Hot take: I ditched the 'write every day' rule for a strict 500 word limit and my drafts actually got better

For years, I tried to follow the common advice to write something, anything, every single day. Last month, I hit a wall and gave myself a new rule: I only sit down when I have a solid idea, but I have to hit exactly 500 words before I can stop. The first week was rough, but by forcing myself to flesh out a single scene or character beat to that specific length, the work got way more focused. I finished a complete short story draft in three weeks, which is fast for me. Has anyone else swapped a time-based habit for a output-based one and seen different results?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenniferb531d ago

Totally get this, it's like the daily word count was just making me fill pages with junk. I switched to a two hour timer but only for actual writing, no planning or editing allowed, and it forced a different kind of focus. The quality of my rough drafts improved almost overnight because I was racing to get ideas down, not just hitting a number. Output goals just work better for my brain, they turn the session into a clear game with an end point.

johnson.blake1d ago

Switched to a page goal, same effect.