Why I Don't Set Word Count Goals Anymore and What I Do Instead

Like many others in the writing community, I have recently stopped using word count goals.

You may think you already know why I don't like using this type of writing goal anymore, but this post will take you through 3 reasons why I switched away from it.

Please read to the end to discover what I switched to. No peeking allowed! In the process, you may find your new favorite guilt and shame free way to get those words on the page.

Background: Word Count Goals and I

Let's enter our handy time travel machine and explore my start in setting writing goals.

It was the year 2013, Macklemore was on the radio, and it was my first year running the regional science competition for my state. 

That was the year Tahereh Mafi released “Unravel Me” the sequel to her YA Dystopian novel “Shatter Me” and many of my YA book friends went wild.

I was writing my own YA dystopian at the time and the Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie trailer was all anyone was talking about. I knew that now was the time to finish and write my novel. This book had to be sent to an agent now! 

So began my writing goal of 2500 words every night. This was super realistic, of course, between being in school full-time, holding multiple leadership roles, running the science competition, traveling 8 hours on the weekend twice a month, making sure I was reading the popular dystopian books, the craft books, and having a social life. 

Most nights, I hit 300 words. And every day, I beat myself up. I started hating my story, my characters. It was too similar to what was already out there on bad days and not similar enough on worse days. My descriptions would never be as lyrical as Mafi’s and my characters would never pull on the heart string of readers like Collins’s.

Fast forward to 2019, and my frustrations with my YA dystopian (and word count goals) came to a boiling point.

Here’s why.

5 Reasons Why I Don't Set Word Count Goals Anymore

Reason #1. The use of word count goals can negatively impact self-worth

Sorry to be starting with such a dark impact, but when you consider writing goals (especially word count goals), you also have to consider the broader impact it has not on your writing, but on your identity and feeling of self-worth.

For me, days when I didn’t have motivation to write (which was most days), seeing and not being able to meet those word count goals made me believe that it just wasn’t in me to be a writer. I found that switching away from word count goals was the easiest way to slowly start building my writerly self-worth back.

Reason #2. It became about the numbers

When I first started setting word count goals, I was in a place of inspiration with my writing and it was easier to write and feel good even if the day ended with me under my daily goal. As time went on, as the novel started to lose its shiny newness, I was hanging on to that word count goal as the only thread to get work done on this story I loved, but was growing to hate.

I started writing worse and worse stories just so that I could hit that goal (no contractions, long explanations, etc.) it took me back to my high school essay writing days.

I started chasing the number and not the story which in turn made my writerly self-worth continue to drop without realizing this was why. Even when I hit the goal, I didn’t feel like a writer because I knew I was cheating myself.

I understand why setting word count goals makes sense, it is the easiest way to measure our projects and to categorize them. It can feel easier, especially as a new writer, to sit and say “I am just going to write 300 words” instead of “I am going to write for an hour.” I truly believe word count goals are a necessary step for writers, but if writing this way is starting to feel stagnant there are other writing goals to get you moving again!

Ooops, did I give away a significant hint there?

Freebie Time: While I'm giving away hints, I may as well give away my downloadable action plan to creating a realistically productive writing week .

Click here to download your FREE 7x7 Writing Action Plan now

Reason #3. I needed a change

This one comes down to personal preference and honestly, I was getting overwhelmed.

Sometimes the best reason to look for a new tool or strategy is to get uncomfortable (but not too much).

I felt like I had plateaued with my writing goals. Not only that, I was consistently NOT hitting them and caring less and less about reaching them.

I knew I was chasing the numbers. I knew I was damaging the story I loved. I knew that every day I felt more and more anxious at the thought of working on my novel.

Now that I’m consistently working on writing projects, consistently submitting high quality work to publications, and that I have finished multiple short stories and two manuscripts (with another draft on the way), I wish I could go back in time and hug the me who cried and beat herself up and hated herself for not being “passionate enough” to finish her story. 

If this resonates with you, I promise there is a better way. I promise that you ARE a writer and however you feel about your story right now, in this moment, is a necessary step on your journey. 

Reason #4: Not every story is meant to reach “The End”

That's a hard reason to admit because for a long time I felt like I had to “finish” every single story and every single scene. If I imagined it for even a moment, then it had to be written into at least a 50,000 word project, right? I mean, every time I logged onto my Instagram someone was finishing a novel, getting an agent, or signing a deal so any and every idea that popped in my head to be acted on to the standards that are laid out for us aspiring authors. (If you want writing advice that doesn’t tell you to sit down and write and celebrates YOU as a writer feel free to follow my Instagram so your social media doesn’t look like what mine used to).

My progress with getting rid of the comparison mindset and focusing on gratitude had a lot to do with this change. And now, I can have more days spent doing other things and not feeling overwhelmed with the writing I need to do. More days like this 🠓

Reason #5: Time Based Writing Works Better

Okay, here's why we're all here.

The new writing goal method I’m using is a time based writing strategy. The reason? It just works better for my needs, especially when it comes to building momentum in my writing routine (tbh. I don’t use a writing routine, I use a writing system but that is a for a future blog post)

Using a time based writing goal not only allowed me to stop fixating on the numbers I was writing each day, but allowed me to honor the story that I was telling. I was finally able to get into a consistent groove of working on my projects. 

Below are some of the results I love most.

Result #1 - Starting small didn’t feel like failure

I could find 5 minutes to write each day. Towards the end of using writing goals, I would lower the amount of words I reached, but time and time again I wasn’t reaching them. Even 500 words felt tough (which it should because it is a lot of words, but as writers we convince ourselves that it’s not).  When I switched to time based, I felt worried that I wouldn't have “enough” time to write, but then I just said “I’ll write for 5 minutes” and I did! And I was able to write 100-200 words that first time. 

Whether you have 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or more, starting small is a big achievement and it can feel more doable to use this in your schedule.

If you want to know more about how to start taking action with time based writing goals grab my FREE 7x7 Writing Action Plan that will help you plan out a realistically productive writing week. Grab it here.

Result #2- I could hit my goals on low energy days

There are some days I wake up with a bunch of energy and can get more done in one day than I have all month, and then there are days where…well…my energy is nonexistent and doing basic daily activities like brushing my hair or putting on shoes feels like the most difficult task ever. Even on my lowest energy days I can write because I am not chasing a word count. Even on my low energy days I can write for 2 minutes. And time and time again, I found that this has helped boost my energy. 

Result #3- The story stops when it’s meant to

Now that I am not chasing a number, I can focus on the story. I don’t have to hit a certain word count for a story of mine to matter. I can follow a scene, a plot, a character, until their end even if it isn’t “The End”. Every story I write finishes when it is meant to instead of finishing because I NEEDED it to be over or because it hit a word count (even if the character didn’t reach their goal or the plot wasn’t tied up).

What I Do Instead of Setting Word Count Goals

As I mentioned, I now set time based writing goals instead of word count goals.

This works better for me and my writing system because:

• I no longer have a negative view of writing or myself as a writer.

• It helps me to consistently make progress on my projects.

• I am able to focus more on the stories that matter rather than a number.

However, I'm not telling you to ditch the word count goals. You have to do what works for you, but if you are here and read all the way to the end…maybe your writing goals need to change and if that is the case, I encourage you to try setting a time based writing goal and see how it impacts your writing (and your writer identity). 

That’s a wrap!

In conclusion, setting time based writing goals over setting word count goals will help honor your writer identity, empower the stories you are creating, and help you to reconnect with what writing means to you. Seems like a no-brainer, right?

If you would also like to make the switch to time based writing goals, I am pleased to be able to offer you a FREE action plan that will help you plan and create a realistically productive writing week. Click the image below to learn more.

When I first started Bibliophage Press, I had nobody to take me by the hand and show me how honoring myself as a writer would help me finish my novel.

Allow me to help you start making progress on your writing dreams by focusing on YOU.

Do you have any more questions? My team and I are available to guide you here. We are also always happy to jump into the comments section on Instagram and TikTok. 

And if you are looking for a like-minded community of queer and women writers who want to become effortlessly productive writers, join our FREE Facebook Group here. 

You may also love to read about the time I failed at writing (yes it is possible) here.