: Re: How many words/hour should you aim for when writing your first draft? A couple of axioms here. Firstly, most people agree that you should write your first draft quickly, without too much care

@Radia543

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I really wouldn't worry too much about words per hour. I agree with Craig (and Dean Wesley Smith) that 1000 words an hour is a good, sustainable rate, at least for some genres, but I don't think professional writers got there by trying consciously to write faster - I think that the faster writing comes naturally as you get more comfortable with your craft.

In my experience, there are always parts that go smoothly and quickly, and parts that drag a little. Sometimes it's because I've thought things through so much ahead of time that I'm essentially just typing what I've already written in my head, but I think there are other reasons, too. I write romance, and the big dramatic conversations flow out of me as fast as I can type, but sex scenes take me forever. I think it's because there are millions of ways to make dialogue sound fresh and original, but sex -- well, unless I get kinky to the extreme, there are only so many ways to write it. So I have to slow down and really think it through in order to make it original and avoid the cliches.

So, really - I'd pay attention to writing speed as one tool to get feedback about what you're comfortable writing and what you aren't, but I'm wary of making a conscious effort to increase your speed. It takes as long as it takes. Focus on the content, not the extraneous details.

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