Anatomy of a 10,000 word day

On December 2nd, 2024, I wrote 10,000 words of ORC-HOARD in one go. It was my ninth 10k word day of 2024.

A few people interested in writing asked about the logistics of it. Like, how did I actually pull if off,  that kind of thing. That seems like a reasonable question, so let’s discuss it a bit.

I think the main two components of a 10k word day are 1.) I don’t have anything else I absolutely have to do that day, and 2.) I don’t have any unexpected interruptions that require time and attention.

Since I only had nine 10k word days in 2024, you can see how rare those two circumstances are! Like, if there are 336 days between January 1st and December 2nd, then conditions for a 10k word day only happened two percent of the time.

First, let’s take a look at what precisely I actually did on December 2nd, 2024.

I should note that this is lightly censored to protect family details, but it is overall accurate for my schedule on December 2nd.

6:45 – Wake up.

7:10 – Make coffee. Check various accounts to make sure nothing got hacked overnight. Check and answer email. Set up social media posts for day. Write 250 words of SHIELD OF DECEPTION

8:30 – Proceed to gym. Spend an hour exercising.

9:30 – Return from gym. Shower and clean up.

9:45 – Use electric leaf blower to get (light) snow off the sidewalk and the porch. Thankfully this does not take long!

10:00 – Start writing. Do nothing else but write for the next several hours.

12:00 – Lunchtime. Have written 2,700 words of ORC-HOARD so far.

12:45 – Finish lunch, return to writing. Do nothing else but writing until 2:00.

2:00 – Make coffee. Answer texts and emails. Now have written 5,100 words of ORC-HOARD.

2:20 – Resume writing. Do nothing else but write for next several hours.

4:45 – Have reached the ten thousand word mark of ORC-HOARD.

5:00 – Make dinner, clean up afterward.

6:00 – Write another 250 words of SHIELD OF DECEPTION. Set up social media and blog posts for the next day. Answer a few emails and texts. Check various ad platforms and see how they are performing.

7:00 – Stop doing things for the day.

So as you can see, I didn’t have any unexpected interruptions that demanded attention, and I didn’t have anything else that I had to do that day. Which is really rare, so I’m pleased I made the most of it.

By contrast, let’s look at the next day, December 3rd.

I only wrote 6,500 words that day. Which is still a good number, but I had numerous other things I had to do, and there were several interruptions. I needed to email some people with tax questions, I needed to fill out a fair bit of paperwork for tax compliance, I had to make several changes to my ads, and I also needed to go grocery shopping. Additionally, several people came to the front door, and a couple of packages were delivered, and I had to stop writing and go answer the door a bunch of times. Obviously none of these things were bad or particularly onerous (even the tax paperwork wasn’t that bad as these things go) but they took up time and had to be done.

Additionally, interruptions are sometimes tricky because in all honesty I’m not as mentally agile as I used to be when I was younger, and have a harder time switching tasks abruptly. Like, 14 years ago, I could go on my lunch break, slam out 2,000 words, and then go back to work without missing a beat. But that was 14 years ago. Nowadays, I find it harder to get back to what I was doing before I was interrupted. So the fewer interruptions I have, whether planned or unplanned, the more I will write.

When I say “do nothing else but write for the next two hours”, that is exactly what I meant – no Internet browsing, no social media, no playing with my phone, no Photoshop, no “checking one thing quick”, just a word processor and a lot of typing. For these long stretches, I typically use the Pomodoro method – 25 minutes of uninterrupted activity, followed by a five minute break before doing it again. I used to check email during those five minute breaks but that can get out of control, so instead I started playing classic Super Mario Brothers on the Switch during those five minute breaks. That is different enough from writing that it makes for a good mental reset, and it loads quickly so I don’t waste my break time waiting for the game to load. Similar platformer games also make for a good Pomodoro break.

For the actual timing I just use the timer app on my phone.

I’ve had a couple of days where I was at like 8,000 words by 3:30 PM and something came up, so then I powered through 2,000 extra words at night. I try to avoid writing a lot at night because it’s good to give the brain a rest, but I will if it’s necessary.

I should note that I’ve been a full-time writer for nearly a decade now, so that means I have the time to do a 10,000 word day when the circumstances are right. Like, back when I had a full-time real job, I think I only had one 10,000 word day ever – I was snowed in on a Saturday, and there was nothing else to do. So I wrote 10,000 words that day. I think it was for FROSTBORN: THE MASTER THIEF if I remember right, specifically the bit with the wyvern. But since I am a full-time writer, obviously it is in everyone’s best interests if I get as many words down as possible every day when I am writing a rough draft.

I should also note that I don’t think this kind of workflow is mentally right for most people. Like, if I’m really interested in something, I really focus up on it to an intense degree that most people would find unsustainable. So if you’re a writer and a 10,000 word day sounds unimaginable, I don’t think you should beat yourself up about it.

So that is how I do a ten thousand word day. Circumstances have to be just right, which doesn’t happen all that often, but it’s probably for the best. A 10k word day is a bit of a mental effort, which is why I rarely have them back-to-back.

-JM