I just wanna be Amanda Lee

[laundrymaid]

I’m way behind schedule, so I’m planning to treat this weekend like a three day novel competition. Coincidentally I have an estimated 27,000 words to write.  It’s been a long time since I’ve achieved 9K a day, but here goes!
 

[notthatamanda]

Good luck.

[Maggie Ann]

I average about 1K an hour and a goal of 9K would make for a very long day. Hope you're a much faster writer than I am.

 

[Bill Hiatt]

I've always admired people like Amanda who could produce quality work in a comparatively short period of time. I'm afraid I'll never be able to come close to that speed.

[feste]

This week I did 3000 in one day, and ... aaaarrrrgh!  Be kind to yourself.

[Becca Mills]

If we could alchemically distill the essence of Amanda Lee and give everyone on Earth 1/7,500,000,000 of a dose, I suspect all our species' problems would get solved in short order. 

[angela]

Hah! I think we need access to Amanda's awesome swimming pool. I have a feeling she may have those alien cocoons in her pool.

Amanda, if you throw a pool party and invite all of us, we swear not to go public!! LOL

[laundrymaid]

I average about 1K an hour and a goal of 9K would make for a very long day. Hope you're a much faster writer than I am.

 

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

[Misty Bane]

Good luck! I'm in a similar boat. 40K in 4 days    Thank God for coffee...

[Maggie Ann]

I average about 1K an hour and a goal of 9K would make for a very long day. Hope you're a much faster writer than I am.

 

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

Well done!!

[angela]

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

Sounds like the genre I used to write, though the hump chapters were usually around 2k-3k words.

[Misty Bane]

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

Sounds like the genre I used to write, though the hump chapters were usually around 2k-3k words.

It took me a minute but I finally got it 

[Maggie Ann]

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

Sounds like the genre I used to write, though the hump chapters were usually around 2k-3k words.

It took me a minute but I finally got it 

Uh-huh ... 

[Eric Thomson]

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

Sounds like the genre I used to write, though the hump chapters were usually around 2k-3k words.

I didn't realize stories involving camelus dromedarius were that popular.  The things I learn around here...   

[KevinH]

I've been able to grind out about 15K words in a day on two separate occasions.  (Not recommended.)  After that, the most I've done is about 7500 words per day (which I once did five days in a row for a total of almost 40K words).  Believe it or not, I actually found that pace manageable.  If I ever leave the day job, producing content won't be an issue.

[Morgan Worth]

I average about 1K an hour and a goal of 9K would make for a very long day. Hope you're a much faster writer than I am.

 

Nope.  I just worked 9 hours and produced 7143 words.  But I’m quite satisfied since I spent a good part of the day on a hump chapter.

That's a really nice chunk of writing! Hope you're still plugging along!

[Hopscotch]

Amanda is a goddess but I know I can't keep up with her - not when she writes 13K words per day and mows her vast lawn while she repairs all the cars in her driveway, as she has, I believe, reported on another board.  So I write in scenes - whatever comes between two sets of * * * in the text.  Could be 300 words or 3K.  Then, happy, I go to the beach. 

[Bill Hiatt]

Amanda is a goddess but I know I can't keep up with her - not when she writes 13K words per day and mows her vast lawn while she repairs all the cars in her driveway, as she has, I believe, reported on another board.  So I write in scenes - whatever comes between two sets of * * * in the text.  Could be 300 words or 3K.  Then, happy, I go to the beach.

13K? Wow! The max number of good words I can typically hit is 5K, and my norm is more like 2K. In moments of rare inspiration, I've come close to 10K, but that would never be sustainable for me on a daily basis.

I suspect Amanda's ability to do that is one of the reasons she's so successful. It takes commitment, hard work, and intense focus to make that kind of schedule work.

[VisitasKeat]

The snark in this thread is undesirable.

That being said, the subject of this discussion is simply over-qualified for a thread like 1k words per day, and would be suitable for challenging threads like 15k and 20k words per day clubs.

The subject is a proven over-achiever and an inspiration to the community. It's like the CEO of a large corporation having lunch with the employees of the sales department everyday. That is so nice and kind of the CEO, but the good intentions are misread. The initial respect turns into sarcasm gradually.

What happens when one crab tries to climb out of the bucket? The other fellows attempt to pull it down!

[dgcasey]

The snark in this thread is undesirable.

That being said, the subject of this discussion is simply over-qualified for a thread like 1k words per day, and would be suitable for challenging threads like 15k and 20k words per day clubs.

I haven't seen any snark at all in this thread. And this thread isn't really aimed at Amanda at all. It is more about saying we want to be more like her when it comes to work ethic. There is nothing wrong with that.

As for those numbers, they are way off. She has said she writes 45,000 words a week. That's about 5000 words a day. or 7000 words a day if she takes weekends off. 5000 words a day is nothing if that's what you trained yourself to do. I can write 5000 words in less than four hours. I just can't do it day in and day out, like she does. That's where I can say, "I just wanna be Amanda Lee." There are much worse things a writer can say than wanting to be able to work like she does. She has my awe and admiration and I suspect a lot of other writers here think the same way.

[laundrymaid]

There was snark?  Maybe it’s my sense of humour, but I just can’t see it.

[laundrymaid]

The snark in this thread is undesirable.

That being said, the subject of this discussion is simply over-qualified for a thread like 1k words per day, and would be suitable for challenging threads like 15k and 20k words per day clubs.

I haven't seen any snark at all in this thread. And this thread isn't really aimed at Amanda at all. It is more about saying we want to be more like her when it comes to work ethic. There is nothing wrong with that.

As for those numbers, they are way off. She has said she writes 45,000 words a week. That's about 5000 words a day. or 7000 words a day if she takes weekends off. 5000 words a day is nothing if that's what you trained yourself to do. I can write 5000 words in less than four hours. I just can't do it day in and day out, like she does. That's where I can say, "I just wanna be Amanda Lee." There are much worse things a writer can say than wanting to be able to work like she does. She has my awe and admiration and I suspect a lot of other writers here think the same way.

I just saw this, and it’s exactly what I meant.  I needed to up my game and she’s an inspiration for that.
And to those that asked, I had a productive weekend, although a little short of my goal.  Still very satisfying, and I’m continuing to perform with more efficiency.

[Post-Doctorate D]

I had to re-read the whole thread looking for snark and still haven't seen it.   

[Sarah]

I interviewed Amanda a couple of years ago. She writes 9k words a day Monday to Friday and on top of that edits about the same (for a different book). She does this while binge watching tv. She takes weekends off and quite a few weeks a year for holidays/conferences/etc.

What's even more amazing is that when Amanda was working as a full time reporter, she'd go home and put in the same amount of hours writing!

[Bill Hiatt]

I interviewed Amanda a couple of years ago. She writes 9k words a day Monday to Friday and on top of that edits about the same (for a different book). She does this while binge watching tv. She takes weekends off and quite a few weeks a year for holidays/conferences/etc.

What's even more amazing is that when Amanda was working as a full time reporter, she'd go home and put in the same amount of hours writing!

I don't have the self-discipline for that. There doesn't seem to be a wow emoticon.

[Bill Hiatt]

I had to re-read the whole thread looking for snark and still haven't seen it.   

That is sometimes the problem with online communication as opposed to in-person or over-the-phone. The tone of voice is missing.

That said, I'm not seeing snark, either. I think all the statements of admiration are meant sincerely.

[angela]

I believe the thread is meant to be lighthearted and fun, celebrating a member of the community.

Also, this:

[laundrymaid]

I certainly meant to be lighthearted.  And to put some pressure on myself by publicly announcing my goal.  It does makes one feel compelled to keep going.  Now I shall finish editing this book and start a new one on Tuesday.  And then...

[lea_owens]

I hadn't heard of Amanda Lee before this post, though I HAD read the thread somewhere where a writer was continually doing 9,000 words of writing and 9,000 of editing a day (obviously, that had to be Amanda - I didn't read/remember the name, I was just in awe of the word count).

I haven't seen any snarkiness in this thread, either.

I'm not religious, but if I was, I have a new deity to worship - a woman with that word count who also mows lawns and fixes cars. I would put her on a pedestal and bow before her if I could (no snarkiness, just genuine admiration and awe).

It's 7.30am. I'm going to feed my three stallions, mow our lawn, check the boundary fence up the back (neighbour's cattle keep coming from their 3,000 acres on to our lowly 100 acres), run to town to pick up parts for the little tractor, head over to our son's farm for a bit (30 year old executive - broke his ankle trail biking last week, and enjoying having mum bringing him food), do the washing, procrastinate, dilly dally, dither, and daydream, then find some time to write and aim for 2,000 words. In between, I'm going to be thinking of Amanda and wishing her well, because she is truly inspirational.

[laundrymaid]

Your day sounds quite awesome.  I rarely cook, never do the laundry, and didn’t even walk to the mailbox today.

[lea_owens]

Your day sounds quite awesome.  I rarely cook, never do the laundry, and didn’t even walk to the mailbox today.

Yeah, but it's 10.40 am now, and I still haven't found some unbroken writing time. If I only have ten minutes (like now, for a cuppa), I'll drop in here and fb as it isn't long enough to immerse back into the story. Our Jack Russell Terrorist is on the chair next to me. My Border Collie X c*cker Spaniel is chasing a Coca-Cola bottle around the floor, my hubby is snoring on the couch (he did nightshift last night so isn't long home), and there's a bloody great dog chasing kangaroos across the front paddock. I look out this window to the front road, about 500metres/yards away, and there are usually about 20 big grey roos camped there. It looks like my neighbour's scary German Shepherd is out - I'm happy for it to chase the roos. He'll never catch them, and they're eating all my grass.

The German Shepherd is a bit nutty - originally belonged to an older man who died at home, and it was over a week before someone found him. The poor dog stood guard over his decomposing owner all that time (Queensland - it gets hot and humid), and had to be sedated when police and paramedics arrived as he wasn't going to let anyone near the man he loved. Poor dog. He was in foster care for ages because his grief had sent him quite odd. My lovely neighbours adopted him as they have two sensible GS dogs... and he's improved, but he's still scary when he looks at you like he'd like to kill you. When he chases the roos here, I just lock our little dogs inside and let him go for it.

See, ten minutes up, coffee finished, and I need to feed the chooks (chickens) once I'm sure the cray-cray dog has gone.  I'm sure Amanda Lee wouldn't get distracted like this and dilly-dally the day away.

[notthatamanda]

Are kangaroos dangerous?  We have bears, bobcats, coyotes, that we have to watch out for.  Turkeys, who think they own the place, but they eat the ticks, not the grass, and they are very stupid, but not scary.
Sorry, it just sounds so exotic to have kangaroos hanging out around your house. 

[Captain Cranky]

I'm not Lea, but yes, they can be. I have them in my yard pretty much every day and we mostly just ignore each other and go about our business. But males, in particular, can be territorial and have been known to gut pets (they have big claws that can do a lot of damage) and even drown them if threatened. I have a cat that isn't too bright, and have caught her multiple times trying to chase them down or having a stand-off with them, it's terrifying because they are capable of just killing her. She's banned from being outside when they're around, now. Having said that, watching the mothers with their joeys is adorable, and the males are very impressive, they can be huge, the muscle some of them have is incredible! Personally, I'm cool with them eating our grass :-) Less mowing!

[lea_owens]

Are kangaroos dangerous?  We have bears, bobcats, coyotes, that we have to watch out for.  Turkeys, who think they own the place, but they eat the ticks, not the grass, and they are very stupid, but not scary.
Sorry, it just sounds so exotic to have kangaroos hanging out around your house.

Captain Cranky is correct. I've had pet ones (raised from joeys whose mothers died while they were in the pouch), and they are generally mindless little things - one good scare, and away they go, off into the paddock... and they rarely find their way home. When we lived on 36,000 acres, we'd spend ages looking for a lost joey that did a runner.  The big fellas are very dangerous - not at all the sweet cuddly things people think of when they pat them at zoos here like Lone Pine Sanctuary. The big reds out west would be over seven feet tall when they stood up to fight, and they can rip you open with those hind legs (they sit back on their tails and lunge with the big ripping toenail).

My husband's grandfather was nearly killed a big red roo. He was moving sheep by himself, about 3,000 weaners, and some kangaroos were approaching - they wouldn't hurt sheep, but they could scatter them by hopping through the mob. So, he rode between the sheep and the roos to turn the hoppers back. One big roo, instead of turning away, leaped at him and pulled him from the saddle. Those 'little' front arms are incredibly strong, and he wrapped them around Mr Owens and held him while he brought the hind legs up to strip him open. If he'd been back on or front on to the roo, he'd have died. As it was, his side, hip, and leg was repeatedly gashed as though by a knife. The roo has rodent style teeth, and it bit chunks out of his shoulder. He managed to get one arm up to the roo's throat and squeeze until he choked it down enough to get to his horse (standing nearby), and used his small axe that was tied to the saddle to kill the attacking roo. He made it home, was flown to town, and almost died of blood loss.

They are also good at killing dogs. When chased, they'll often go into water and wait until the dog swims out. They'll grab it and hold it under the water to drown it.

On the other hand, we kill millions of them with cars and trucks on the road and roo shooters, so they have it tough. We opened up an arid land with bores and dams so there is water year round in places where no roos could live because there was no water for 6 months or more of the year, so their numbers are quite high compared to before white settlement.  I like them. Watching them hop is fascinating - all that energy from the previous bound released into the next one.

[notthatamanda]

Wow.  We saw some at a zoo a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm thinking they must have only been females.  None were that big.

[VanessaC]

I hadn't heard of Amanda Lee before this post, though I HAD read the thread somewhere where a writer was continually doing 9,000 words of writing and 9,000 of editing a day (obviously, that had to be Amanda - I didn't read/remember the name, I was just in awe of the word count).

I haven't seen any snarkiness in this thread, either.

I'm not religious, but if I was, I have a new deity to worship - a woman with that word count who also mows lawns and fixes cars. I would put her on a pedestal and bow before her if I could (no snarkiness, just genuine admiration and awe).

It's 7.30am. I'm going to feed my three stallions, mow our lawn, check the boundary fence up the back (neighbour's cattle keep coming from their 3,000 acres on to our lowly 100 acres), run to town to pick up parts for the little tractor, head over to our son's farm for a bit (30 year old executive - broke his ankle trail biking last week, and enjoying having mum bringing him food), do the washing, procrastinate, dilly dally, dither, and daydream, then find some time to write and aim for 2,000 words. In between, I'm going to be thinking of Amanda and wishing her well, because she is truly inspirational.

I'm seriously impressed - I'm exhausted just reading about your tasks for the day.  And you manage to write, too??

Also, learned way more than I ever knew about kangaroos between you and Captain Cranky - thank you both.  Making a serious mental note to never, ever, ever go anywhere I might meet a kangaroo in the wild without some serious back-up.

(I live in Scotland - the most dangerous thing I'm likely to encounter outdoors is my lunatic dog, who decided to run into me full tilt earlier today.  He's fine. I'm nursing some heavy-duty bruising, more from where he hit me rather than where I hit the ground. Pets, eh?)

[cecilia_writer]

Yes, I was just thinking thank goodness we don't have all the dangerous wild animals here (apart from our cat, and also the inhabitants of the Zoo which is 5 minutes' walk away) when I visited a friend in the wilds of Colorado I was a nervous wreck all the time as she had had a bear on her deck staring in the window at her not long before...