My Best Writing Year Ever: How I Wrote 609,548 Words in One Year

In 2012, I set an unreasonable-sounding goal: write 600,000 words in one year. I did not know whether I could sustain the equivalent of a NaNoWriMo every month, but on December 20 I crossed the line with 609,548 words. The number is less important than the system behind it. This article explains what worked, what nearly derailed me, and what I would tell writers attempting an ambitious goal today.

Originally published December 25, 2012. Substantially revised and expanded July 2026.

Start with Clear Rules

I decided that only writing intended for publication—or prewriting directly connected to a publishable project—would count. Work assignments, routine email, and other everyday writing did not. Those rules kept the goal honest and prevented me from inflating the total with words I would have written anyway.

A large goal becomes easier to manage when you decide in advance what counts, what does not, and how often you will measure it. A word-count goal is only one option. You might track scenes revised, submissions sent, minutes spent writing, or days on which you kept an appointment with your manuscript.

Make Progress Visible

I built a spreadsheet with a tab for every month. Each writing session went into the next open cell, and formulas kept monthly and annual totals. That simple sheet became a scoreboard. I always knew where I stood and whether I needed to adjust my pace.

• Record progress immediately, before you forget.
• Use a system simple enough that tracking does not become another form of procrastination.
• Review totals weekly, not every five minutes.
• Measure trends rather than judging yourself by one difficult day.

Today, the same idea could live in a spreadsheet, writing app, project board, calendar, or notebook. The tool matters less than having one reliable place where progress is visible.

Work with Your Natural Process

I work best with several projects in motion. Rather than fighting that tendency, I mapped out the novels, stories, nonfiction, scripts, music, and serial projects I wanted to advance. I gave the highest-priority projects the most attention early in the year and rotated among them when my energy changed.

Some writers thrive by finishing one project before touching another. Others stay productive by alternating between drafting and revision or between a demanding project and a playful one. The useful question is not, “What system do successful writers use?” It is, “What pattern helps me return to the page consistently?”

Use Small Pockets of Time

I carried a laptop whenever possible. When I did not have it, I wrote on an iPod or in a notebook. I also used walks, commutes, and routine tasks to solve story problems so that I could begin quickly when I reached a keyboard.

Ten or fifteen focused minutes will not feel dramatic, but repeated sessions accumulate. A phone note can capture a line of dialogue. A voice memo can preserve a scene idea. A short lunch break can finish one paragraph. The goal is to reduce the distance between inspiration and a place where the idea will not be lost.

Protect Your Most Productive Hours

I learned to identify the times when words came most readily and defend them from avoidable distractions. That meant checking messages before a writing session, closing social media, and deciding what I would work on before I sat down.

Your best writing window may be early morning, late evening, a quiet commute, or a weekly block at the library. Treat that time as an appointment. Motivation helps, but a protected routine carries you through the days when motivation does not arrive.

Expect Setbacks

The year included rehearsals and performances in The Secret Garden, Tabernacle Choir commitments, demanding work deadlines, illness, and a complete hard-drive failure. Some weeks fell apart. A few months ended with frantic bursts of writing because I had slipped behind.

Those bursts helped me reach the total, but they were not the healthiest part of the system. The more durable lesson was to resume quickly after disruption. Missing one day did not require abandoning the month. Falling behind did not erase the work already completed.

What 609,548 Words Taught Me

• Persistence produces more pages than waiting for ideal conditions.
• Tracking can motivate you, but the measurement should serve the writing rather than control it.
• High output still requires revision. A large first-draft total is raw material, not finished art.
• Ambitious goals work best when divided into ordinary daily actions.
• A missed target is information, not a verdict on your ability.

I would not recommend that every writer pursue 600,000 words. I would recommend choosing a goal large enough to excite you, building a system that makes the next step obvious, and continuing long enough to discover what steady work can accomplish.

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