Recently, someone asked me what my daily word count is. I bristled a bit at this, in that way that says "You're going to have to think about this later, Little Missy." I muttered something about tracking time rather than words, which is true.
This is me thinking about it later. As I type, I have a timer going. I'm tracking time right now because writing blog posts counts as "writing" in my day. Yes, even blog posts about tracking writing. I have however, also felt the need to start tracking words on the rough draft for a Big Project. It's become necessary to have a long-range point on the horizon, etc., but it has me thinking, here, about why I'm usually resistant to tracking word counts.
My usual, front of the head objection is that banging out a rough draft is, for me, only about a quarter, maybe a third of the writing process. The rest of the time is taken up with editing, some more editing, and the polishing and formatting of the work for submission. I also have a bunch of routine writing tasks on the To Do list -- sending out and monitoring submissions, making sure the web site's running, whatever needs to be done -- but I don't count that in "writing" time. All that stuff goes on the generic To Do list, usually next to vacuuming.
So, I bristled at the word count question because it's not realistic, because it ignores the importance and scope of editing in The Process. But, today, I realized, that's not the only reason. An overemphasis on word count can become an excuse for avoiding editing and even turn into a punishment for someone who's spending the necessary time editing their work. If you're a forever-amateur using writing as an excuse to indulge your ego (or to be flaky about drugs or money or responsibilities), this is not a problem. You don't need no stinking editing. But, if you're actually in it to produce something another human might find readable, editing is going to be a big part of your day. When a writer is tracking only words, any "writing" time spent doing anything else takes away from that day's word count. Mentally, the crucial, most-of-the-writing-job editing gets delegated to the generic list, next to the vacuuming. Not only are items on the generic To Do list subject to postponement, they also don't get a lot of fanfare. You don't see people posting on social media that their laundry's ALL folded with nearly the enthusiasm of someone announcing "I finished another chapter!"
Define "finished," Grasshopper.*
So, here's a suggestion for both of us. Regardless of whether we're tracking word counts for whatever reasonable reason, let's not forget to track and reward the editing processes. If only for ourselves, let's give "I spent an hour editing!" as much personal reassurance power as "I finished drafting Chapter Five!" Finishing the rough draft is only the beginning.
*Boomer reference to the Kung Fu TV series. Naive sometimes, but fun.
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