Wednesday, September 13, 2017

style - What are the usual methods for getting a daily word count?


Do, normally, only words which are eventually to be kept count, or do you also count rewrites? For example, if I rewrite a 50 word paragraph 10 times, is my daily count up to 50 or up to 500?



Answer




Why does it matter, if your word count is 50 or 500 after a rewrite? You should ask yourself, why do you want to count your words.


If you use the number to motivate yourself ("Look, I wrote 100 words. What a good day!"), then count the rewrites.


If you need the number to show someone your progress (like your publisher who pays you to finish the book), then he is probably not interested in the rewrite-count, but that's a thing you should clarify with your publisher.


If it is only for you. I would say, it does not really matter. Keep (re)writing. Every word, rewritten or not, takes you one step further to your main goal. I do not count my daily words. I only count all words of the finished novel, because I put that info into my cover letters/synopsis.


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