How to Set Daily Word Count Goals: NaNoWriMo Day 3

How many words do you really need to write per day to win NaNoWriMo? Setting daily word count goals might not be as straightforward as it seems at first.

The measurable goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. That’s 1667 words per day for all thirty days. But how many words do you need to write to win NaNoWriMo if you are not a supercomputer who is going to write the exact same amount each day?

Maybe you are one of those super-people who are actually going to write 1667 words every day of November. And if you are — way to go! That’s amazing! But if you are like me, you probably need to figure out how many words you need to write each writing day to win Nanowrimo.

Let’s face it, life does not necessarily stop because you are working on a novel. There are still chores and birthdays and turkeys to think about. You might be able to write 1667 words 6 days a week, and then if one day that week doesn’t go like all the rest, you are behind. 

However, if you can take all of the chores and birthdays and turkeys into consideration as you track your words, you are going to be in a great position to win NaNoWriMo.

How to set daily word count goals.

1. Look at your average weeks. Be honest with yourself. How do your days usually go? Do you need a day off a week for chores and errands? Do you know that once a week you are generally out of commission, because of health, or someone who needs you? Are your Tuesdays already all booked? Subtract all the days each week that you know you will probably not have time or space to write.

2. Look at the month of November. What commitments do you already have? Are there birthdays or work deadlines or holidays that might take away time from your writing? Make sure you subtract those days too. 

3. Add up the days you have left.

4. Are all your days equal? If you want to be even more precise, you can look at how different your days might be. Maybe on Saturdays you can spend twice as much time writing. Or maybe you know you can devote a lot of time to your novel over Thanksgiving weekend. Whatever it is, think about whether there are days that you know you will be able to give more. If you know you will be able can write double or triple a normal day’s work, you can double or triple those particular days. 

5. Divide 50,000 by the number of days you have left.

For me, it looks like this: 

1. Fridays are family days for me, and I want to honor that even as I focus on my writing. So all four Fridays are not writing days. (30 days in November – 4 Fridays = 26 writing days)
2. I am not writing on Thanksgiving. I love me some cooking, and I intend to spend the whole day enjoying making a feast. (26 writing days – 1 holiday = 25 writing days)
3. 25 writing days left!
4. I don’t have any days where I know for sure that I will be able to do more. Hopefully there are days when more than average gets done, but for me, I can’t count on it, so my count remains the same. 25 writing days.
5. 50,000 words ÷ 25 writing days = 2000 words per day.

You can see that this is actually quite a bit more than the “official” 1667 per day that is needed, so if I had been doing only 1667 per day, I would fall behind the first Friday that I spend time with my family. This means I would feel guilty, either about not writing, or about not guarding that time with my family. I used to feel like I was always needing to choose between family and writing. But, if I plan ahead of time, I can do a few more words each day and have guilt-free family pizza and movie nights. 

Speaking of which, I have hit almost exactly 2000 words each day so far for NaNoWriMo, so I know I am on-target and can take my Fridays off to spend time with my family. (So far!)

Here are yesterday’s stats:

Progress:

Day 1 Word Count: 2037

Total Word Count: 4079

I am still on track! I swear, this feels like my best start to NaNoWriMo yet!

How are things going for you?