When is "Writing" Writing?

In a Writing and Authors social media group that I belonged to (consisting exclusively of self-published writers I discovered), many posted a daily word count or the amount of time spent at the keyboard. And often lamenting for not meeting their daily expectations. But if that’s what works for you then by all means, keep it up. Just realize that not meeting these self-inflicted goals can hurt your confidence.

I consider anything involved in the writing process to be “writing”, whether it’s research, traveling, photography, searching for an agent, or actually putting words on a page. Or maintaining two blogs, entering an occasional writing contest, and reviewing someone else’s work.

Most of my career – the one that provides a paycheck – involves a heavy dose of technical writing. Writing begins when I’m assigned to write a procedure, plan, or design document, and ends when the company’s document control department issues it. I approach my personal writing with the same perspective.

The time I actually spend at the keyboard is limited to several hours, early morning, Friday through Sunday and any other time is a bonus. Since my time at the keyboard is limited, I need to be efficient and that means not wasting time on something that will need heavy editing. However, I am still involved in the writing process during the week by thinking about the story, characters, and plot during my 1 ½ hour daily commute. No, I’m not a distracted driver, I commute via bus which allows me the luxury of allowing my mind to wander.

Even when I’m sitting at the keyboard, writing isn’t all about putting words on a page. For example, I recently spent four hours of online research in order to write half a page and felt good about it.

I think there’s an inherent danger in quantifying your progress primarily by metrics. Even best-selling authors have told me they struggle with doubt and insecurity with each new novel, and that is much more an issue with unproven writers. One best-selling author told me that he blocks out X number of hours every day for writing and generally produces several pages one day then edit them the next.

So, while quantifying your writing progress may be helpful, I believe it is risky and generally does more harm than good.

Next: Finding a place to write