Word count related quotes

[nanonano]

"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!

Comments

[stargateguy.livejournal.com]

Puts it all into perspective, doesn't it? But then, Agatha Christie and Dashiell Hammett were GODS in the field whose footprints are still traced. If you truly want to be humbled, read up on Walter Gibson, the man who wrote the Shadow pulp novels under the penname Maxwell Grant. But the flip side to him is that he was often repetitive.

Everyone's got their own pace. It's not always a question of speed. Talent, skill, and raw story potential make all the difference. Christie and Hammett had all of that, but how many rewrites did they have to use? Don't compare yourself to them, just use them for inspiration - proof that it can be done through hard work and dedication. If you have a goal of going faster, you'll find that speed. Don't psyche yourself out. And good luck.