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[captain_obvious]

Not sure where to post this, but here seems as good as anywhere.

My question: How do you quantify a "successful" writing day?  Is it a number of pages? Words? Sections completed?

I'm slogging through a massive writing project at the moment that has my perspective all out of whack (What?!??! I only wrote seven pages yesterday???? NOOOOOO! I can't believe I was so unproductive!!).

When I'm not temporarily insane, I generally consider 1-4 pages to be a good day.  It depends on the difficulty of the material and whether I'm making a complex argument or just being descriptive.


How 'bout you?

[prof_tournesol]

For me it's sections. I break any article or chapter that I'm writing into sections, of which I know the approximate length and then I write one of the sections that I think I have time to accomplish. If I get the section done - and that might be anywhere from two to ten pages - then it's a productive day

[donstefano]

Depends what I'm writing. A quick and dirty courtesy chapter for a little read book published by an unknown publisher: 3 pages/day if I'm into it.
Most other writing: really depends whether I still need to read and research, or analyse. Those things tend to happen simultaneously. If moderate levels of reading are required, 1p/day is a lot.
I really can't say. Writing is not really a separate activity, it's part of a broader process of thinking, reading, structuring, analysing.

[_mara_]

It depends. I am a binge writer. I don't write every day, but I do write when I get the urge. And when I get the urge, I don't stop until I get the job done. This works for me, as I average about five publications per year (seven this year).

You have to do what works for you.

[apablo]

I'm perfectly happy if I produce one, good, tight page per day; or two or three baggy pages that need revision in order to turn them into 1.5 to 2 pages of good, tight writing. At that rate, at the end of a month I've got roughly 25-30 keeper pages, accounting for the 10 or so pages I'll end up throwing out in revision.

The key for me is to write every day, whether or not I feel like it. Making it habitual has made me a much better writer. After completing a writing project, however, I'll take a month or so off of writing to recharge. 

[captain_obvious]

I'm with you, apablo.  Consistency definitely works best for me.  If I'm feeling energized and inspired, I'll write more, but I make myself churn out a minimum of a page a day when I'm working on a project.

It's only when, for whatever reason, things get into crunch mode and I have to really crank it out that a page (or even three) seems too little!

[tiooswaldo]

Ideas. How many hard/important ideas or problems I am having I get through, is how I judge. Although of course sometimes, once an idea is worked out, then it just becomes word count/pages as well.

[msparticularity]

I am a binge writer.

Me too - although I never thought to put it that way!

I have to set aside significant blocks of time to write - two, three, or four days at a stretch, if I can manage it. I just have to get in and stay in the writing mindset. It's always hardest when I'm just starting an article or chapter, but I'll try to grind out (and it IS a grind) at least 5-7 pages at a sitting. Once I have the initial rough draft going, I'll try to work/rework longer stretches than that - even 10 pages.

[untenured]

I write until I get bored.  That could ten hours or ten minutes.  If I find myself staring at the keyboard thinking about something else.  I know it's time to take a break and let the muse recharge.  The muse will come back.  She always comes back.

Untenured

[paulsilvia]

For me, a successful day is a day where I sit down and write during my scheduled writing time. The hours 8-10 M-F have worked well for years, but the birth of a baby has shifted these somewhat.

I find writing hard, so the small victory of doing something each day is enough for me. I think that the tortoises of academic writing accomplish more than the hares, who depend on binge-writing, looming deadlines, and "inspiration" that never comes.

If anyone cares, my book "How to Write A Lot" beats the idea of a writing schedule deep, deep into the ground.

Paul Silvia

[msparticularity]

I think that the tortoises of academic writing accomplish more than the hares, who depend on binge-writing, looming deadlines, and "inspiration" that never comes.

I've got to quibble with you here - I really think this is a "know thyself" issue. I'll stack up my productivity against that of anyone with an equivalent teaching load. While I agree that it's dangerous to wait for inspiration and use its lack to excuse never getting around to writing, that doesn't mean that doing writing in fewer and more extended periods of time is a bad idea.

[captain_obvious]

I agree, Ms Particularity. And actually, I do both.  Because I know that I can easily just avoid writing indefinitely, I make myself sit down and write SOMETHING every day.  250 words minimum.  But I often find myself getting sucked into the project and don't resurface until many hours (and pages) later.  For me, the routine is just a device to keep from putting writing off indefinitely. Because the truth is that, as much as I actually really enjoy writing, I'm the biggest procrastinator in the world, and I'd never get around to it at all if I didn't have a fixed schedule.

[paulsilvia]

I'll agree wholeheartedly with quibbles about writing styles. :-) My aim isn't to be dogmatic, as in the typical "There's one great way to do X, which happens to be how I do it." It's just food for thought. A pal of mine is insanely productive, for example, and he does it all in manic binges.

There's no question that it's easier to write during big blocks of time---it's a fact.  But these blocks are usually found during the evenings, on weekends, and on vacations. As academics, we cannibalize our leisure time for our writing: would we do that for our teaching or for our wretched committee service?

For me (and for many), it's hard to find time to write during the frenzy of the work week. If I schedule time to write, then I guarantee some space in my workday for writing.

One nice feature of a writing schedule is that it "flattens" writing output. I write basically the same amount each week, including the first week of class, finals week, grading week, and summer weeks. This way, my writing is sheltered from crazy periods in the semester.

Again, this is just food for thought. :-)  People should use the strategies that work for them.

[mingus]

I've done binge writing, and I've done the slow, steady slog.  It all depends.  For a journal article, with all the thinking and experimetal work done, I go for 4-5 pages a day on average; for a book, I go for 1 page a day on average.  With the former I don't spend forever on polishing; with the latter, I might write 5 pages a day and then spend another 5 days on the polishing---1 page a day is the weekly average.

[untenured]

I've never thought of writing in this way.

I don't set daily requirements or conclude that I've written enough for the day.  I write when I want to and then stop when it's no longer enjoyable.

If I set goals for myself ... I'd place them sky high, fail to reach them, and I'd turn writing into a chore.

Untenured