How to Write 10,000 Words a Day

In my heyday, I cranked out 10,000 words a day regularly. I didn’t want to, but my job required it of me. It mostly sucked, but I learned what I needed to do to make it happen regularly.

Every writer is different, so the things that make it easy for me to write 10,000 words a day may not be the same things that work for you. And the more I get to know myself, the more I realize what I need for a good writing session has less to do with the act of writing than it does with enabling a hyper fixation.

Knowing the conditions you thrive under is important, and your girl is a monomaniac.

I’ve given some tips for writing 10,000 words a day before, but I thought I’d share some more insight on the topic.

Do You Have to Write 10,000 Words a Day?

In short, no. If writing a bunch in one day isn’t your thing, then don’t worry about.

I know it can seem like all the writers talk about doing this sort of thing. And many of us have to to hit deadlines. I think the most I’ve ever managed in a day was right around the 17,000 mark, and it didn’t feel great.

But if you have the freedom and privilege to write slowly, then take it. The work I do for myself usually takes longer than the work I do for clients simply because I get to set the deadlines, and I don’t necessarily like to push myself to write that much every single time I sit down to do so.

So please don’t think this is a necessity. You write your book the way that you need to.

But if you, like me, occasionally find yourself stuck with a deadline that you didn’t attack early enough, well. I’ve got you.

Tips for How to Write 10,000 Words a Day

Writing 10,000 words a day isn’t magic. It’s not the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but it does take some preparation. Here’s what you need to do.

001: Build up to it.

If you’ve never written more than a couple hundred words at a time, you’ve got some work to do. Writing 10,000 words a day is a lot of writing, and even though you’ll need to break it up into chunks, you need to be able to sit at the computer for many long…