# 5,000 words per week club.



## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

We went from a 1K word per day club to a 3K per day. What about those of us who just don't want to crank out that much? I understand the concept behind high output, but I do things differently. 

When I write the end of the last chapter, it's actually the third draft, since I edit the previous two day's work every weekday, before writing anything new. When it's done, it's ready for beta reading that same day, and is a fairly clean manuscript. Five thousand words a week is a short novel in ten weeks, or a fairly long novel in five months. By working M-F, if I fall behind because of life, I can work weekends to catch up and better schedule cover, editing, and formatting.

I've slowed my output to only two releases this year, in April and August. Next year I'll release two more, in January/February and another in late spring. In 2019, I'll probably release three, since the first release will be in January. I take a full week off for NINC, the Key West Mystery Fest, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring break. Plus, I take 6-8 weeks off in the summer.

So, come on, slowpokes! Speak up! Are you trying to slow down and enjoy life with the income your writing provides?


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

*Raises hand* Another slow(ish) writer here. I do 10k words per week, broken into 2k per day, Mon-Fri. The weekends are for whittling away at piles of dishes and laundry, helping my kids catch up on their homework, untangling snags in my outline, or (if I'm lucky) resting and Netflixing. It's a pace I can comfortably keep up for a long time.


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## 97251 (Jun 22, 2017)

Haha, I read this quickly and thought it was 5k a day.  

I was thinking wow, wow, folks are getting insane here. 

Then I click on it out of curiosity, and the first post is all about slowing down.  

Well, I read it better and I understood. 5k a week is a nice goal, especially for authors who don't write every single day of the week.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

Me, me, me!!!!!

I write stuff that often requires research, or at least thinking out plots. I am a pantser.

I could crank out thousands of words each day, but the thing is, I wouldn't enjoy it for very long. I left the cubicle world because I hated it. I don't want to do stuff I don't enjoy (heaven knows there is enough tax and financial BS in the life of a self-published writer already, I don't need to add writing-related stuff that I have to force myself to do).

Instead, I focus on making the words I publish better so that my books will sell more for longer (and are evergreen) rather than jumping on the fast-release, trend-chasing treadmill.


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## C. Gold (Jun 12, 2017)

I'm also a slow writer and prefer to edit previous stuff, especially when I'm trying to work out where my story goes next. My draft 1 is pretty clean as a result, so I think the slower pace works in the long run for me. Besides, I'm too picky to leave something be if I don't like it. I would go nuts just flat out writing a whole book without looking back at anything.


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## DmGuay (Aug 17, 2016)

I aim for 2k words 5 days a week WHEN I'm writing a first draft. That's worked out okay. Those bursts of writing are interspersed with two months here and there of all in revision and editing coupled with print and ebook formatting.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Count me in. 

With two small children, a lot of my time is devoted to projects, homework, after school activities, chores etc.

Like Wayne, I take summers off, Xmas off, and of course there's Thanksgiving coming up. I write around my family schedule (instead of the other way around).

My goal is 2k a day / 10k a week. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

5000 per week sounds doable. I can't write every day. Other things in life sometimes take my full attention. But a weekly goal? I can do that. So, count me in. When do we start?


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## Abderian (Apr 5, 2012)

I can manage 3000 words a day quite easily if I have it planned out, but the higher my word count the more the quality drops and I have to spend more time on revising. I'm at peace with myself now about not being a fast, clean writer. I can do one or the other but not both, and writing clean is more satisfying and I believe faster in the long run when revisions are taken into account.


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## Pandorra (Aug 22, 2017)

Same, I was gonna yell til I saw week ... lol.. I am already over this count though so I better pass   Awesome luck to all of you! It really helps to post your numbers!


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## RRodriguez (Jan 8, 2017)

Yup, slow writer over here. Since this is the first year I've started really getting serious about my writing, I challenged myself to keep track of my monthly output. It would seem I average about 14-16k a month. My lowest month was only 6k and my highest was 33k (though I hope to break that this month with NaNoWriMo!). I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but I try to remind myself that I've already completed two first drafts, am a third of the way through on another, and with NaNo kicking my butt, I'm on my way to getting a good chunk done on a fourth, so I don't think I'm really too bad. Since I work full-time and I almost never have time to write on the weekends, I just have to constantly remember that I need to go at my own pace and to do my personal best.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

I'm doing around 5k a week at the moment. I've recently gone part-time in my mind-numbing regular job which has freed up two or three days each week to write. What a luxury that feels. But I also need to get to grips with marketing so am using some of that freed-up time for that. So writing 5k words is a good, manageable number for me right now.


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## Sarah Shaw (Feb 14, 2015)

My critique group keeps me on the straight and narrow- so I generally manage 3,000 words (one chapter) a week. It's by no means final copy, since I generally don't know what's going to happen until it does- and if I tried to fix the previously written stuff right away I'd lose all forward momentum. It's also historical- and usually rather obscure, not easily discovered history as well, so lots of research necessary. The upshot is I _think_ I might still manage to publish the first in the series this year. Maybe. I had the initial idea for what's now the last book in the series back in about 1980. First draft of that was written in 2005 for my first NaNoWriMo. Then I did a 'prequel' in 2010. Since then I've done two more. The one I'm working on now is set in Morocco, circa 1776. Selling would be nice, but the main thing is I get to spend time with my characters, exploring the world that became ours.


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## GoneToWriterSanctum (Sep 13, 2014)

I don't consent


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## CopperDog (Sep 17, 2014)

I'm up for this. Needing a bit of cattle prod at the moment to recapture motivation and this may be it. Posting word counts weekly?


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## wilsonharp (Jun 5, 2012)

Had to go back to full time employment because of life issues, so I am trying to get back to 500 words a day on weekdays and another couple of thousand on the weekends. So 5,000 a week sounds reasonable to me at this point. Been over a year and a half since I put a book out and I'm almost done with the next one, but before I can get back to a three or four book a year schedule, I have to get back into the routine of daily writing, so this is the goals I have set.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

This is where I am. I hope for 5000, but it varies. I write a quick and dirty first draft that is sort of a hefty outline, usually about 40,000.  I call it the bones of the story. Sometimes I can fly through that and sometimes it's quicksand. Putting meat on the bones is always easier. While the current story is out to readers, etc, I start on the next, usually in a different series.

This spring I hit a wall. Serious brain fog made writing pointless because anything I put out was crap. I think I scheduled myself into mental exhaustion. I took some time off and came back to it with a much better outlook. I need to schedule in some time off so that I don't feel guilty not putting in my quota every day.


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## WyandVoidbringer (Jan 19, 2017)

I wish I could manage more than 5k words a week, but that's around what I average.

With a full-time job and a growing baby boy, I just don't have the time to write any more than that.


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## C. Gockel (Jan 28, 2014)

Yeah, this is probably me. Even if I turn off all distractions, I still spend a lot of time staring out the window rearranging the plot in my brain, or pacing. I pace a lot trying to figure out my stories.


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

I too thought the title of this post was 5k a day! Even though my goal is 15k a week, I'm curious about Wayne's editing process. The second draft drives me nuts. Breaking it up and being ready to send my drafts to betas immediately sounds wonderful!

Best of luck to all of you 5k a weekers! I think that was about my goal when I was working full time, and it was enough to get me to the point of becoming a full-time writer.


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## Chrissy (Mar 31, 2014)

Stacy Claflin said:


> I too thought the title of this post was 5k a day! Even though my goal is 15k a week, *I'm curious about Wayne's editing process*. The second draft drives me nuts. Breaking it up and being ready to send my drafts to betas immediately sounds wonderful!
> 
> Best of luck to all of you 5k a weekers! I think that was about my goal when I was working full time, and it was enough to get me to the point of becoming a full-time writer.


He described his process here on his blog:

http://waynestinnett.blogspot.com/2015/01/self-editing-for-dummies-like-me.html


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## 69959 (May 14, 2013)

Thank you!



Chrissy said:


> He described his process here on his blog:
> 
> http://waynestinnett.blogspot.com/2015/01/self-editing-for-dummies-like-me.html


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

It's Friday, and I started the week almost 700 words (less than a day) ahead of schedule. How many of you schedule ahead? I'm a little OCD when it comes to scheduling. I have all of 2018 scheduled, including time off and realistic goals. Doing this, I can consistently schedule my beta readers, editor, proofreader, formatter, and cover designer well in advance. Far enough that I know I won't have to wait, because they have something booked. Here's what my schedule looks like. Note, that as of today, I'm more than 3000 words (three full days) ahead of schedule. The weather is supposed to be nice through next Wednesday and believe me, boat ramps are far less crowded on weekdays. So, I'm taking Monday and perhaps Tuesday off and getting some salty time.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

No. Zero scheduling here.

I have only one rule and that is that I want to work on my main manuscript every day. Just open the file and do something. Nothing about word count.

I usually do a sketch draft with dictation while going on morning walks and end up with a 30k manuscript that is a pile of yourknowhatsit but that I knock into shape and bring up to 80k. By that time, I've figured out the main elements of the story.

When the first draft is almost done, I email my developmental editor and tell her that the book is 2-3 weeks away and that when I've passed it to her she has until a specified time to work on it. At this timer, I've already started writing something else. The editorial process then goes from there and takes however long it takes, usually about 2 months. It goes to a line editor and then proofreading and formatting. If I'm not doing the cover myself, I will have the cover long before the book goes to the developmental editor, often even before I start writing.

So basically I made my pipeline much longer, which also gives me the freedom to hold off on a new release if for example I get a Bookbub and I don't need two boosts in the same month.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

All week, the words flowed. All week, sales slowed. The cool thing about working slow and scheduling days off, holidays, and vacations is that it's simple math when you suddenly realize the downward trend of the graph is going to get too low before the next release. That was my realization on Monday. The early February release needed to be moved up at least four weeks. Fortunately, I was already more than a week ahead of schedule. Early January needed to be the new release date. But, I've never done a post-Christmas release.

So, I picked a day on the projected downward graph and did some math. If I worked through the next four weekends and only took one day off for Thanksgiving, I could send the manuscript to beta readers as early as December 8th. If my providers could adjust their schedules to accommodate me, my next book could be published five weeks early, right after Christmas. I have a great team. They had or made openings. When you schedule in advance it makes it easier on them.

The new release date is December 28th. To reach that, I need a thousand words a day every day until the 8th. That'll put me at 70K words, which is always my target. This will give my beta readers, editor, proofreader, and formatter three weeks, which is what is usually allotted.

On Monday, I changed my schedule. Today, I'm already more than a day ahead of the new schedule. By tomorrow, I'll be two days ahead. I can still take a couple days off and feast. My boss tells me that if I get this done by the 8th, I can take the rest of the month off. I'm sure he'll find something else for me to do, though.


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## CopperDog (Sep 17, 2014)

As something of a numbers geek in another life, now trying to focus on words, I am always fascinated by posts like these that talk about the logistics of publishing. Thanks for another lesson, Wayne! 

Was waiting for this thread to pop back up. I wrote and edited my 5000 this week, plus 2100 more. This is a second one in a series of five or six. Trying to get enough ahead to publish start publishing monthly in 2018.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Wayne, I love your production schedule.

Mine isn't nearly as detailed nor is it pretty. I love Excel and use it for many things, but for writing my "rough" schedule, I just use a piece of printer paper, folded into 12 squares. I give myself two months to complete each book, scheduling in summer breaks etc.

I started out the week very strong, with 2600 words in one day. Then it petered out. Friday was a bust--the kids were home for Veteran's day. By the way, Wayne, thank you for your service.

Weekly total: 8149 
I'm about halfway through my novel and hope to have it published by the end of December.


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## Don Rich (Oct 14, 2017)

About this group, will there be meetings?


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## William Peter Grasso (May 1, 2011)

I'm with Wayne on _how about mixing a little life in the vibe_...
Or rather than _mixing_, _forcing_ is often a better term to describe life's effect on the daily writing routine.
Actually, 5K a week is a pretty comfortable goal, even taking the normal upheavals of daily living into account. I find it's really no big deal to produce 1K a day, even 1.5K when on a roll and the characters push you aside and start writing it by themselves. After that amount, though, I find myself going a little rubbery upstairs. I could keep writing...but after a refreshing night's sleep, most of that excess will be in the trash first thing the next day.
Mix in a few of life's unrelenting demands and you get those days when you're lucky to add 200 words to your draft. So yeah...count me in to the 5K a week club. 
BTW, who was the clever person who said, _Stop a writing day at a point where you'd want to keep going?_
WPG


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Great scene from a really under rated movie, Don.

Welcome aboard, William. Mixing or forcing, is fine. I prefer allowing. Life things come up. And usually they rear their heads at the wrong time. I build in the time, to allow for those life moments. Last week, my landscaper showed up unannounced, with two tons of sand. I had to stop what I was writing, and go outside and remove about 50 pavers that had settled when heavy rains washed the sand off my backyard "beach" area. No big deal. I went out and took care of that life moment, the same as if my wife came into my office and asks me if I want to go for a walk. Because I have life built into my day, the answer is almost always yes.

Like you, I usually hit a bit higher than 1K words and if no life events pop up, I can take an extra day for myself now and then. Or, like this week, have the flexibility to move the schedule up a whole month, and kick it into overdrive to avoid having to tighten the budget.

We're each the skipper of our own vessels. If I run aground, I have only myself to blame. So, I plot a course to avoid the shallows and allow a little more depth under the keel just in case a foul wind blows.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

William Peter Grasso said:


> BTW, who was the clever person who said, _Stop a writing day at a point where you'd want to keep going?_


Stephen King?


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

I wrote a little over 4000 *new* words this week. I also finished big sections of major re-writes. So, I'm counting this as 'goal met' even though I think it technically should be only the new words that count.


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## William Peter Grasso (May 1, 2011)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> Stephen King?


Hmm...could be.
Maybe it was the same person who said, "You never really finish a piece of writing. You just stop working on it."


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Sapphire said:


> I wrote a little over 4000 *new* words this week. I also finished big sections of major re-writes. So, I'm counting this as 'goal met' even though I think it technically should be only the new words that count.


I count anything over and above the previous week's word count as new words. Usually, in editing the previous two days' work before starting new, I'll add a couple hundred words, to expand some vague idea or something. I record weekly goals and weekly achievements on a spreadsheet to check my productivity.

My revised schedule, still quite doable at a comfortable 1K words per day with no days off. But a few words over that 1K is normal, so i'll get a day off here and there. After Decemeber 8th, I'll return to 5K per week.


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## Valerie A. (Dec 31, 2016)

You are one very systematic man, Wayne Stinnet   

For now I'd just like to not get kicked out of the 5,000 words per week club, never mind making a chart and sticking to it.


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## Don Rich (Oct 14, 2017)

William Peter Grasso said:


> when on a roll and the characters push you aside and start writing it by themselves


I prefer to let them do the thinking. They're better at it than I am, and they've surprised me on more than one occasion.

Totally agree on GPB, Wayne. More classic one liners in that movie than most new ones! So, since I'm out of ammo (yeah, right), I'm in on this 5k thing. Just glad that you meant words and not running.


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## Rose Andrews (Jun 1, 2017)

Ever since getting a real job (groan, lol) my word count has gone from 2-3k per day to 1-2k per day. I think it's more realistic for me to stick with this thread other than the previous 3k one (bye, my friends!). Unfortunately, I've had to split my writing to a bit in the morning and a bit at night but hey, it's better than nothing. I've been hitting 500-1000 words for the past week because I've also been sick. I like the idea of not stressing. Thank you, Mr. Stinnett, for starting this thread!


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## Douglas Milewski (Jul 4, 2014)

When writing, I generate about 1K a day, but revising always kills my speed. I've been clicking along at 20k per month since June, even with revisions, but the last month as been a little under that.

This time around, I'm trying a new process. I've been writing my WIP in 20k chunks, with a goal of once chunk per month, but revising chunks 6-8 required that I know the end of Chunk 8, so I had to write forward a bit, writing out 50k from mid-September to now. Chunks 5&6 are 3-4k short of my word count goals, but chunks 7&8 are short by 10k words, mostly because I wrote too compactly because I was racing to find out what happened. 

20k per month is very comfortable for me.


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## MKK (Jun 9, 2015)

I was thrilled...until I saw the extra zero. But I'm not about to join the 500 words-per-week club, so maybe I'll hang out here while I'm thinking about the next word to put in the sentence I'm working on.


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## Guest (Nov 13, 2017)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> I count anything over and above the previous week's word count as new words. Usually, in editing the previous two days' work before starting new, I'll add a couple hundred words, to expand some vague idea or something. I record weekly goals and weekly achievements on a spreadsheet to check my productivity.
> 
> My revised schedule, still quite doable at a comfortable 1K words per day with no days off. But a few words over that 1K is normal, so i'll get a day off here and there. After Decemeber 8th, I'll return to 5K per week.


Thanks for sharing some of your process and schedule. Seriously, it's a terrific service for newbies like myself. 
I read that Izzy Shows is a big spreadsheet user too. 
Guess I'll be loading up Apple Numbers.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

William Peter Grasso said:


> BTW, who was the clever person who said, _Stop a writing day at a point where you'd want to keep going?_
> WPG


Hemingway said this, "I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it."


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Luke Everhart said:


> Thanks for sharing some of your process and schedule. Seriously, it's a terrific service for newbies like myself.
> I read that Izzy Shows is a big spreadsheet user too.
> Guess I'll be loading up Apple Numbers.


It doesn't have to be a spreadsheet, any kind of document will work, even a notepad and pencil. The important thing is that you plan. Set small, easily achievable goals, like 5K words per week. Include days off that you know your'e not going to get anything done. Is anyone in the 5K per day club planning to write 5000 words on Christmas Day? But, by planning 5K per week, writing 1000 words per day on weekdays is easy. For Christmas week, 1250 words per day for four days yields the same result. Transversely, if you get a little ahead during a regular week, you can give yourself a three-day weekend now and then.

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Life always throws curve balls at you, so it's best to plan for time lost dealing with "stuff."

This week: 8009 words. I was shooting for 10k because of Thanksgiving next week and then family "stuff" the week after.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I was wondering how this week would go. It's been a very busy week, out-of-town doctor appointment, lunch with two local writers (two separate days), NINC board meeting, physical therapy two days, tree removal, just a lot going on. The busiest day was Wednesday. I didn't even start writing until 7pm. But, I had a little time each day and I'm less than 1000 words from my goal. I'll write a little today and tomorrow and should be a little ahead, come Monday.

Yes, Diana, life does throw curve balls. But, most really are predictable. If the check engine light in the car has been coming on a lot lately, and you haven't found the time to take the car to the shop, odds are that it will leave you on the side of the road at a most inopportune time. That's not a curve ball. The car has been signaling its intention to throw this curve for some time.

Scheduling time off is just as important, perhaps more so, than scheduling the work. With just one day off scheduled on Sunday, when the check engine light comes on, on a Tuesday, you can take it right to the shop, comfortable in the knowledge that what you're not going to get done on Tuesday, you can make up on Sunday.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> ...life does throw curve balls. But, most really are predictable. If the check engine light in the car has been coming on a lot lately, and you haven't found the time to take the car to the shop, odds are that it will leave you on the side of the road at a most inopportune time. That's not a curve ball. The car has been signaling its intention to throw this curve for some time.
> 
> Scheduling time off is just as important, perhaps more so, than scheduling the work. With just one day off scheduled on Sunday, when the check engine light comes on, on a Tuesday, you can take it right to the shop, comfortable in the knowledge that what you're not going to get done on Tuesday, you can make up on Sunday.


This is solid advice. I fell short in my second week since joining 5000 Words Per Week. Then I read your message, and it hit me square between the eyes (more like the space between my ears). While I did miss goal, the plus side is I did prepare a spread sheet to keep me accountable to myself. I also plan to continue to report (confess?) in this thread.


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## Jeff DeGordick (May 21, 2015)

Thanks for sharing your schedule and process, Wayne! I've been trying to write like a fiend, but lately I've realized that I'm a lot more productive when I scale down my writing schedule and allow myself more time to do other things for balance.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

By working through the weekend, I added 8662 words to Rising Fury, putting me 2066 words ahead of schedule. That's two whole days. I'll give myself Thanksgiving off, as planned, and maybe Friday, as well. The story's coming together nicely, it's now over 54K words, so officially a novel. And I have a pretty good idea of the ending, with basic outlines for the last five chapters. It's downhill now.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

LilyBLily said:


> I'm doing NaNo this month and once past about 25k I usually start sailing. But I can't do it every month, and some winter months I can't write at all. Wish I could know how much I can write in a year but progress is always bumpy.


If you have Excel, create a simple spreadsheet with the date and daily WC. I do this and graph it. It's amazing to see a visual representation of how I write. I can see patterns: When I take time off, that my Daily WC is improving etc.


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## Douglas Milewski (Jul 4, 2014)

My story chunk was 8k behind on Saturday morning. As of this morning's revision, I'm only 2k behind. I'm ahead of schedule going into Thanksgiving. (My daughter is also demanding the next chunk. That's the problem when you live with your biggest fan.)


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I managed to stay on schedule through Thanksgiving, even though we had family in from out of town. Fortunately, late nights don't affect me much, so I was able to wake early and get a couple of short sprints in to maintain the schedule. After eleven weeks of writing, I ended this past week with a total of 57,124 words, with a goal of 57,000 even. I've padded that yesterday and today with a little over 1000 words each day. I now have twelve days to write 10,000 words to finish the manuscript at 70,000 and get it to my beta readers.

On a side note, I was approved for a BookBub promotion of the first book in my spinoff series, scheduled for Christmas Eve. My release date for this new book (#12 in the original series) is December 28th, and I'll discount the first book in the main series for the same time span, December 23-27. This will bring the first book in both series up into the top 1000 on release day, and the new release should reach the top 100, adding more fuel to the fire.


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## katrina46 (May 23, 2014)

It depends on my mood. I get a burst of energy and inspiration and have done 10k in one day before. Other times I do 1000k a day and am perfectly happy with that. I have even done as little as 500 words a day when life gets in the way. It seems like my releases have longer tails now that we have AMS ads, so I don't worry as much about churning. I started a new pen name last year and only released 3 novels under it, the last release being three months ago and I still get sales and borrows. Of course, I'd make more if I wrote faster, so there's that.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

> We're each the skipper of our own vessels. If I run aground, I have only myself to blame. So, I plot a course to avoid the shallows and allow a little more depth under the keel just in case a foul wind blows.


I need this tattooed on my forehead, for when I get down on myself for not writing at times. I've been sick, and with an issue with my Type II at the same time, it's been really hard to accept that I probably just don't have the brain power to write. I'm not one of those people who can say "I get my eleventy-billion words every day, no matter what!", and I doubt at this point that would ever happen.

I do try to stick to a schedule I came up with that allowed me to only need to write five days a week. I took Wednesdays off, because that's shopping day, and I could float the other day depending on what was going on. I've fallen down on that spectacularly this month. I shouldn't have ever committed to doing NaNo. I always freeze up when I set goals and deadlines like that. Even if I hadn't gotten sick, I likely wouldn't have made it, because self-sabotage. And the worse thing is, the less I do, the more I feel like I'm a fake, I don't want it badly enough, blah blah.

Anyway, enough pity party for the day. I'm going to try this 5K a week thing, see if I can get myself back in the saddle so I can ride this horse, rather than beat it to death. Thanks for posting this, Wayne.


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## Douglas Milewski (Jul 4, 2014)

Wednesday to Wednesday, 7,000 words. WIP now stands at 72k. My goal is 80k.


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## Mylius Fox (Jun 2, 2014)

I'm vying hard to join this club, but as of yet it eludes me.  

If I count days that I've written, I'm averaging 600 words a day, but if I count the total against all the days in the calendar, I'm averaging 260.  

On the other hand, it took me two years to write the first novel, and if I continue at this pace, it'll only take one year to finish...

Weirdly enough, I've only increased my average very slightly compared to the first one, maybe only an extra 20 words a day, and when I tally it up, I'm still averaging having written on only 40% of the days in each respective time period.   The only concrete difference is I no longer have to completely redraft so many chapters like I did in the beginning...

Ugh, I'd better figure out how to light a bigger fire under my ███!


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## quiet chick writes (Oct 19, 2012)

I wish I had seen this thread instead of starting a NaNoWriMo this month (and quitting after a couple days.) It's not that 1667 words/day is unreasonable, but 7 days a week for a month straight is what always kills it for me. This year's NaNo was especially bad with travel and kid/school stuff. 

However, 5000 words a week is really very doable. And it really adds up to a lot if you actually do it ~5 of the 7 days, and keep going. It's an ideal pace for me, averaging low days and high days, so count me in! 

I really need to grow some accountability somehow. As an indie with no real following yet, nobody but me cares whether I finish the next novel or not, so it's easy to get discouraged and weasel out of the work. How do you guys muster up the discipline to show up every day? 

Wayne, your spreadsheet is incredible! I really like how you schedule every step along the way to publication, and even the after-pub work. It must be very rewarding to see it envisioned like that and follow through.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Laura Rae Amos said:


> I wish I had seen this thread instead of starting a NaNoWriMo this month (and quitting after a couple days.) It's not that 1667 words/day is unreasonable, but 7 days a week for a month straight is what always kills it for me. This year's NaNo was especially bad with travel and kid/school stuff.
> 
> However, 5000 words a week is really very doable. And it really adds up to a lot if you actually do it ~5 of the 7 days, and keep going. It's an ideal pace for me, averaging low days and high days, so count me in!
> 
> ...


This is exactly why a daily word count doesn't work as well. For NaNo you strive for 50K words in a month. Not impossible, but when you break it down to 1667 words per day, and miss that mark on any given day, it might give you a feeling of failure, making the next day tougher.

What if you break the NaNo project down into just four weeks, instead of 30 days? And what if you break those four weeks down into just five work days for a total of 20 work days? Now, your daily target is 2500 words. Still not impossible. On good days, I've gone into the 3000-4000 range, since I started keeping track of such things. Before I was told I couldn't do it, I wrote my second novel, all 105K words, had it edited and published in 71 days, while working a 60 hour week as a trucker. Some of those days, I'm sure I hit 5K words.

Setting a NaNo goal of 12,500 words per week and starting on Monday, if you can hit 2500 words per day through the week, you get the weekend off. If you miss a daily target (remember it's not a daily goal), it's not a failure, because you can make it up the next day or by working on Saturday. I work through the weekends quite often to intentionally get ahead of schedule. Then I can reward my hard work with a long weekend. My sister and her husband came to visit last week and were here for five days. When they arrived, I was well ahead of schedule and only needed about 1200 words to reach my weekly goal. When you only need 1200 words in five days, you can do that in 20 minute sprints. So, I woke up an hour before anyone else and knocked out 1500 words by the time they left. And it didn't impede on enjoying their company.

Scheduling time off, to let your mind unwind, or take care of life's moments is hugely important in our job.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Stick a fork in it.

My WIP is now with my beta reading team. Editing, proofreading, and formatting dates are locked in. With a BookBub promo the day before the release, I'm going to try to move it up one more day, to December 27th, to coincide with the promo.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Rising Fury was released on time on December 27th. Note to self: Avoid launching around the holidays. It was the first time one of my new releases didn't eclipse the previous one. It has over ten days, but the launch was stalled due to the holidays.

So, I've started the next project this week. During the down time after the launch, I worked on some plot ideas and started polishing the opening scene. This past Monday was the beginning of the first week of writing with a goal of only 3000 words. I already had 500 written in the opening scene, so it was simple to ease back into writing. I expanded the opening scene into nearly a full chapter now with 3772 words. Next week's goal is another 4000 words, then after that, I'm shooting for 6000 words per week, to be able to finish all three books by the end of the year.

This is my writing and publishing schedule, which I posted on my Facebook page. I've found that scheduling my work and announcing that schedule keeps me accountable. Next to it on the spreadsheet is a 2018 calendar with dates highlighted in color for each book.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> Rising Fury was released on time on December 27th. Note to self: Avoid launching around the holidays. It was the first time one of my new releases didn't eclipse the previous one. It has over ten days, but the launch was stalled due to the holidays.
> 
> So, I've started the next project this week. During the down time after the launch, I worked on some plot ideas and started polishing the opening scene. This past Monday was the beginning of the first week of writing with a goal of only 3000 words. I already had 500 written in the opening scene, so it was simple to ease back into writing. I expanded the opening scene into nearly a full chapter now with 3772 words. Next week's goal is another 4000 words, then after that, I'm shooting for 6000 words per week, to be able to finish all three books by the end of the year.
> 
> This is my writing and publishing schedule, which I posted on my Facebook page. I've found that scheduling my work and announcing that schedule keeps me accountable. Next to it on the spreadsheet is a 2018 calendar with dates highlighted in color for each book.


Many thanks for sharing that, Wayne. I find it very helpful.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

The attached calendar, showing 5-day writing blocks for three books and weeks off for spring break, Key West Mystery Fest, NINC, and the holidays. White areas are work days, but no writing. Because, why schedule to do something when you know you're going to be distracted? The three launch days are outlined in red.


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## williamvw (Mar 12, 2012)

Wayne, this is incredibly helpful. Thank you. If I can ask, when/where do you bake planning/outlining/research into your schedule? I'm a bit shell-shocked (meaning, hugely envious) at the brevity of your editing window, and I have to believe it is made possible my a very solid first draft in turn made possible by excellent planning. So or not so?


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

williamvw said:


> Wayne, this is incredibly helpful. Thank you. If I can ask, when/where do you bake planning/outlining/research into your schedule? I'm a bit shell-shocked (meaning, hugely envious) at the brevity of your editing window, and I have to believe it is made possible my a very solid first draft in turn made possible by excellent planning. So or not so?


It's more to do with the scheduling than anything. By letting people know well in advance, I'm not sending a manuscript I hope they can squeeze in. Final proofreading and formatting take only a couple days each, but I have two weeks allotted. And my beta readers usually take only three or four days. So, there is some flexibility after I finish.

I don't plot, bake, outline, hatch or research anything. I'm a complete pantser and a natural storyteller. Have been since I was a kid. I simply choose a place in the Caribbean I'm familiar with, put my MC in that setting, and start describing it though his senses. Usually the plot and problem come to him, as I write. Then I just let the story unfold on its own.


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## AYClaudy (Oct 2, 2014)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> The attached calendar, showing 5-day writing blocks for three books and weeks off for spring break, Key West Mystery Fest, NINC, and the holidays. White areas are work days, but no writing. Because, why schedule to do something when you know you're going to be distracted? The three launch days are outlined in red.


There's just something so visually satisfying about your color coded calendar!! 
I need one, stat. 
Thanks for sharing your process, it's really motivating!


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## Erik Roman (Nov 3, 2016)

Having just found this thread on the advice of a friend and read through it, I can definitely see the value of setting the schedule in advance in terms of smoothing out the pipeline.

As someone eager to go to market yet still somewhat stymied by the process of putting a book together in credible fashion (the writing output part I don't really have a problem with) I'm certain I'd have work published by now if I had followed a format similar to what you've posted.  Will have to work on implementation.

Thanks kindly for sharing!


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## Overrated (Mar 20, 2015)

Last week, I did 26k. I'm shooting for 25k a week, so that I keep up with my plans, and don't have to write on weekends. This week is off to a slow start, but I have time today and tomorrow to get back on track.


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## Ryan W. Mueller (Jul 14, 2017)

My personal goal I've set is 30,000 words per month. If I write at that rate, that's about three and a half books a year (unless they're really long). Usually, I write one book and edit another at the same time, and that's seemed to work pretty well so far.

Last year, I came in a little short of that 30,000-a-month goal. This year, I'm hoping I don't get too swamped with other responsibilities.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

This was a busy week. I had appointments with my eye surgeon, my dentist, and my vet. Actually, he's Bill's vet. Bill's my dog. I digress. So, I had to do a little writing today to stay on schedule. Starting Monday, it's 1200 words per day for five days. This will be my goal (6K per week) until the end of March, when Enduring Charity will be finished.

Staying on schedule is so much easier, when you have realistic goals and plan on time off.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## Sati_LRR (Jul 10, 2017)

Managed 20k in the last two weeks to finish off a 75k book, so I'm pleased. For the second half of the month, I'm aiming a little higher.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

Only 4600 words this week so next week I'm going to have to play catch up.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Belay my last. The girls went to the mall in Savannah today and were going to be gone all day. So, I added another 1300 words bringing the current total to 8349 with a goal of 7000 for the week. 

By getting ahead with an easy schedule, if something should come up like the Miami Boat Show next month, I can take some workdays off. So, I'm making reservations. Eric Stone is playing the Cruisers Party there and will be debuting his new song, which is based on my books, to my target audience of boat bums and trawler trash.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I added almost 7500 words this week, with a goal of 6000, which puts me another day ahead of schedule. I plan to write a little this weekend to get three full days ahead. I'll need those days next month for the Miami Boat Show. The radio network I own part of, Pyrate Radio, is having their hard launch and will be broadcasting live from the show. My commercials have been playing on the soft launch format since September.


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## Goulburn (May 21, 2014)

5000 words towards the content of an ebook (I write more than that for other creative business purposes) a week is doable for me in 2018. 
This is an adventurous year for me with many other creative commitments, and setting a target of 5000 words a week will be perfect. I'll be writing at the end of a creative and busy week, and not everyday.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Finished for the week, and as you can see on the schedule, I'm just a paragraph or two short of hitting NEXT Friday's goal. This is very good, because something's come up in February that I want to do, but wouldn't have the time. This is where creating a simple, conservative plan pays off. All I need to do is slow down to my usual writing goal and speed now, and I can take the three weekdays off I need to go to the Miami Boat Show. Sure, it's just a fun thing, but it's also business, so I can expense everything.

Odds are good that I'll get further ahead and have more time to maybe put the boat in the water in March, when the fish get more active as the waters warm. More fun days, but alas, no expense. Unless maybe someone wants to go fishing and talk indie publishing. 

See, everyone probably has (or had) a pretty strict schedule at their place of employment. You worked the same hours, five days a week, and produced the number of widgits your boss wanted. If you didn't, he'd replace you. This new job is no different. Except that it's YOU who has to make the schedule. And it's not hours of work time you have to schedule, it's small blocks of words.

If your long term goal is three 70Kword novels in 2018, just do the math and put it on a calendar, how many days for each work week you want to achieve. A conservative schedule is a lot easier to keep. If I get too far ahead, I'll contact my service providers and see about moving their dates up. If even one of them can't, well, I'll be doing some more fun things on other work days to slow down my pace toward the end.

Any long range goal can be broken down into smaller, easier to achieve sub-goals. Each of those can be broken down into individual steps to reach a sub-goal. Hitting goals is fun and builds a sense of accomplishment. Not having a goal and steps to achieve it, leaves you plodding along with no positive reinforcement.


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## dianapersaud (Sep 26, 2013)

I wrote 5k words this week, but I'm well short of my 10k goal. I guess I'm working this weekend. And maybe tonight.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

dianapersaud said:


> I wrote 5k words this week, but I'm well short of my 10k goal. I guess I'm working this weekend. And maybe tonight.


How many often do you not reach your weekly goal?


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## Fleurina (Nov 13, 2017)

Hello. After a lean time, I started using a word counter, which has given me a kick-start. From Monday to Saturday this week, with a day off, I did 5147 words.
I used https://wordcounter.net/ which also gave me 20% off Grammarly, which I was about to renew anyway.

Have a great Sunday.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Fleurina said:


> Hello. After a lean time, I started using a word counter, which has given me a kick-start. From Monday to Saturday this week, with a day off, I did 5147 words.
> I used https://wordcounter.net/ which also gave me 20% off Grammarly, which I was about to renew anyway.
> 
> Have a great Sunday.


Welcome to the dark side, Fleurina. Where we take into account the realities of life and try to have a little fun while we're here. In this world, daydreaming is working.


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## Fleurina (Nov 13, 2017)

> Welcome to the dark side, Fleurina. Where we take into account the realities of life and try to have a little fun while we're here. In this world, daydreaming is working.


Thanks, Wayne. Sounds good to me - fun and daydreaming.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I had to go in for oral surgery early this week and didn't get as much writing done as I'd planned; only 3100 new words. But, since I was nearly 6000 words ahead of schedule at the end of last week, everything's still good. I'm now only 3000 words, or 2.5 days ahead of schedule. I may write a little this weekend, just to round that off to three full days ahead. Next week, I need only maintain that, but will probably get a little further ahead. The week after that, I'll be taking two days off for travel, so I'm going to need those days. How did everyone else do this week?


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2018)

This thread is great. Thanks Wayne!  
I set up my own production schedule spreadsheets based on your example. It's really nice to be able to get details on how a writer who is rockin it, and whose books I've read, is managing his writer's life. (That's what I love about kboards most: veterans sharing their paths in various ways.) 
You also seem like a man who really knows how to embrace all the aspects of life, which is also inspiring (I checked out some of your videos).

I spent some of my writing time this week getting my website closer to finished and chewing... more like gnawing on blurbs. But, per your example, my schedule allows for a bit of that. I'm still going to try bumping up the weekend count by adding an hour or two to my usual 2-3 hour a day writing window.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

Life infringed on my writing time this week. I will do some writing this weekend to get my numbers back up, but I'm not that short. I'm working on a draft right now so the words are coming fairly easily.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Luke Everhart said:


> This thread is great. Thanks Wayne!
> I set up my own production schedule spreadsheets based on your example. It's really nice to be able to get details on how a writer who is rockin it, and whose books I've read, is managing his writer's life. (That's what I love about kboards most: veterans sharing their paths in various ways.)
> You also seem like a man who really knows how to embrace all the aspects of life, which is also inspiring (I checked out some of your videos).
> 
> I spent some of my writing time this week getting my website closer to finished and chewing... more like gnawing on blurbs. But, per your example, my schedule allows for a bit of that. I'm still going to try bumping up the weekend count by adding an hour or two to my usual 2-3 hour a day writing window.


Thanks, Luke. Every time someone asks me how I was to write going on 16 novels, I counter with the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer is the same; one bite at a time.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

kw3000 said:


> Wayne, thank you for sharing your process. Just catching up with this thread now, and I'm inspired. Your spreadsheets and your sage advice has given me a sorely needed boot to the behind. You've also caused me to shed my usual slacker attire and create a production schedule. I'm hard at work on a new trilogy and much more optimistic about 2018 now. I think a plan similar to yours will help keep me accountable. Many thanks.


Anything for The Great Labowski, Ken.

The slacker or procrastination gene is in all of us. Cavemen knew instinctively that doing _anything_ meant burning precious calories. So, he put off climbing the mountain to see what was on the other side, until after he could kill something and eat it. Procrastinating made him fat and happy and he put it off another day. You'll find his bones, still on the far side of that mountain.

The only way to overcome the procrastination gene is to deliberately do the work anyway, even if you _can _put it off until tomorrow. And that takes planning. A written plan with little steps to achieve a specific goal.


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## solo (Dec 19, 2017)

Since I am in panic mode due to two deadlines, I think I qualify. For now. Then back to the 1,000 A Week mode unless I do something stupid again like putting two deadlines in the same month.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Thirty-four words more than planned this week, putting me a good three days ahead of schedule. I can easily take two days off next week for the boat show, and still be a day ahead of schedule when I finish Wednesday's writing session.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

Got a little stuck on plotting last week so I am definitely behind. I may have sorted that out over the weekend. Hoping to catch up again this week.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm actually finished for this week already. I love it when a plan comes together. I'm off for the boat show, and when I get back, I'll be a day ahead of schedule. Just by turning it up a notch for a couple of rainy weekends, I was able to get far enough ahead, that I can take time off to play. Anyone in Miami want to drive my truck back for me? I might buy something while I'm there.


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## Douglas Milewski (Jul 4, 2014)

I came out of the December holidays with distinctly less verve. I had multiple weeks of "close but no cigar." Something was wrong, but I kept powering on anyway. I had a distinct case of "they went here and did this." The story was missing something. (Considering that it's a action-adventure-comedy, that's muy muy bad.)

Heart. It was missing heart.

Finally, a breakthrough. One character talked about what she wanted to do after the war, and there it was. Heart. Those were the stakes. "Save the world," wasn't enough, but all those little dreams, those mattered.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

These last few weeks have been a perfect example of why planning and goal setting can make life easier. Just before Christmas, it was requested that I appear at the Miami Boat Show. I was on schedule, slightly ahead in fact. Going to the show would mean taking three weekdays off, a loss of 3600 words. But, I had two months notice, so I just pressed slightly harder on the pedal, worked a couple of weekend days, and just before leaving for the show, I was slightly more than three days ahead of schedule. The boat show was awesome, and I got to play with some new toys. When I get back to writing last Tuesday, I only needed 4800 words, 1200 a day, to stay on schedule. As of yesterday afternoon, I was 374 words ahead of my goal. And I'm over the hump, the last half of a story comes a lot easier.


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## SBlake (Mar 23, 2017)

Well, I'm 2175 words behind on my romance novel (due to family disasters and other such distractions), but I've hit 29,025 words overall, so that's making me feel pretty solid. It's mostly downhill from here. Don't have a pre-order for it yet, but I'll feel pretty good in a couple days to set one up a couple months out. 

Good news is I'm two days ahead on re-editing my dystopian serial and boxing it up! That badboy comes out wide on March 12, so I need to get it in gear AND get caught up with the novel in the meantime. 

That's what (very) strong coffee and dad home on the weekends is for!


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

I was ahead of schedule. but then life intervened. The buffer weeks that I added here and there have come to the rescue. Now I can enjoy the sudden visit of family without feeling guilty or getting stressed. When I first planned in those weeks I scoffed at myself thinking I was overdoing it. Well, having relied on them twice this year already, I am very glad to have added them in.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

The weather has been so nice lately. Yesterday morning, Greta asked me to take her to Lowe's to buy some plants and seed. So, obviously I spent the day cleaning the fence with my new pressure washer. 

The downside of all that fun was that I didn't write a lick. She and our daughter are going to the outlet mall today, so it's going to be very quiet here. I'll make up yesterday's loss easily. But, I'm still ahead of schedule, should I decide the driveway needs cleaning, too.
Or Pescador wants to get wet. 
Or Lucille wants to go for a ride.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

AliceS said:


> I was ahead of schedule. but then life intervened. The buffer weeks that I added here and there have come to the rescue. Now I can enjoy the sudden visit of family without feeling guilty or getting stressed. When I first planned in those weeks I scoffed at myself thinking I was overdoing it. Well, having relied on them twice this year already, I am very glad to have added them in.


Buffers and down time are essential in what we do. We get inspiration and rejuvenation when we're away from the screen. As much as we hate to admit it, we can't be "on" all the time. By adding those buffers, you're admitting that life controls what you do, not the other way around. And that's the way it should be. Unexpected family visits, illness, or just a beautiful spring day, all conspire to keep us from our work.

Roll with it.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

Oh wow! I just saw this thread. My mom moved in with us at the end of October in 2017, had several hospital stays for pneumonia and sepsis, and subsequently passed away on Jan 31. Needless to say, my writing schedule and production went out the window. For the last couple weeks I've been trying to get back into the swing, but haven't been able to. I'm not beating myself up over it, but I am looking for ways to shift back into work mode. 5000 words a week seems doable. I'm going to go back to the beginning of this thread and read through to the end so I can find out where everybody is in their journey. So, so happy to be here!


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## Magda Alexander (Aug 13, 2011)

Jumping on this bandwagon starting Monday, March 5. Should be able to manage 1K a day. Thanks, Wayne, for starting this thread and being such an inspiration.


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Donna White Glaser said:


> Oh wow! I just saw this thread. My mom moved in with us at the end of October in 2017, had several hospital stays for pneumonia and sepsis, and subsequently passed away on Jan 31. Needless to say, my writing schedule and production went out the window. For the last couple weeks I've been trying to get back into the swing, but haven't been able to. I'm not beating myself up over it, but I am looking for ways to shift back into work mode. 5000 words a week seems doable. I'm going to go back to the beginning of this thread and read through to the end so I can find out where everybody is in their journey. So, so happy to be here!


Sorry to hear about your mother. It is hard to get going again after major life events. This is a good thread. No pressure. Lots of accountability if you so choose. Wayne is an excellent example of work ethic and living life at the same time.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks, Sapphire!


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## SBlake (Mar 23, 2017)

You can borrow my husband's pressure washer, if you can wrench it out of his hands.  

I've been gradually falling behind despite a nice buffer I'd set up for myself. So ... I changed my writing schedule! It's only off by a couple days, but still, I hate seeing those negative numbers on my spreadsheet, and I hadn't set up the pre-order yet ...

So I hit 6295 words this week. A teensy bit ahead again.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Donna White Glaser said:


> Oh wow! I just saw this thread. My mom moved in with us at the end of October in 2017, had several hospital stays for pneumonia and sepsis, and subsequently passed away on Jan 31. Needless to say, my writing schedule and production went out the window. For the last couple weeks I've been trying to get back into the swing, but haven't been able to. I'm not beating myself up over it, but I am looking for ways to shift back into work mode. 5000 words a week seems doable. I'm going to go back to the beginning of this thread and read through to the end so I can find out where everybody is in their journey. So, so happy to be here!


I'm so sorry for your loss, Donna. Circumstances like yours throw everything out the window, as far as a schedule goes. And rightfully so. When others need us to be there for them, we have to make adjustments. I've found that even after only a few days or weeks off, it's difficult to get going again. Don't beat yourself up. Just aim lower. Schedule a few days to write a crucial opening scene.

Note that first entry, 552 words, next to the word "Opening?" That was several weeks of slowly getting going again. Since completing the previous book, most of my time was spent working with beta readers and editors for several weeks. But, little by little, I wrote the opening scene. The first full week of writing, my goal was only 3000 words, with 552 already finished. The following week, my goal ramped up to 4000 words. By the third week, I was back in the saddle with a goal of 6000 words.

Expect delays and slow going, then plan around it.


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## L_Loryn (Mar 1, 2018)

I just joined the forum a bit ago.. and I kind of love the concept of this thread. Not that I don't do 1k or 2k per day for writing, but I just don't like being pressured to put out that much. I'm already a freelance writer for other stuff so I already write at least 5-6k words a week (they're articles-- nothing fun. I considered freelancing fiction but I didn't like the price or writing about stuff I don't care about).

So far this year I'm somewhere around the neighborhood of 77k, adding up the word counts of everything I've finished/working on. If I'm not too crazy busy, I like to do a writing challenge once a week with my partner where we try to get 3-5k in one day. It doesn't happen often. All other days, I go for a minimum of 500 words but I mull over my stories so much that I get excited and usually write 1k or more.

Thanks for this thread! I don't know if I'm going to settle into a spreadsheet to record progress though.. Unless my partner does it for me. Hmm.


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## thanksfortheadvice (Aug 24, 2017)

This thread has inspired me to track how much I actually write--vs how much I think I should be writing--to figure out which writing goals are realistic and which are pure fantasy. As a military wife, it's been tough to achieve consistency. Sometimes it feels like I'm battling the Joint Chiefs of Staff for control of my time. But with a writing timetable that has built in flexibility, I'm sure the Chiefs and I can come to a reasonable understanding.

1K words a day of 3rd draft quality output may not get me into the "20 books to 50K club" any time soon, but it fits my life and writing personality. Thank you, Wayne, for the roadmap. I just finished setting up my spreadsheet.


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## thanksfortheadvice (Aug 24, 2017)

Donna White Glaser said:


> My mom moved in with us at the end of October in 2017, had several hospital stays for pneumonia and sepsis, and subsequently passed away on Jan 31.


Goodness...the last months and all that led up to them must have been so difficult for you. I'm sorry for your loss.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

L_Loryn said:


> I just joined the forum a bit ago.. and I kind of love the concept of this thread. Not that I don't do 1k or 2k per day for writing, but I just don't like being pressured to put out that much. I'm already a freelance writer for other stuff so I already write at least 5-6k words a week (they're articles-- nothing fun. I considered freelancing fiction but I didn't like the price or writing about stuff I don't care about).
> 
> So far this year I'm somewhere around the neighborhood of 77k, adding up the word counts of everything I've finished/working on. If I'm not too crazy busy, I like to do a writing challenge once a week with my partner where we try to get 3-5k in one day. It doesn't happen often. All other days, I go for a minimum of 500 words but I mull over my stories so much that I get excited and usually write 1k or more.
> 
> Thanks for this thread! I don't know if I'm going to settle into a spreadsheet to record progress though.. Unless my partner does it for me. Hmm.


The real value of a schedule isn't in recording output, but in planning for the future. By planning an easy to achieve schedule, I know and have reserved time with editors, proofreaders, cover designers, and formatters. It doesn't have to be in a spreadsheet, there are no active cells in mine that perform calculations. They're just boxes with data in them, like what week, the goal, and actual results.

We've all experienced the feeling of elation on completing a project, only to be let down when the editor says they can't get to it for a month. That's not planning ahead. My editor is scheduled to work on this book the week of April 9th. That's less than a month away now, but I reserved that spot last year. She's also scheduled to edit two more books the weeks of August 20th, and January 14th. By scheduling in advance, I know my editor will be ready for my manuscript, at the time that the manuscript is ready for her.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

Thank you for your kind words, Wayne and pklasky!  I'm looking forward to getting back on track. Before all of this I used an app on my phone called Writeometer that was super helpful. Anybody else use it?


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Last week, I had to work a little over the weekend to stay on track, and finished the week 441 words ahead of schedule. Even with a lot of distractions this week, three doctor appointments and several meetings, I not only managed to stay on track, but moved a bit further ahead, ending this week 606 words ahead of schedule.

Can I work faster? Sure, but what's the point? Either my editor, proofreader, or formatter won't be able to move it up on their schedule. If I finish early, my manuscript is just going to sit until the scheduled editing date. So, it's a good weekend to put the boat in the water.


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## Jack.Hardin (Jun 20, 2017)

Weird...just saw this! 

I'm tracking at 11,000 words a week now. Before I would struggle to just get 2K a week! 

I'm doing 2K each weekday, 1K on Saturday, and take off Sundays.

It's Friday night and I've already gotten in my 11K!! Boom. Can't wait to start the series launch next month!


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Coming down to the wire now. The book is winding up faster than the 73K word plan and will end up being about 65K, still the longest book in that series. So, I contacted my editor, proofreader, formatter, and cover designer and was actually able to move up the release date by two weeks. Next week, I'll write the last two chapters, then give it one final edit (the third, due to the way I write), and send it to my beta readers, who will have it for a week. We beta read, real time, in a secret Facebook group and most finish in three or four days.

The only trouble I foresee is a pending trip to Key West, April 8-13, while the manuscript is being final proofread and formatted. But, these are things I can handle from anywhere.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

This is a good reminder of when the book is done, it is done. I see too many writers stretch a story out for a higher word count. The reader recognizes a page turned turning into skimmer bait.


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## GeorgiaCM123 (Apr 18, 2017)

Patty Jansen said:


> Me, me, me!!!!!
> 
> I write stuff that often requires research, or at least thinking out plots. I am a pantser.
> 
> ...


Makes so much sense.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Sapphire said:


> This is a good reminder of when the book is done, it is done. I see too many writers stretch a story out for a higher word count. The reader recognizes a page turned turning into skimmer bait.


I've read a few of those. Though my books are in KU, I don't write to that market. I try to write the stories people want to buy. My final pass will be an elimination pass, primarily taking out superfluous stuff. But, more will be added here and there as needed, not as fluff, but to make sure the point comes across as genuine. My current WIP is from a female perspective, which I struggle with. I think this one is definitely the best so far, though.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Stick a fork in this one, it's done.

One more full read through, to close up any loose ends, then it goes to my beta readers on Monday. Between now and April 20th, when I will launch full tilt into my next book, I'll be working on the opening scene, while also working with beta readers, editors, proofreaders, and formatters on Enduring Charity. I'm really looking forward to Rising Force, as it picks up right at the end of Enduring Charity.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

Wayne you are my rock. While I am tangled up in marketing and formatting you are going on your merry way. You help me get back on track. Thanks for your updates.

Although sometimes I feel like a character in a book I read (Not sure which one) who was preparing for a test and spent all of his study time updating charts of what he needed to study and when - in various colors with graphs! And each time he missed a deadline he'd redo the whole thing, once again using up all the study time...


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## Marti talbott (Apr 19, 2011)

Wayne, I just read this thread too. I thought, 5000 and I'm struggling to get 1000 a day, forget you. 

Then I actually read your post. Silly me. After 52 books, I'm having to push myself to write. Burn out, I think maybe. So I've spent the last month just learning more about ads, catching my reports up, which I'm not even sure I'm still keeping after eight years of this little hobby. Kboarders are so much better than I am at all this  report stuff and pull the numbers out of a hat. Not me, I'm always way behind on my reports. How many have I sold this year? Golly, I have no idea.

I did discover my yearly sales and income were higher when my prices were higher, so I just raised them back up to between $4.99 and $9.99. 

Guess it's time to go back to writing. A fan just said they finished the Triplet trilogy and asked if I had something new they could read. Oh, the pressure.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

AliceS said:


> Wayne you are my rock. While I am tangled up in marketing and formatting you are going on your merry way. You help me get back on track. Thanks for your updates.
> 
> Although sometimes I feel like a character in a book I read (Not sure which one) who was preparing for a test and spent all of his study time updating charts of what he needed to study and when - in various colors with graphs! And each time he missed a deadline he'd redo the whole thing, once again using up all the study time...


If you schedule very conservatively, the only changes you'll end up making will be to move something up. Note all the unshaded dates on my 2018 calendar. Those are days when I won't be writing but will be working on the business side. All the red dates are also days I won't be writing, nor doing anything else but having fun. Those are holidays and vacations with family. The three dates in April August, and December that are bordered in red are launch days.

By having lots of time off, when life happens and I fall behind, I have lots of unscheduled days to catch up. Compare this 2018 calendar to the one I posted earlier. Because this book came in slightly shorter than planned, it and the next two books moved up.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

I spent some time moving my calendar scribbles onto a spreadsheet and it looks like I have a lot more buffer weeks in there than I thought. So even if I can't catch up this week, I have more than enough time down the road. Seeing your charts got me to take an overview and that took the pressure off. I may have been overly conservative in my extra time, but if I beat my own deadlines, that's great.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

What are the yellow days, Wayne?


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## Justa Nobody (Mar 25, 2016)

Removed 9/19/2018 - non-agreement with VerticalScope TOS


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Donna White Glaser said:


> What are the yellow days, Wayne?





Quinning said:


> I think each color corresponds to a book he's planned. He mentioned he's doing three books this year, so that jives.


Yeah, the blue is Enduring Charity, which I just finished. Green is Rising Force, which I just started, and yellow is Lost Charity, which I'll start on August 20th. Actually, I start working on the opening scene of the next book the day after writing "The End" but it's four weeks and only about 500 words, while I work with the vendors. Just to get the ball rolling on the "official" start of writing day one.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

The colors only make sense if you see the whole spreadsheet. But, as a photo, it's too small to read much.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

I love the organization you've used.  My problem is I used to spend a lot of time setting up a plan, but then didn't follow through.  That's on me, though.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Time off is coming to a quick end. We've been in Key West for the week, a 95% relaxing vacation. I did do a live 30-minute interview, on Radio A1A on Wednesday with none other than the official Honorary Mayor of Key West, Sammie "Gonzo" Mays. That was a helluva lot of fun and of course made the trip a write off.

But, this thread is all about productivity and goal setting. Monday, I start to work on my next novel, which will be published on August 20th. Also on Monday, Enduring Charity will be published. It's in formatting and will be on time. I've started the opening scene of Rising Force and will probably add a bit more to it over the weekend from home.

But Monday, it's back to work in my new office. Let's see your goals, y'all!


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Moving in and getting the last book published took a lot of wind out of my sails and I quickly fell a week behind on getting started on this new book. But Enduring Charity was launched on schedule, I'm nearly all moved in, and getting down to serious work. Monday, August 27th is my new target date for the eBook release of Rising Force. I'm half a day ahead of schedule.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Wayne Stinnett said:


> Moving in and getting the last book published took a lot of wind out of my sails and I quickly fell a week behind on getting started on this new book. But Enduring Charity was launched on schedule, I'm nearly all moved in, and getting down to serious work. Monday, August 27th is my new target date for the eBook release of Rising Force. I'm half a day ahead of schedule.


Moving into another house? Or just moving into a different office?


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Sapphire said:


> Moving into another house? Or just moving into a different office?


Moving out of my home office and into the new offices of Down Island Press, overlooking Lady's Island Marina and the ICW.


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## Itsro (May 27, 2016)

Very nice, Wayne.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Fantastic setting! I do my best writing sitting on the dock at our summer lake home.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I managed to catch up on all the business needs last week and even completed my writing goal. But I did have to come to the office on Saturday to do it. This week will be my first full week of writing at what I like to call trawler speed, 1200 words per day, double edited. Slow and steady, like a stately old Grand Banks Classic. As the weeks continue toward publishing Rising Force in late August, I hope some of y'all will contribute your own trawler goals.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

It's Friday! My writing goal has been reached early, and the MS is half a day ahead of schedule. Tomorrow's forecast is 89*, mostly sunny, with a 100% chance of boating. 

Seriously, it took a while to get settled into my office and comfortable working here. But this week, I've been killing it, hitting my daily goal and a bit more every day. Only by having a realistic schedule, is it possible to take the time to re-energize and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Me? I really enjoy salt spray on my face and the sun on my back. Maybe you like hiking in the forest, kayaking the rapids, or mall-walking. Whatever it is, schedule it. Enjoy it. Then get back to work.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I had to adjust my schedule a little the last few weeks, to allow for surgery on my left eye on the 21st. I rescheduled that week and the following week light, but managed to surpass the goals. I also shortened the planned length by 2000 words to stay on schedule with the publishing date. Right now, I'm nearly finished with this week's goal, and will be quite a ways ahead by the weekend.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Paperback Writer said:


> I hope your eye heals up soon and better than new. Right now I'm imagining you on your boat wearing a pirate patch over your left eye. Ahrrrrrr


Now I'm picturing pirates with eye patches. Mine are also brandishing swords.
All kidding aside, hoping for a successful recovery for you.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

I will say a prayer for a full and speedy recovery of your eye.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Thanks, y'all. The eye surgery was actually last month. I was back to work the next day, but it took a couple more days before I could stare at the screen for long periods of time. Unfortunately, my vision will never get better. I suffer from glaucoma and the surgery is supposed to mitigate any further sight loss. Glaucoma is usually controlled with eye drops, but I had an alergic reaction to them, so surgery was the only answer.

My goal this week was to reach 37K words. I passed that yesterday. So, this morning, I was busy getting the new boat, _Rusty Anchor_, in the water and tied up at her new slip just below my office. This afternoon, I'll catch up on emails and maybe write a little bit. I have no writing scheduled until a week from Tuesday, as we're going to Key West for the Mystery Fest. It's Father's Day weekend, and we're going to be out on the water a good bit, then leaving Monday for a week in Key West. Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there.

The Rusty Anchor


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

Have a great time Wayne. And thanks for all the updates.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

We had a great time in Key Weird, er, West. The Mystery Fest was a lot of fun, and I was able to get together with a couple of other Sea Adventure authors, Steven Becker and John Cunningham, at Smokin' Tuna for a few cold ones. Thom Shepherd was playing. Good times.

Knowing that the week after being gone so long wouldn't be as productive, you may have noticed that I hadn't scheduled a lot of words. I passed the week's goal by 500 words today, and since Jordy comes in to work on Fridays, we're knocking off early and taking the boat out.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

We had a very rough week this past week. We had to put one of our dogs down. It was a tough decision, but one we'd been talking about for nearly a year. He was fourteen and his health was failing when he suffered a broken leg last Wednesday. Needless to say, it took the wind out of our sails for a few days.

But, deadlines are deadlines. Other people rely on me to have things done in a timely manner so I don't mess up their schedules. So, I locked myself in the office this weekend, turned BrainFM up loud, and forced myself to catch up.

Three more weeks of writing to go, and I now have a pretty good idea how this story is going to wind up. It's now novel length and the manuscript will be completed in three more weeks.


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## David VanDyke (Jan 3, 2014)

Word per day are the raw material, but it's really about words per year published--or books per year, as long as the books are within the norms for the genre an author publishes in.


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## AliceS (Dec 28, 2014)

So sorry to hear about your dog, Wayne. Even when it is expected it is still a shock when it comes.  I got a health false alarm last week that I am still catching my breath from. Life is always tossing things atcha. Routines do help.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

It's really hard to lose a dog. Besides dragging you down in general, it keeps popping into your head at the most unexpected moments. Grief takes a toll on us.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

David VanDyke said:


> Word per day are the raw material, but it's really about words per year published--or books per year, as long as the books are within the norms for the genre an author publishes in.


Exactly the point this post is conveying. My dad had a saying; Keep an eye on the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.

If your goal is three novels a year, which mine is, you've just given yourself a number. A novel is 50K words or more. I aim for 70K. Therefore, I have to write, edit, format, and publish 210,000 words per year. I also want to enjoy life, so I don't want to work weekends, holidays, and vacations. Look at your calendar and highlight all the days you DON'T want to work. 
For me, in 2018, that was four weeks off, to attend certain writers' conferences and vacation with my family.

You also want to factor in the actual production time, once the manuscript is finished. I don't really start on a new project in earnest until the previous one is available to the public. I allow three weeks in my schedule to get the production side complete. 
For me, in 2018, that was nine weeks.

So, I planned to NOT write thirteen weeks and weekends. Meaning, I planned to write for 39 weeks, Monday through Friday. 
210,000 words per year, divided by 39 weeks, equals 5,385 words per week. Or just a tad over 1000 words per day of planned writing. I could break it down further, since I write for two hours per writing day. My three novels per year goal has now been broken down to 270 words per hour. You can keep going; five words per minute. Doesn't sound like much, but throw in the fact that before I start writing in the morning, I go back and edit the previous two days of work.

But it all means the same thing. Five words per minute equals three novels a year. For me. YMMV

The thing is there's a difference between a want and a plan. Wanting to write three novels a year, without a plan in place to make it happen is a fruitless endeavor. What happens when it's mid-November and the snow is flying, and you're still not finished with the first one?

Failing to plan is planning to fail.



AliceS said:


> So sorry to hear about your dog, Wayne. Even when it is expected it is still a shock when it comes. I got a health false alarm last week that I am still catching my breath from. Life is always tossing things atcha. Routines do help.





Sapphire said:


> It's really hard to lose a dog. Besides dragging you down in general, it keeps popping into your head at the most unexpected moments. Grief takes a toll on us.


Thanks, Alice and Sapphire. 
Yes, life happens. Loved ones get sick, the car breaks down, or a hurricane displaces you. These things will never NOT come up. And they are things that can't be scheduled. But they can be planned for. My weekends are buffers. When Bill died, I didn't work for a few days. We got him when he was five weeks old, shortly after I started trucking. I knew he'd be a big dog, his feet were enormous. I knew he'd be protective of my wife and daughter while I was away for weeks at a time. He was a huge part of our lives, and I don't just mean because he stood thigh high and weighed a hundred pounds. When I came off the road, Bill retired. But he didn't understand that role. He'd lie in front of the bathroom door when my wife was in the shower. He'd go out with me at night to take the trash out. When one of us was out of the house, running an errand, he'd pace and watch at the window. He earned an easy, relaxing retirement, and we did our best to give it to him.

I tried to write, and it was garbage. Then, an insane thunderstorm trapped me in the office on Saturday. I'd only planned to come in to check the mail and say hi to friends here at the marina. Bill hated to get wet, but he wasn't the kind of dog who was afraid of "the sky boomers" as our other dogs called it. He'd lie down on his rug next to where I worked, when I had my home office, and snore away. So, I sat down at my work station with the storm crashing around me. I have the whole third floor, so it literally was crashing all around me. Last week, I wrote well over 2000 words per stormy day. We had seven days of thunderstorms in the last ten days. I was behind schedule, due to life throwing a curve ball. But now I'm nearly a week ahead of schedule. Bill is now a character in my current work. My scheduled completion date was August 3rd, but I'll finish the manuscript this week, giving me a whole week to go back over it before it goes to my beta readers for a week, then my editor for a week, then my proofreader, formatter, and cover designer.


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## BonafideDreamer (Jul 22, 2018)

I write about 10k words a month. I can only crank out around 100/200 words a day, so I focus on completing a chapter a week. My chapters tend to be around 1,000 words. Extremely slow writers clubs.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I have one more chapter to write, and will probably do that tomorrow, finishing the manuscript six days ahead of schedule. Fourteen weeks, editing the previous two days work every day, averaging 5000 words per week, and I can stick a fork in this one. I'll review it over the next week, then it's off to beta readers, editors, and proofreaders, for four weeks, publishing right on schedule on August 27th.

I'm scheduled to have the first 3K words of the next book written by August 24th and it';; be published on Christmas Eve.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Congrats, Wayne!

As Merle would say:

_Big wheels rollin', big wheels rollin'
Movin' on

Big wheels rollin', gotta keep 'em goin',
Big wheels rollin',
Movin' on_


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

Wayne,

How do you know you'll get a BookBub Featured Deal for exactly 8/25? I thought the way it works is you submit for the deal and then they tell you when they can fit it in during the next 30 days, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

Thanks.

John


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

John D. Patten said:


> Wayne,
> 
> How do you know you'll get a BookBub Featured Deal for exactly 8/25? I thought the way it works is you submit for the deal and then they tell you when they can fit it in during the next 30 days, but maybe I'm wrong about that.
> 
> ...


That's a BookBub New Release alert, which they will send to the more than 6200 followers, I have there. Just like the Amazon alert. It's generally on day three, if the paperback is published and they can confirm page count.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Rising Force was delivered to my formatter this morning and should be finished tomorrow evening. The release isn't scheduled until next Monday, so I think I'll do a short preorder to get a first hand look on how it does rank-wise. I know the debut rank will be lower, probably not even in the top 500. But, the alerts should come earlier, which should make it stick better.

I've already started on Rising Charity (new title) and will be well ahead of schedule on it by the end of this week. I have a more aggressive schedule on it, at 7000 words per week. But, I'm rethinking the wisdom of that with all the planning I'll be involved in with these last few weeks before the NINC conference. So, the release date is sort of a moving target right now. It may come after the first of the year.

I haven't announced it publicly yet, but the theme of the 2019 NINC conference will be "Planning for Success."


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

May I join you? Your chart inspired me:


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Excellent, John! Plan your work and work your plan. Surprising your editor makes everyone's day tougher.


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## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Wayne, you kickie ass! Thanks for your leadership by example.


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## chadboyer (May 11, 2018)

Wayne,  I like the preparation and the self editing plan.  I am currently trying to do 1k a day.  I haven't pulled the trigger to take the weekends off yet, but I might.
Two questions.
1) is your second chart supposed to be 12/7/2018 or 12/7/2019?  I might have just saved you a year 
2) How does the self editing go when you are changing view points between chapters and daily writings?  Does that matter?

Since this is my first book, I am just trying to keep writing for the most part until I am done.  I arbitrarily picked 70k as my word count goal and while I wrote out chapter outlines that should get close to that it was just a guess.  Do you hit 70k each time?  Or does the story evolve to a word count that is arbitrary?


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

chadboyer said:


> Wayne, I like the preparation and the self editing plan. I am currently trying to do 1k a day. I haven't pulled the trigger to take the weekends off yet, but I might.
> Two questions.
> 1) is your second chart supposed to be 12/7/2018 or 12/7/2019? I might have just saved you a year
> 2) How does the self editing go when you are changing view points between chapters and daily writings? Does that matter?
> ...


The final word count is just a target. I'm a pantser, so the length is defined by the story, but as a general rule, I usually go over it. The last few weeks always end up in a writing frenzy, because I'm in a hurry to find out what happens.

I like to end the day's writing at a pivotal scene or high point. That way, the following day when I start editing the last two days, when I get where I stopped, the story is flowing. Most of the Jesse books are first person, but I do occasionally change to the Antagonists POV. Since I stop in the middle of something important, it's usually in the middle of a chapter, so the same POV continues for a while longer.

Rising Chairty's release date should be 12/17/18. Fat fongers.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Moving right along.

I started my next book right after finishing Rising Force and am already 6000 words into it. This one will be a little slower paced. I'll only be writing 5K a week, and this one will have a longer preorder period. I managed to get everything together last week for a four day preorder period, just to see what the fuss was all about, and went really well. Rising Force went on preorder on the 23rd and debuted at #68 on Amazon. It rose to #56 a few hours later and on the 27th, the day it was released, it reached #56 again. Today, it's dropped slightly out of the top 100, but the Amazon alert should go out tomorrow.

I changed my schedule up a little to include more post-writing steps and more time. This schedule should get the eBook, paperback, and audiobook all on a single Amazon page a day or two prior to the eBook release. It may all move up by a couple of weeks, as I tend to plan ultra-conservatively.


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## chadboyer (May 11, 2018)

Wayne,

How do you handle getting cold?  Just adjust the schedule a little bit and keep on plugging?

Also, What did you do to get it up to 68 on amazon as a pre order? just have a great mailing list or did you do ads as well?

I am only a little over halfway through my novel and already stressing about how I am going to release it.


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## Jan Piers (Jul 11, 2018)

I love the idea of joining a 5K a wk club.  I agree with DM Guay, when writing a first draft, just getting the story down, it is very doable. I take forever on rewrites. I need to leave things alone for a while to view them more objectively. I have an outline for a new book and I am ruminating over the characters. I have the plot twist but not quite the whole plot. While all this is happening, I am helping someone else write their first book, with a deadline of November. And that's okay with me, 'cause once finished, when I start, the story will write itself and I'll spend the bulk of the time just polishing it.


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

Very good week, creative-wise. Exceeded my word goal nicely. This is quite rare. It won't happen often.

Scenes and new characters are flying into my head haphazardly because I'm still formulating the story as I go. This is how it usually works for me. I get these ideas for crazy scenes and situations while listening to movie soundtracks, they flow out of me in a stream of consciousness... and then I have to figure out how to add them into the plot...

Yes, I'm a 100% pantser. Sorry, I couldn't write with an outline if a gun were pointed at my head. I've tried it, but by chapter 2 my characters lead me in an entirely different direction and I end up writing a completely different book. I've learned to ignore the plotters and their wild pronouncements that I'm doing everything wrong and just do it my way. It works... and I've proven it works now TWICE... so I'm proclaiming loudly the virtues of pantsing from mountaintops from now on. 

Jan Piers, sounds like you write in a very similar way to me. You know what works for you. Don't let anyone tell you how it should be done. Be the best you that you can be in your own way.

Wayne, congratulations on #56 in the store!


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## MM3313 (Dec 2, 2014)

My favorite thread to keep checking in on. Thanks for keeping it going, Wayne.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

chadboyer said:


> Wayne,
> 
> How do you handle getting cold? Just adjust the schedule a little bit and keep on plugging?
> 
> ...


When it gets cold, I turn on the heat and stop wearing shorts and flip flops.  
I assume you mean if I get sick. I was a blue collar worker most of my life, construction and trucking. Money was tight. Taking time off because of a cold wasn't an option. Even if I can only work at 50%, that's better than 0%. You just have to discipline yourself, lean into the harness, and plod ahead. Sometimes it doesn't make for great writing, but it can be fixed when you're better.

My preorder was short, just four days. Rising Force had over 1600 preorders during that time, with more than a thousand on the first day, just from my newsletter and social media. In fact, in the first hour of preorder, there were nearly 700 clicks on the link to the book in the newsletter. It's those first few hours of sales that determine debut rank. Each hour after that, the first hour sales count for slightly less in the rank algorithm. That's why the rank rose a couple of hours later. I actually time the newsletter with the Amazon rank update. They come about every 63 minutes or so. So I send the newsletter about halfway through the cycle, so a lot of preorders/purchases are spread over two different rank update hours. But, it's all about the subscribers. Mine are 100% organic and hear from me on a regular basis. They know when the book is coming. They knew it's discounted for a short time, just for them. They know the names of my family members and pets. They know me, and many of them have become friends through email. Some have even stopped by to say hi. None signed up for my newsletter to get anything free. I do have a contest now and then, but nobody knows that when they sign up.

I like your schedule, John. 750 words per day is very doable on a long, consistent basis.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

The NINC conference was exhausting, and a serious case of information overload. I fell behind the first week back, even though I scheduled it light. I fell behind even more the second week back, and even more on the third. I started going into the office earlier, well before the sun even hinted at an appearance. Last week was a monster for me, almost 9K words. And suddenly, I was at the midpoint of the book this past weekend. That's when things start flowing for me. Now I know the story and how it will turn out. To a degree. Already this week, I'm almost to 4K words and back on schedule. By the end of the week, I'll be slightly ahead and taking the weekend off. It's supposed to be sunny and low 70s.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

With two more good weeks, I'm now well ahead of schedule. I worked through two weekends and came to the office early every day. This is where not scheduling weekends comes in handy. Today, I'm working on next Monday's writing.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Wayne, your discipline to "catch up" is what makes your schedule work. Most of us fall behind, scold ourselves, feel down, and proceed to fall even further behind. Thank you for sharing with us. You are a constant reminder of excellent work habits.


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

Wayne, it looks like you're planning on putting the Feb 4 preorder in at a sale price initially for your newsletter readers, then raising it to full price three days before actual release on Feb 11. Is this a correct summation of your strategy there?

I ask only because I didn't think Amazon allowed you to change the price of a pre-order mid-stream. I must be wrong about that.

As for me, I fell way behind and off-schedule. My word count chart is a mess. I'd guesstimate I'm at 50,000 words or so (out of a target of 75,000) and looking at a launch date late Feb/early Mar.

Happy Thanksgiving!


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Sapphire said:


> Wayne, your discipline to "catch up" is what makes your schedule work. Most of us fall behind, scold ourselves, feel down, and proceed to fall even further behind. Thank you for sharing with us. You are a constant reminder of excellent work habits.


The trick isn't necessarily scheduling the work, but scheduling the down time. I don't schedule any writing on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and days I know I won't be writing. When my writing is current, I call those days 'weekends' and I do things other than write. When I'm behind schedule, those days become work days, allowing me to write an additional 2,000 words to catch up. If you schedule writing seven days a week, there's no buffer to catch up when life happens and you fall behind.



John D. Patten said:


> Wayne, it looks like you're planning on putting the Feb 4 preorder in at a sale price initially for your newsletter readers, then raising it to full price three days before actual release on Feb 11. Is this a correct summation of your strategy there?
> 
> I ask only because I didn't think Amazon allowed you to change the price of a pre-order mid-stream. I must be wrong about that.


During a preorder, you can change the price on Amazon. If the new price is lower, everyone who preordered at the previous higher price will also be charged the new lower price. If you start at a low price and raise it, those who purchased at the low price will pay that, and those who purchase after the price change will pay the new higher price.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Life always gets in the way. Two weeks ago, my doctor said I have to have the gall bladder removed. We scheduled a date, November 28th. The surgeon said I'd be down for two days. I took that to mean the day of the surgery (Wednesday) and the day after. So I worked through another weekend to get ahead of schedule, and doubled up on Monday and Tuesday's writing sessions. I was still in a little pain when I left for the office this morning, but managed to finish this week on schedule, with a little help from Oxycodone. I have an online video conference with NINC planners and chairs in half an hour, and then I'm going home to rest up for next week, the final week of writing for Rising Charity.


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## S.E. Gordon (Mar 15, 2011)

Thanks for the spreadsheet. You've given me a number of ideas to better organize myself for overcoming the challenge that is the novel.


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## Sapphire (Apr 24, 2012)

Don't overdo, Wayne. The body has to heal or your recovery will take much longer.


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

You've got this, Wayne... as always.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Sapphire said:


> Don't overdo, Wayne. The body has to heal or your recovery will take much longer.


Not to worry, bandages are off, healing is nearly complete, and I'm able to run up and down the stairs to my office once more.



S.E. Gordon said:


> Thanks for the spreadsheet. You've given me a number of ideas to better organize myself for overcoming the challenge that is the novel.


The thing about organizing your work is discipline. At a regular job, the boss gives you the tasks for the day and all you have to do is implement his/her plan. In writing, you're both boss and employee. So, it's imperative that you both jobs equally well. Your boss plans on giving you down time, because they knew a happy employee is a productive employee. You have to do the same.

So, start with the weekends. Download a spreadsheet calendar and block out all those weekends in red. Red is non-working days. Then block out Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, all those days that when they come, you wonder where you'll get the time. News Flash: Your anniversary is on the same day every year. Block all those days off in red, just like a weekend. None working days. Be liberal with the days off that you, as the boss, give to you, the writer. Your employee is worth it.

Now you have the workings of a good schedule. All those days that aren't red are working days. You'll probably find that there's still more than two hundred writing days. My schedule has 229. At a thousand words a day, that's 229,000 words, or three complete 70K word manuscripts.

How long does it take you to write a thousand words? My writing method consists of reviewing and editing the previous two days work before writing anything new. The review and new writing usually takes me a solid two hours. Now comes the discipline part. You HAVE to put your butt in the seat for two hours on every day that's not a red day on your calendar. If you don't, you lose one of those red days. And don't try to fool yourself into thinking you can make it up by doing four hours the next day. Two hours isn't long. The best thing is to go to bed early and get up two hours before any alarm in the house wakes someone. Mornings are when your mind can be more creative. I have a separate office away from home, and I arrive at 6am every weekday. Before anyone arrives in the offices downstairs, I'm finished with my writing and can turn my mind towards business, or email, or Facebook, or, like now, KBoards.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm nearly finished with the third pass on my latest, Rising Charity. On schedule, but over word count estimate. What can I say? Jesse got chatty toward the end. On Monday, it goes to my beta readers, and begins the nearly two month process to turn my ramblings into a novel. During that time, I'll be rewriting the first and second book in the series, for relaunch just before Rising Charity is released in February. I'll also be planning my next book during this time, and enjoying the holidays.

Merry Christmas, y'all!


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## OfficialEthanJ (Dec 13, 2018)

Hello, first time poster. I was banging out ~1500 words per session, if not day, but now I'm slowing down to ~500/day. I'm more concerned about consistency rather than trying to write my entire oeuvre (snort) in one sitting. Plus, I put out 4 novels and a novella in my rookie year. What more do you people want from me?!!!

I have 4 novels planned for next year, the first of which is my current WIP. Consistency.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

OfficialEthanJ said:


> Hello, first time poster. I was banging out ~1500 words per session, if not day, but now I'm slowing down to ~500/day. I'm more concerned about consistency rather than trying to write my entire oeuvre (snort) in one sitting. Plus, I put out 4 novels and a novella in my rookie year. What more do you people want from me?!!!
> 
> I have 4 novels planned for next year, the first of which is my current WIP. Consistency.


Add the expected word count of those four novels and divide the total by a REALISTIC number of writing sessions per year. There's your target word count per writing session. But don't just assume 52 weeks X 5 days a week. You'll take lots of days off and you know it. Holidays, birthdays, vacation, sick days...

Realistically, I count on less than 200 writing days to reach 210,000 words, or three 70K word novels. That's 1050 words per writing day.

Slow is smooth. And smooth is fast.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Rising Charity is four weeks from release and going smoothly. So, it's time to create the 2019 schedule. I have the next book all scheduled, and working on the one after that. I've expanded the spreadsheet a bit, taking more things into consideration that trip up the process. I still have to email vendors to compare time lines and see if this is workable for everyone, but the cool thing is, scheduling far in advance, none of them ever have a conflict.

There's usually some flexibility toward the end. Two weeks for editing and a week for rewriting, usually end up being just over two weeks. Donna Rich is super fast, usually only taking two days of the three I schedule, and Colleen can format in a day or two. So combined they won't take the whole five days I have them down for. So, the preorder and release dates are worst case. When I'm a month from finishing the writing, about the end of March, I'll contact my vendors again and update them, to see if we can squeeze things up a little more.


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Today was the scheduled release day for Rising Charity. With careful planning and attention to detail, I managed to have everything finished well in advance, with time for all three formats to launch together.










During the production process of Rising Charity, which took since December 10th, I rewrote and republished the first two books in the series, launching them this past weekend in preparation for today's launch of the new book. I got a lot of help from Chris Fox's "Relaunch Your Novel." Both new editions were republished in eBook and paperback format with new audiobooks on the way. This should bring in a lot of new readers to the series, and with the better writing, editing, and formatting, I should have better read through, to the rest of the 14-volume series.

The intent was to have both of the first two books well-ranked when the new one came out, putting all three at the top of the Sea Adventures New Release page.

Mission Accomplished.










For those of you who are members of Novelists, Inc (NINC), you can see why I chose "Planning For Success" as the theme for this year's conference. For those of you who aren't members yet, why not?
www.ninc.com

Time to get to work on Rising Spirit, the fifteenth novel in the series. This book will be published on July 1st.


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

Well done, Wayne!  

Two or three months and I should qualify for NINC. Getting close...


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

John D. Patten said:


> Well done, Wayne!
> 
> Two or three months and I should qualify for NINC. Getting close...


Just in time for the cutoff to register for this year's conference, Planning For Success.


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## John D. Patten (Aug 2, 2018)

Actually, I had to smack myself in the head after looking at my numbers this morning  . After a successful BookBub last week, I more than qualify. Just sent in the application. Would love to attend the conference, if approved. Thanks!


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## Wayne Stinnett (Feb 5, 2014)

Off to a slow start, on my next book. But now that the boat show is behind me, I can crank up the output a little and work a few weekends before spring break, and be all caught up. My new schedule is a bit more elaborate, and I plan to move everything to Basecamp, the project management software we now use at NINC. All my vendors are on board with working together within Basecamp. The software automatically sends schedule changes and reminders to memebers' emails, allows internal conversations in different groups, and you can store a lot of files, ten times what I have stored on my hard drive. It's pricey at $99 a month, but I think the investment will pay off as I move into other endeavors in 2019.


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