Daily Word Count

There are so many rules out there that I have wondered if they do more harm in stifling creativity than inspiring it. In a recent post by Mike Duran, 'The Myth of the Daily Word Count', he wrote 'setting a daily word count has become one of those near non-negotiable writing rules.' A little further down the post, he confesses he does not adhere to the daily word count and has managed to write three novels and other written works. 

I have to confess, too, that I do not use a daily word count. I write every day, mostly on the novel I am writing. But I do not set a goal of achieving a certain number of words. Instead I write as I am inspired, and when inspiration starts to run dry, I push past it and get down on paper as much as I can in a day. Sometimes it's a page. Other days more. What is important is that a writer writes every day in order to sharpen the craft of writing.

Mark goes on to give a list of things he focuses on instead of a daily word count. 

#1 — Focus on the number of projects you complete rather than daily word count.
#2 — Respect your station in life. 
#3 — Distinguish between cranking out words and honing ideas.  

To read Mark's article go to  http://mikeduran.com/2013/02/the-myth-of-daily-word-count/
Don't be put off by the title of his blog. He's got some excellent stuff over there.