1000 Words a Day
A good day's work.
BOOK CLUB MEETING: JULY 28
Book Club for Writers reads books about writing and creativity exclusively. We’re meeting on Zoom next Sunday, July 28, 1:00-2:30PM EST to discuss 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round.
Paid subscribers: find the Zoom link for our meeting below the paywall at the bottom of this email!
THE ART OF THE DAILY WORD COUNT
Whenever my writing feels stuck in the mud, I give myself an assignment. Something attainable that’s still a little bit of a push. A daily-ish goal that keeps my fingers moving on the keyboard and the project front-of-mind.
That sense of stuck-ness almost always comes when I’m getting too precious about my output. The moment I start cleaning up sentences when I’m supposed to be generating new ones is the moment I know I need to give myself a daily word count goal.
For me, that goal is almost always 1000 words a day.
Years ago, when I wasn’t totally confident that I’d ever be able to write anything longer than six pages, I set a big goal. I set out to write 1000 words a day for 100 consecutive days. The wiggle room: I didn’t have to write all those words in one sitting, and I could write whatever I wanted. To hold myself accountable, I posted my word counts on Instagram every day. (The account still exists here. It’s fun to look back on, because wow, my hair was short!)
The challenge worked. By rinsing and repeating, that sense of preciousness quickly fell away. The priority was plain and simple: get the words down on the page every day. I learned to save the tidying up for later.
That same year I embarked on my own self-led writing push, the writer Jami Attenberg led her very first 1000 Words of Summer challenge where participants write at least 1000 words a day for two weeks.
Why 1000 words, though? Why not 500 or 1500 or 2000? According to Jami:
“1000 words is more than just about writing to me. I see it as:
a good day’s work
a meetable goal
a step toward finishing a project
a simple metric for creative output
It’s both a quantifiable goal and an inspirational concept.”
Here here, Jami! Not to mention that all those words add up over time.
Jami’s new book about “staying creative, focused, and productive all year round” was released in January, and later this month, I’m discussing it with my Book Club for Writers.
Want to join the discussion on 1000 Words? You’ll find all the information at the bottom of this email!
🖐 A HANDFUL OF GOOD THINGS
A round-up for all the writers out there.
🌝 SUMMER WRITING NIGHTS
More than 75 of you (!!!) have signed up to take part in my summer-long Wednesday night co-writing group. Together, we’re working on novels, short stories, essays, newsletters, and more.
Just four weeks into Summer Writing Nights, I’m already making progress on my summertime writing goals.
Want to join in? It’s not too late to sign up: $30 for the whole summer. You’ll receive the Zoom link within 24 hours of signing up.
🧰 THE WRITER’S TOOLKIT
My friend Chelsea Hodson is facilitating The Writer’s Toolkit to help writers prepare a suite of all those materials so many of us dread putting together.
With Chelsea, you’ll kick the following into gear: your author’s bio, website, artist statement (for residency + grant applications), query letter, social media, and more! Learn more and sign up here.
🍯 HONEYCOMB HIVE
I recently talked about my writing process for
’s lovely newsletter, . I especially loved sharing my creative input and output.INPUT: the new Kairos Creature Club album
Ruby Granger's YouTube channel
the Monday Monday newsletter
OUTPUT: bringing a notebook to the symphony
joining a workshop, but only some of the time
putting your manuscript in a special three-ring binder
BOOK CLUB FOR WRITERS on SUNDAY, JULY 28, 1PM EST
Here’s everything you need to know about the next Book Club for Writers meeting!
We’ll meet live on Zoom on Sunday, July 28, 1:00-2:30PM EST to discuss Jami Attenberg’s newest book, 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round.
How do I log onto the book club meeting?
Paid subscribers can access the Zoom link below the paywall at the bottom of this email.
If I come to the book club meeting, do I have to stay the whole time?
You’re welcome to arrive late or leave early, and there’s never any pressure to turn your camera or mic on.
Do I have to read the whole book in order to participate?
You’ll still be able to take part in our discussion, particularly our writing exercises, if you haven’t read the book.
I can’t make it to the meeting! Will a recording be available to watch later?
A recording of our book club discussion will be available for paid subscribers to watch after our meeting. However, if you can make it live, please do! Our discussion depends on live attendees.
Can I invite my friends?
I’d love nothing more! Anyone can join the club for the month of July for just $5 (cancel anytime: seriously!), or subscribe for the whole year and save 17%. Learn more here.
What’s the next book club selection?
We’re meeting again on Wednesday, October 30, 8-9:30PM EST to discuss Tina Welling’s book Writing Wild: Forming a Creative Partnership with Nature.
2025 book club selections will be announced at the end of the year! 📚
Have a question I didn’t answer here? Reply to this email and I’ll be in touch!