Years ago, I remember tagging along behind my manager as neophyte technical writer while she met with a consultant.
That was the question that she asked, “How many pages should a writer produce in an eight hour day?”
To better put the matter in context, we were writing technical manuals at the time. Each manual was several hundred pages long and required extensive research and revision.
We were also using the technology of the time.
I still remember the consultant’s answer, “A writer should be able to produce four pages that are ready for the printing press every day.”
I thought is might be interesting to bring the same question into today’s writing environment.
With the original question in mind, I’m throwing the question back out to my blog readers for a new answer. If we can consider a page to be about 400 words, the how many finished pages do you think that a writer should be able to produce in a day?
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21 responses so far ↓
1 Kelly // Apr 2, 2008 at
Great question. I’ve spun out eight articles in a day before and written an entire 14 page special report in an evening – but in both cases I was inspired by the topics and full of ideas.
I could never keep that up on a daily basis.
Even before I read your post I was thinking ‘four pages’ I can do consistently.
2 Amy // Apr 2, 2008 at
I produce about 30 per day on average. But I’m a workaholic. And if someone told me I HAD to produce that many, I probably wouldn’t be able to!! Interesting topic!!
3 Amy // Apr 2, 2008 at
PS My writing is for lawyer blogs. I couldn’t write 30 pages of technical manual per day!!!
4 James Chartrand - Men with Pens // Apr 2, 2008 at
This is a good question, and I’ll give you my thoughts.
There are some prolific writers out there (not including Amy; she’s special). Writers who tell me they can produce 10 500-word quality articles in less than three days scare the absolute crap out of me.
If it takes that little time, there’s something wrong. I *know* what it takes to produce solid, good quality and unique content: time, effort and creativity. And I type fast.
On the other hand, writers who take two weeks to produce the same 10 articles scare the crap out of me – especially if NOTHING shows up before the ten days are up. To me, that hints that the writer might be goofing off, have too many projects, isn’t serious…
A good rate of return that leaves me feeling comfortable that the quality is there, the progress is coming along AND that the writer has a life in the meantime is about two pages a day. I’m happy with that.
Also, I don’t prefer writers who claim their best work is done at night. This is a myth – people’s creativity and brains are the sharpest in the early morning hours.
My two cents 🙂
5 Laura Robinson // Nov 29, 2012 at
James Chartrand,
I was okay with everything you wrote until you got to the part where you wrote, “Also, I don’t prefer writers who claim their best work is done at night. This is a myth – people’s creativity and brains are the sharpest in the early morning hours.”
That statement is utterly factually incorrect. I suggest you perform some research on chronotypes and circadian rhythms before you paint your writers with that very biased (and flawed) brush again. For some people, their brains are sharpest during early hours. For others, the night is the best time for their productivity. Actual peer-reviewed studies on chronotypes have proven this time and time again. Clearly YOU are a “morning person”; that doesn’t mean everybody is.
6 Sharon Hurley Hall // Apr 2, 2008 at
Interesting point. I have written 4000+ words in about three and half hours this morning, but it’s for a long project where I’ve already done the research.
However, as James says, if you’re doing something that requires more thought, then you couldn’t produce quality at that kind of rate. You can spend a couple of hours researching something that takes you another hour to write.
My rate of writing depends on whether it’s a topic I’m an expert in. If you ask me about freelancing, I can write 1,000 words in half an hour without drawing breath. Ask me about computer programming and it will take much longer.
7 Laura // Apr 2, 2008 at
Hi Kelly, Amy, James and Sharon!
What a variety of responses!
Kelly – Good response! I think for articles and web content writing we do some of the work in our heads in advance, but fail to include that in the time spent. I know that I’ve outlined blog posts in my head while driving before.
Amy- I’m really impressed. I have to admit, I’ve written coursework for accountants and lawyers before (not at that pace) – but I’ve never written for a lawyer blog. Still, my impression is that I couldn’t do 3o a day.
James-What a well-thought out response! Yeah, claims of superhuman speed bring out the skeptic in me too. I’ve always been a morning person, but for the last few years (since I started working from home) the temptation to work late into the evening as well has been much greater. It’s not healthy, though.
8 Laura // Apr 2, 2008 at
Sharon, I forgot to respond to you.
There are definitely different types of writing, and each type would probably have a slightly different answer.
9 Nikki // Apr 3, 2008 at
I like to say that the number of pages I can produce in a day which are like James mentioned, quality work… depends solely on the number of children in the house at the time 😉
Seriously if I like the project, if the research comes easy to me then I can do the four pages. But if it’s tedious and mundane copy and like Kristen King referred to this week as a project I’ve fallen out of love with… then you might get a page or two out of me but.
I would say that four pages is a pretty fair and reasonable number. Blogs are a different animal I think. At least for me, a blog post of 400 words can be a matter of minutes and if I’m on a roll… well then… seconds even, but that’s when I’m blogging for sport. Not money 🙂
10 Shannan P // Apr 3, 2008 at
I’m with Nikki…how much I can turn out depends on who is watching the kids. If its me, the results are usually less than spectacular.
In general, though, it depends on the topic and research involved. If I really need to do a lot of homework, maybe one or two. If it is something I find interesting or know very well, I can write page upon page.
For instance, last weekend I did a 20 page eBook in a day and a half, but it was on a topic I knew very well and required very little research. Tonight, it has taken me 3 hours to squeeze out one 500 word article.
11 Amy // Apr 3, 2008 at
I don’t have kids, so I am lucky there. I also work until 4am a lot of times, and my brain has never been sharp in the morning — sorry James, but I hope you’ll still be my friend. 🙂
Also, a lot of my work is a lawyer sending me a new pleading (court doc), my reading it and summarizing in an interesting way for his blog readers. Or, someone might send me a news article and ask me to post about it for his blog. Maybe 5 articles a day require any real research. These are cases and issues I’m familiar with.
I’m not saying everyone should aim to be me, by any means. I’m a workaholic. I am tired and cranky. Actually, I’m currently working on cutting back my workload lest I have a permanent meltdown. 😉
But that’s my honest answer to the question. Laura, please ask again in another three months. My goal is to be like James. 🙂
12 Systeme D'alarme // Apr 3, 2008 at
You are so productive. Four pages each day is much already for me. In my opinion, everyone should have some writing idea and topic in his mind, then he can write out an article quickly.
13 Freelance Writing Standards: Who’s Setting Yours? : Write From Home // Apr 3, 2008 at
[…] of freelance writers like to bitch. 76% are snobs. 52% make less money than I do. 34% write more pages per day. 13.2% are people I want as […]
14 Laura // Apr 4, 2008 at
Wow! This has been a good discussion.
Nikki and Shannan- Interruptions definitely have an impact. I actually read a figure once (but I can’t remember it) about how much time frequent interruptions can add to a project.
Yvonne – I think you’re right. When the consultant gave her answer, she was familiar with the type of writing the entire department was doing. She might have had a different answer if we’d been doing a different type of work.
Hi Amy! I hope that you get the rest that you need. I still struggle with the work/life balance.
Hi Systeme! Thanks for coming by. Don’t give up. It gets easier.
15 Ajit Jha // Oct 30, 2009 at
When I worked in print media for a publishing company, we were expected to write 2000 words within the typical eight hours including lunch break and frequent other meetings. I could do that without stressing myself. However, if the topic requires extensive research the average falls down but in the long run you should expect the same average. It is also quite true that if a topic is interesting and inspired you go an working without getting least stressed and while taking momentary offs you itch to go back to your desk to continue. You feel as fresh as lily and terribly energetic at the end of the day with 4000 to 5000 of completed word count.
16 Laura Spencer // Oct 30, 2009 at
Hi Ajit Jha!
I think that your writing rate sounds quite reasonable for most general topics. I agree with you about writing about something that you are passionate about. That writing will naturally go much faster!
17 Teresa Morrow // Oct 30, 2009 at
Laura,
You pose an interesting question. About six months ago I started writing my first novel. For me, I don’t go by number of pages however, I try to set a goal in number of words per week. My goal is about 6,000 week.
You mention above about having the pages ready to go to “press” and I would say that is where I would differ in my writing. I tend to write with the knowledge I will most likely be revising some or all of it. Perhaps as I continue with my writing, I will improve my writing to where I can write with less need to revision or editing.
Great discussion on an interesting subject.
Keep writing!
18 Laura Spencer // Oct 31, 2009 at
Thanks Teresa!
Naturally, this is a variable figure. It also depends on what type of writing one is doing.
In my opinion, creative writing is often harder and takes more revision that factual writing (but not many people realize this).
19 Angel // Nov 1, 2009 at
Like Teresa, I write novel-length fiction. On most days, I pop out 8,000 words or more. That turns out to be 14 to 16 pages for me. Most people think that is an outrageous number, but it’s not if you think about it. I have no distractions so I’m free to write from noon until night if it suits me. Moreover, I don’t edit or reread any of my material until I’m done with the entire manuscript. So honestly, I think the number of pages you procduce a day depends on the type of material you are writing, and your method.
As for James’ comment about writers’ writing better in the morning, I have to respectfully disagree. It’s a proven medical fact that some people are wired differently, making them more productive in the evening. This is true for me as well, but that doesn’t just go for writing; I’m simply more productive in the evening.
20 Laura Spencer // Nov 2, 2009 at
Thanks Angel!
I have to admit that I don’t know much about writing fiction. I imagine that productivity for a fiction writer varies widely, though.
It sounds like you’ve got a method that works for you, so I’d say to stick with that and keep going.
21 syed nayab // Dec 28, 2011 at
i used to write like 14 or so …but that were meant to be used as manipulative tool for search results