The Difference Between Writing More and Making Progress
Greetings and salutations Scribblers.
Okay, raise your hand if you’ve ever spent hours writing, added a thousand words to your project and still felt as though you made zero progress.
Yeah, me too.
Word count is a standard way to measure writing progress, but it’s not the only way. Just adding a thousand words doesn’t always equal progress. Sometimes it’s adding zero words, but rearranging some elements. And sometimes it’s deleting a thousand words. Writing is more than just words, and words written or deleted are more than just progress. You’re building something and exploring an idea, your progress is going to look different from day to day.
What is the difference between Productivity and Progress?
Productivity is about the amount. How many words did you type or pages did you revise.
Progress is about getting closer to your end goal.
Productivity
Writing 1,000 words without knowing where your story is going
Progress
Figuring out what your protagonist actually wants
Productivity
Writing another draft of the same opening
Progress
Deciding what isn't working and identifying how to fix it
Sometimes just spending an hour staring at your manuscript is progress–as long as your brain is working through different aspects and elements of the story. Word count is a great tool for measuring output, but it doesn’t necessarily measure the actual progress, the movement toward finishing your story that you’re making.
There is pressure to produce words. You hear things like:
“Write every day.”
“Hit your word count.”
“Just keep writing.”
“A page a day!”
These are all useful habits and can definitely help to keep you on track, but it still doesn’t address what you want to accomplish with this writing session. If you don’t have a clear idea of the tiny goal you want to accomplish by the end of your time, you could waste a lot of it just being productive, adding words and scenes that don’t actually serve your story or let you move forward with your writing. Setting a tiny goal is something we talked about in our thirty minute writing routine video. Taking the time to clarify what your goal is and what element of the story you want to address can help you move from just being productive to making real progress.
Ask yourself:
“What would be meaningfully different about my project 30 minutes from now?”
Productivity
Work on my novel.
Progress
Figure out what my protagonist wants in Chapter 4.
Productivity
Edit my memoir.
Progress
Identify the three places where the timeline becomes confusing
Each of these goals is small enough to accomplish in a writing session and will have a meaningful impact on your story. Being really specific can also be a way to get past the fear of the blank page. If you’re staring at the page and thinking “I need to start this chapter.” You might just stare at it and never actually type. But with just a little shift to something along the lines of “I know this chapter starts with McKayla’s reaction to finding the dead body. I know she’s scared, but what are the other emotions hiding beneath the surface?” Now I have a specific goal to accomplish and more direction for what I want to put on the page. Remember–the goal is progress, not perfection, so it’s okay if after a paragraph you realize what the real issue is. That paragraph you just wrote wasn’t wasted, it helped you discover the real direction you needed to take.
Progress rarely matches the amount of words you’ve typed in a writing session. It can also look like:
Removing filter words.
Cutting a scene.
Solving a plot problem.
Making a character's motivation clearer.
Getting feedback.
Deciding what doesn't belong.
Creating an outline.
Finishing a revision.
Realizing you've been working on the wrong thing.
Sometimes the most productive writing session is the one where you finally figure out what not to write.The next time you sit down to write, don't start by asking yourself, ‘How many words am I going to write?’ Start with, ‘What do I want to be different when I’m done?
Remember, make that goal small and achievable. Be specific and and make sure it actually moves you forward on your project. It’s easy to get wrapped up in word count or pages, but progress is usually not able to be measured in numbers. Progress beats perfection is an underlying principle of The Scribbler’s Den. It influences every aspect of the space we curate for writers and how we build community. We want to help you figure out what you’re trying to accomplish and then help you actually do it.
So remember, don’t ask How much did you write. Ask yourself how you moved your project forward by making it clearer, stronger, and closer to being finished.
We’d love to hear what your next meaningful tiny goal is for your project! Tell us in the comments so we can cheer you on!
Happy writing!
Get anytime access to our growing collection writing resources! All compiled in one place!
