962. Number of words

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962words

Killian made it a principle of life to write something every day. He would sit at his desk at the same time each morning and begin to type. Sometimes the words flowed; sometimes not.

These days he had become bored. He needed a new sort of challenge. He thought he would pick a number at random – something between ten and one hundred and fifty. Then he would write a story using that exact number of words.

For example, today’s story is eighty four words. Make that eighty five. Eighty nine. Ninety one. Ninety three.

Oh God! What a stupid thing to do. One hundred and seven eight nine …

To listen to the story being read click HERE!

21 thoughts on “962. Number of words”

  2. Cynthia Jobin

    I’ve heard of counting words after a piece is written, in order to satisfy some editorial dictum alien to the creative process. But counting words while actually writing them would seem like some version of hell where you were forced to write a shadorma every day.

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      1. Yvonne

        I happily accept the No Verbosity Award. I would like to thank my parents, my primary school teachers, the lady on the bus who stood up for me, …..

        …. And, in conclusion, the waiters here at the dinner, and the fellow who kept topping up my glass. I love each and every one of you. .

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  6. umashankar

    It has that deceptive stamp of being autobiographical. But someone like you can never be bored with writing, or be bothered by the number of words, unless you are writing a Shadorma. I have too never cared for the number of words I am writing. Words to me are like clouds. They come and go, they pause and precipitate, they pour and come to a stop abruptly. I have really no control over what is happening. Maybe that is why I never wrote those numbered things, and in the unlikely event of me having done that, it is more accident than art.

    PS: Methinks the subject deserves a post of my own!

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    1. Bruce Goodman Post author

      I am not going to count the number of words you used. I had a teacher for “public speaking” and he said: “Stand up. Say it. Sit down.” It’s the best advice for speaking, and I believe worthy advice for writing!

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