Since the start of the year I have committed myself to writing 500 words a day. Whether those words are good or make sense doesn’t matter, all that is matters is that I’m getting words down on paper or on a word document because you can edit writing that isn’t good or doesn’t make sense, but you can’t edit a blank page.

500 words a day might not seem like a lot of words, but I’ve come to find it adds up, especially when I add up my word count at the end of the month. 500 words a day might not seem like a difficult thing to get done, but I’ve definitely found some days to be harder than others to get my 500 words done.

So if you’re someone who wants to commit to writing 500 words a day like I have, here are mu list of pros and cons to doing so. And as with my other pros and cons list, I encourage you to read other posts and articles so you feel well-informed before making your decision. So here are my pros and cons to writing 500 words a day!

The Pros

1. Actually writing: As writers, we can’t write a novel, blog post, or any other piece unless we’re putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. So writing 500 words a day means you’re actually writing and working toward your goals. So it might be hard, but it’s worth it when you see all the progress you make.
2. Helps with creativity: The more we write, the more ideas come to us. By committing to 500 words every say, we are committing to creativity. (Add more to this section)
3. Gets you closer to your goals: During the month of November, thousands of people participate in NaNoWriMo with the hopes of writing 50,000 words during the month. Though this helps writers reach their goals, it can also make them feel stressed, anxious, and a lot of other negative emotions. But by writing 500 words every day, it helps you reach your writing goals without feeling overwhelmed and pressed for time. NaNoWriMo means 1,666 words each day, which feels more daunting than 500 words. Slow and steady wins the race, so worker smarter and less stressed toward your goals so you can enjoy the journey!

The Cons

1. Some days you don’t want to write: I can’t tell you how many days I’ve wanted to say fuck it and not write my 500 words. Long days at work, poor mental health, feeling sick, or any number of reasons has made me not want to write. Most of those days my boyfriend has had to push me to write even though he knew I wasn’t feeling up to it. He did this because he knew I would be upset with myself the next day if I didn’t write. Though I have gotten angry with him in the moment, I appreciate it after I get the 500 words or more written.
2. Writer’s block: There are some days when I find it hard to decide what to write about. There are some scenes in my novel that I haven’t written yet because I don’t know where they go in my novel, how they should go, etc. For that reason, they remain unwritten. So it’s not always easy to get to 500 words every day. (Need more for this section)
3. Hating what you write: I’m not going to lie: I’ve hated most of the words I’ve written. Maybe my scene didn’t come together as well as I had hoped or my blog post is an incoherent mess or for some other reason I just hate what I wrote. Even though I can edit and rewrite these things, in that moment of hatred I just want to delete it or tear it up! But doing either of those things would be counter productive, so I just have to deal with those feelings until I can edit the piece.

So there you have it, my pros and cons for writing 500 words a day! Does anyone else commit to a specific word count each day or even just writing every day? If so, do you agree with my list? Also, does this encourage or discourage you from committing to writing 500 words a day? I would love to know your thoughts! Have a great week everyone!