Words per Day Calculator
Enter your target word count, what you've written so far and your deadline. See how many words each writing day needs, and when you'll finish at the pace you write now.
How the target is worked out
writing days = full weeks × writing days a week + leftover days (up to that number)
words per writing day = (target − written) ÷ writing days, rounded upThe calculator counts writing days from today, starting each week with your writing days, so 30 days at five days a week is four full weeks (20 days) plus two more: 22 writing days. Your pace works the other way: it divides the words left by your daily average to give writing days, then converts them back to calendar days.
Worked example: finishing a novel draft
A novelist has 20,000 of a planned 80,000 words and wants the draft done in 30 days, writing on weekdays. That is 22 writing days for 60,000 words: 2,728 words per writing day, or 13,640 a week. They currently average 2,000 words a day, which needs 30 writing days and finishes on day 40, so either the deadline moves by 10 days or they add weekend sessions.
Worked example: a short non-fiction book
A 30,000-word guide written in three sessions a week over 90 days has 39 writing days, so it needs 770 words per session. At 11 pt on a 6" x 9" page with 12 chapters, 30,000 words prints to about 102 pages. A 50,000-word draft in 30 days of writing every day, the classic November challenge, needs 1,667 words a day.
Making the target stick
Daily targets work best when they are small enough to hit on a bad day. If the calculator gives a number well above your pace, change the inputs rather than hoping: move the deadline, add a writing day, or cut the target length. Track words at the end of each session and rerun the numbers weekly, because a few missed days early on raise every later day's target. When the draft is done, the page count calculator estimates the printed length, and the printing cost calculator shows what each copy will cost to print.
Frequently asked questions
How many words a day do authors write?
There is no standard: it depends on the book, the stage of the draft and how many hours you have. Track your own average over two or three weeks and enter it as your pace; that number is more useful than anyone else's.
Should I plan to write every day?
Plan the days you can actually keep. A plan of five days a week that you keep beats seven days a week that you miss, and the calculator spreads the words over the writing days you choose, so missing a planned day pushes the daily target up rather than going unnoticed.
How long is a novel in words?
Publishers and genre conventions vary, so check books like yours rather than a general rule. To turn a target word count into a page count and a printing cost, use the word count to page count calculator.
Does this include editing time?
No, it plans the first draft. Leave time after the deadline for revision, and if the book has a publication date, count back from it: editing, proofreading, cover and formatting all need to fit before you can upload to KDP.
Guides that use this calculator
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