Word count related quotes

"I wrote that book in three days flat. On the third day, a Monday, I sent an excuse to the hospital, because I did not dare leave my book at that point – I had to go on until I had finished it. It was not a long book – a mere fifty thousand words – but it had been with me a long time."

Agatha Christie, Autobiography on the writing of the Mary Westmacott book "Absent in the Spring"

I came upon this quote while rereading her autobiography. She talks a lot about the writing process. She also talks about carrying a novel around you for years and years until finally it's the right time for it to be written. I have to say her breakneck pace (16K a day!) is quite astounding in the day of handwriting and typewriters. My hands hurt just thinking about it.

And there's her hardboiled comrade Dashiell Hammett who set his goal for 5000 words a day.

I've managed 3000 on a really really good day and 4000 once during the third Nano. And those were using a laptop computer!