Breaking It Down: Meeting Your Month of Writing Goal

Say you want to write 50,000 words. That's 50,000 words in 30 days, which breaks down to 1,667 words per day, every day. The average American types about 20 words a minute. This equals about 83 minutes per day, every day, for a month. (Amber Nettles, The Daily Press.)

"Yikes!!!" you might say. How am I going to do that?! It’s not going to be easy, but the reward will be worth the challenge. It takes some planning. We’re all busy. Establishing a daily writing routine is wonderful, but not always possible. However, if you do plan to meet your goal, establishing some kind of plan or routine is extremely important.

First, decide how many days each week you will commit to writing. Then, decide which days and mark them on a calendar. Using the 20 wpm figure above (which assumes single-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman font), the chart below figures how many words, pages, and minutes you will have to write depending on how many days you write each week. Use this sheet to plan your time. Give yourself a reward each day that you meet your writing goal:

• Watch one episode of Modern Family, or your favorite TV show
• Treat yourself to a cupcake, or other special snack
• Exercise for 30-60 minutes, if you consider this a reward
• Pamper yourself with a bath or beauty routine

Writers utilize gimmicks all the time to get themselves to spend time “sitting.” Whatever you can do to commit yourself to this time is worth it. You’ll want to consider when and where you write best, and when you are most likely to complete this task.