What is word count? It's a measure of progress toward a goal. That's a worthy thing to keep track of and celebrate, especially since writing fiction is such a long, iterative process. But it's just one part of a process that varies infinitely from writer to writer.

I love writing in and of itself, and if I didn't stop to celebrate goals like word count I would almost certainly have stopped writing in my 20s out of despair that I wasn't getting anywhere -- but word count isn't the only way I mark goals or I'd lose my composure at other steps for other reasons.I love writing in and of itself, and if I didn't stop to celebrate goals like word count I would almost certainly have stopped writing in my 20s out of despair that I wasn't getting anywhere -- but word count isn't the only way I mark goals or I'd lose my composure at other steps for other reasons.

For me, drafting is the most difficult part of writing. Revision is generally more satisfying for me. We don't tend to measure revision by word count, but by passes through a work, by sections revised, or drafts created. Revision is SO important, but less satisfying to brag about than word count.