and on instead of actual plot. I know as a reader I’m more interested in actual plot when the book is done. Perhaps you are too focused on typing as fast as you can and getting the pages out of the way so you can get out of the office instead of spending the time and effort to craft an excellent novel. So much of the books seem like filler now, filling the pages to just be done. I know it’s much more fun to spend time with family, eat, be online, watch tv, and go to gym than write and it shows. I don’t begrudge anyone the more fun things in life, but instead spending limited time on self-congratulatory blogs and twitter, you should actually spend the majority of this time on your craft. The work is suffering from neglect. Typing fast and making pages does not mean they are good. I also remember you recently threw out 200 pages to start over. So please, slow down and take your time. Stop asking for ego strokes with blogs like this, and go back to when you were hungry for success and cared about the story, not just the character’s clothes and hair.
Typing predetermined text or typing while listening to audio takes longer than typing ones own words. For the former one has to read/hear the words, process the words and then type the words. When typing ones own words, one has only to type what is coming to mind.
Many people do not like books heavy on description. Others do. I love the feeling of imersion that comes from reading detailed descriptive writing. Tolkien is one of my favorite authors. So is Dianna Gabaldon. One problem with writing a series with stand alone books is that the locations and characters have to be described in each book. Reading the description will be tedious for those who have followed along from the beginning. I am wondering how many words you write a day. I don’t have much time to write, but like to about different authors proccesses. Also, I am always looking for good authors to read. What is the first book in your series? Or if you don’t write series, which of your books would you recommend I read first?
So you are someone who actually thinks that only other authors can criticize a book or an author’s claims? Seriously? So if you attend a concert and a professional musician is ridiculously off key, you can’t say anything and just applaud because you don’t play guitar too? If you go out to eat at a restaurant with a professional chef and your meal is over or undercooked by said professional you can’t send it back just because you aren’t a chef? This argument of ‘you can’t evaluate anything if you aren’t in the same job’ is ridiculous. Does this count for favorable readers reviews too? I would guess most of them aren’t writers either. They must not know what they are talking about since your entire concept should apply to all readers alike.
Your position on this is tired and lame.
Wow, you are a negative person. If you aren’t a writer all you had to say is that you don’t write. You sounded like you had actual experiance with word counts and publishing, so I thought I would try one of your books. I won’t expect an apology. It seems like you just like to attack people.
As an aspiring author and a huge fan of yours I thank you for writing this. It is very encouraging and uplifting especially when I found myself at a difficult part if my writing as well. I love all of your work !
I know that some writers struggle just to get 20,000 words in a month, others can write entire novels in that same time span. But you know what? That doesn’t matter so much as doing what you can and want to do. I try to always tell writers (and have had to tell myself this as well) not to compare themselves to others. After all, it’s their story, not someone else’s 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Love all your books keep em coming, doesn’t matter how long it takes you to write em, worth the wait!!!!!
Wow, Emily Johnson, what are you so bitter about? If you have so little regard for LKH why do you read her blogs. Those of us who enjoy her writing don’t come here to listen to nasties like you.
Thanks for this. I’m just starting out and I do a word count and average about 1,000 words when I do write. But I get more excited when I actually love what was written regardless of how much was completed. I absolutely love your stories and have read all your Anita Blake and Merry Gentry books!! You’re such an inspiration!! Blessed be!!
very encouraging! i love all your books, but i bought skin trade for 99 cents @ a dollar store! it was my first lkh book! i’ve read everything but 8.5 & 20.5. i can’t find them in paperback! i’ve read all the mg books. thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for your honesty. It’s really heartening to know that even the “pro’s” don’t always meet their own expectations. I think the image you included said it best: Just write SOMETHING. Even if it’s only 200 words, hey, it’s 200 more than you had before! 🙂