Arriba, Arriba! Andale!

…or whatever Speedy Gonzales used to say.

A few months ago, one of my critique partners asked the question "How fast do you write?"

She was new with us at the time, but the post raised some interesting questions. (And answers.)

The initial question was raised because, instead of churning out her "usual" 8000 words a day, she struggled to put 3-400 on the page.
It spooked her. She was used to write fast, write hard and get tons of words on the pages.

When my muse is kicking me hard, I can write fast and furious. I can churn out page after page, and every word flows and has meaning. Undisturbed, and given enough time, I can put 5-10k on the pages per day, easy. (I don't get distracted when it goes like this. You can try to distract me, but it won't work. I won't hear you when I'm in "The Zone".)
I love it when it happens like that.
I'm one of the lucky ones who has an understanding man in her life, who leaves her to it when the muse goes on a rampage in her brain.
But I can't do it every day. Not because the words aren't there, not because there isn't enough time — but because if I did this every day, I would be physically and mentally drained.
It's not sustainable over a long period of time. You'd simply burn out.

And then there are the days where my muse laughs at me and takes a vacation. On those days I struggle to put ten words on a page, let alone ten thousand. It's the days when nothing works, when everything you write sucks and you're better off starting over.
I have more of those days than I care to admit.
Way more than I have 10k days.

I thought it was interesting, because the responses were very similar.
Most of us try to write consistently, every day, at least a few words.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks.

There is no formula of how much you should write a day. There can't be, because we are all individuals. You have to find your own rhythm, something that works for you.

Harper put it nicely:

I see it like this: those uber productive times, when I'm chugging away at lightening speed, I'm also using up some creative energy I've stored up. I mean BURN THROUGH the stuff. So I try not to beat myself up when the words only come one sentence at a time. I figure the well is re-filling for the next binge.

Harper calls herself a "quintessential bottle-rocket" — and I know exactly where she comes from, because… I'm similar.
My response was this:

My way of writing:
Explode words onto the page — or explode.
It's that simple.
What wants out, must out. Or else.
Or else is not pretty.
It would either involve some poor CSI picking my brains off the wall next to my desk, wondering why there was a sudden meltdown and having a hell of a time determining cause of death — or a padded cell.
I don't like either scenario, so I make sure I have pen and paper with me at any time. 

It hits you… when it hits you. There are no hard and fast rules for how fast you write, it either happens or it doesn't. Sometimes those spurts come one day after another — and then nothing for months.
Don't panic when things slow down. They will, it happens to everyone. Nothing wrong, just your brain taking a break from a lightning strike.
The important thing is to keep a set amount written per day, whether it's good or bad. One word or ten thousand.
Don't sweat it.

Being prolific isn't all it's cracked up to be. Just because you crank out a novel in a month doesn't mean it's any good.
Quality is better than quantity.

It really doesn't matter how much, or how fast you write — as long as you write.