I was writing in my journal the other morning when a random thought popped into my head: How many words have I written over the years?
I’ve been writing poetry and fiction since I was very young. I have a memory of writing a love poem (I think I was inspired by a song on the radio) when I was eight or nine, but even before that I was trying to write and illustrate my own comic books. Sadly, those pieces are all lost to time.
I really started to crank out poems and short fiction when I was a teenager. All that angst and inner turmoil, the weird feelings and emotions, they were all fuel for many late-night writing sessions. Me, alone in my bedroom, radio playing softly in the background as I scribbled my feelings onto the pages of a yellow legal pad by the light of low-wattage lamp. I filled many, many legal pads with words.
As I grew older my output stayed about the same, although my writing diversified. In addition to the poetry and fiction, I started keeping a journal and, later, began blogging.
So back to my question…how many words have I written?
Not counting the normal, everyday stuff (grocery lists, old-school letters, emails, etc.) and focusing solely on both published and unpublished fiction, poetry, my journal entries, and my irregular blogging…well, I really have no idea. It must be in the hundreds of thousands.
I’ve written hundreds of poems, nearly as many short stories, two novels (in progress), filled dozens of journals, and typed blog posts that stretch back nearly twenty years.
It’s staggering to think about how much I’ve written over the past several decades. And it’s also motivating to think about all those words that came out of my head, all those ideas. Many are still in progress, some will never get any further than a rough draft, but it’s all my creation, my output. That’s kinda cool.
If you had to guess how many words you’ve written over the years – creative words – what do you think your total might be?
RB
I love the question because I can’t answer that. My earliest memory is winning 3rd prize in a high school fine arts festival for a poem i submitted.
After that, 1100 board reports, 5 trade books, other reports etc. However, I didn’t start writing poetry till 11 years ago. A life-changing motor vehicle accident that left me cognitively unable to function properly at work. That’s when poetry became my main avenue of sharing thoughts.
Wow! That’s an impressive amount of writing, Jasper. I’m glad you were able to find poetry as an outlet. I’ve enjoyed reading your work.
Thanks for stopping by!
“Hundreds and thousands” for me too I suspect… which I quite like as I can visualize them all as tiny colored dots like those hundreds and thousand sprinkles! Linda xx
A lovely way to look at it, Linda.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Ha. Richard, I have a feeling that your mind might work along the same lines as mine — you have my sympathy. LOL. I was keeping a spreadsheet of all the characters I’ve created over the decades. I haven’t updated it in a couple of years, but there were more than 400.
No, I have no idea how many words I’ve written. Although I just finished pulling together an omnibus of my Dead of Winter series of novellas (from 5 years ago), and the word count for that is 252,206. I typically tend toward shorter books though. Yeah… that’s a good question. Hugs.
Ha! Great minds think alike, Teagan, so I’ll take that as a compliment. I hadn’t considered a character spreadsheet, but I think that’s kinda cool.
And that’s a fantastic word count for your series. I’m working on two novels at the moment, but I haven’t quite gotten to your numbers…yet!
Thanks for stopping by!
I have no idea how many words I’ve written. I’ve been writing for so many years. Now that our journals are online, I suppose they’ll be out there forever—or as long as the platform lasts with a free account. 😊
With your output, MM, I assume your word count would be in the millions!
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Like you, I have no idea. I’ve been writing off and on since I was young as well. Songs, poems, stories, journals, etc. I wonder how many will last beyond me?
That’s another good question, but one we’ll never know the answer to. But I imagine in this digital age, something we created will live on.
Really enjoyed this post it’s such an interesting question to think about how many words we’ve written over the years. Your passion for poetry and fiction really comes through. If I ever get the chance, I’d love to learn more about your writing journey and experiences
Thank you, Emma. You can read much of it here on my site.
Wow, that’s an impressive amount of writing! Truly inspiring dedication to creativity.
Thank you! Creativity is my motivation.
I haven’t tried counting my words either, especially since my journal is handwritten. I write every morning, but just about everyday things and to focus on the good in life. Being grateful for the small moments really helps. Loved your reflection!
I appreciate you stopping by, Lucy. I agree, journaling is good medicine. 🙂
I haven’t the faintest idea, if I also consider all the reports I penned as a teacher, I think that the words I’ve written so far are a lot.
Probably astronomical, Luisa! I’m sure your numbers greatly outweigh mine. 🙂
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No idea, in college, I could write a typed 10 page term paper overnight which often got me an A for research and a B-/C+ for typos. No spell check or autocorrect back in the dark ages.
Ah, yes, I remember those late-night writing sessions with a morning deadline! We were true writers back then, with manual typewriters and blue essay books. 🙂
I do a word count for every piece, and I’ve lost track of blogs, short stories, essays, poems, and three books….why do I find this frustrating? Good question, Richard.
LOL…I gave up due to being frustrated by the math!
I’m sure you have spectacular word count numbers, Devonne. 🙂
Hi. It’s good to keep the words flowing. It’s a good creative activity, of course, and I think it’s also healthful mentally and emotionally.
Very true, my friend. Exercise for the mind.
Thanks for stopping by.
Very interesting topic!
I’m going to answer this from an illustrations point of view.
My iPAd says I have a little over 16500 images on it. And of course, some are doubles, others are actual photos or screenshots, but the majority are actual drawings in all kind of phases. Anywhere from quick, half finished sketches or a fully developed drawing.
I had this icloud account for about 5 years. That is not counting the doodles I did with pen and paper in the many years before that.
Who knows, maybe the viral sketch that would make me rich and famous was hidden in there 🤭
And I assume a lot of writes write keywords or notes for later inspiration too. Whether it is in a designated notebook or a napkin after a long night in the pub.
I think the only answer to your question that would make sense for writers or any kind of artists is: “more than you or I could ever imagine” 🤭
I hadn’t considered this from an illustrator’s perspective, Andrea. And you’re correct, we both have a lot of bits and pieces floating about. Maybe one will hit big or go viral!
I think your answer is the best way to respond to the question. 😉
Like you I’ve written for many years – though no poetry. I guess it would be a sizeable number.
I’m sure your numbers are quite high, Sheree. Your history posts are always so detailed.
I was thinking more about my written work when I worked in the City and my articles on cycling than my current blog. But, thank you Richard.