A couple of words about your daily 'word count'. This is meant as encouragement only. Writers out there who publish outstanding word counts regularly/from time to time, you're amazing. This thread is for those of us who see other people's word counts and feel as if we're failing.

Please don't be fooled. When you see other writers tweeting that they've written 6,000 words that day, it's because they're celebrating. That's not the norm, that's not what you should be writing, it's them having a good day. It's lovely to see but I know it can be disheartening.

Sometimes we write less because our lives are chaotic or we feel ill or we're not in a happy place. Sometimes we're writing 'one of those books' that's like pulling teeth. Not every book flows, it's not all easy, the good days are the exception not the rule.

You're far better off writing 500 good, solid, well thought out words that progress your manuscript, than 5000 that will need heavy editing. Fast writing isn't always the best writing. Thinking time is also you working. Rewriting to get that sentence perfect is you achieving.

Don't compare your word count to others'. You write you. If it's hard, do this. Write 100 words today & be proud of them. They add up. This isn't a numbers game,it's a story game.Write the best story you can.Readers don't count the words as they go & wonder how fast you wrote it.