About three-hundred words
That's the minimum count I try to write a day.
That is expressive writing - not emails, academic or texting. Instead, it comes directly out of your interests and experiences, not necessarily obliged or asked of you. I fulfill this through journaling, poetry, notes, stories or articles. Three-hundred words is enough to get done even on a busy day and cumulatively practice writing.
There are days (usually nights) where I go insane and three-thousand words pour out. I know a lot of writers who wait for nights like this to blast out a magnum opus, only to never touch it again. They erroneously call it "inspiration". But these blue moons can't be controlled, people die waiting for "inspiration".
I'm slowly finding three-hundred words to be a sweet spot for a couple reasons:
- Repeatable practice
- Can be written in one sitting
- Long enough to begin exploring an idea
- Short enough to not bore the reader
The last point I'm finding increasing importance in. If you write without considering how the piece will be read - the reason for writing - it's easy to disregard conciseness. Not that every blog post must be an exercise in restraint, but practising shorter pieces will bring attention to which details are necessary.
If the purpose of writing is to communicate ideas, consider the amount of words someone needs to read to get your idea. Yes, even if it's just you reading your writing. Not that being descriptive is bad. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a great example of a super descriptive book, but every detail has importance to the story.
Give it a try. Take an hour, pick a subject, or respond to this idea, in about three-hundred words. If you have a lot to say, culling the extraneous will make your writing sharper. If you are short, it gives you the opportunity to intelligently expand.
Remember, it's only about three-hundred words. We are just practising here. Trust yourself, have fun with it and be creative.
-bzg
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