How To Write 5K Words A Day

It’s not as hard as you think.

You probably have no idea who I am, but you’ve likely read my words. I write 5,000 words a day for a variety of publications that are primarily in the parenting, women’s lifestyle, health, and science spheres. When those areas intersect, I beam, and the work explodes out of me. My name is hidden behind the words “staff writer” or is erased altogether for some of my clients for whom I ghostwrite all their content, but trust me, you’ve probably read my words.

To get to a place in my career as a freelance writer where I can reliably churn out clean, high-quality copy under incredibly tight deadlines like news stories that must be turned over in under an hour. Or interviews that require delicate interpersonal skills. Or heavy research on complicated topics that I must simplify for a broad audience, I had to learn a few tough-love lessons about what writing is and isn’t, and it was forcing myself to write 5,000 words a day that helped me learn those lessons.

First of all, there is nothing romantic about planting my butt in a chair and focusing on the pile of assignments glaring at me. Sure, sometimes I like to imagine that I am famous or even raking in the dolla-dollas. But in reality, writing is my job, and it is brow-sweat hard work. It is the thing that I show up for every day, whether I feel like it or not. The repetition of deadlines is a huge reason why my daily word count is increasing.