Since I began recording all of the words I write and publish, I haven’t hit one million words. That’s mostly because most of my income nowadays doesn’t require a lot of writing. But in 2026, I am setting my sights on hitting a million words and then some, and all of it without the use of AI slop.

Keep in mind that I am a part-time:

• Freelance writer/editor
• Undergrad student
• Home health care provider
• Content creator
• Author

For those keeping score, that is a lot of “parts” to equal a sum. Needless to say, I don’t get everything done that I would like to do throughout any given week. But I’m getting better at balancing my time, especially in 2026.

How I Intend to Hit One Million Words

First, let’s break down what a million words entails. I usually work as a writer, Monday through Friday. There are 261 of these “work days” in 2026. That means I would need to write at least 3,832 words per day to hit over one million by the end of the year.

For me, that’s simply a writing sprint and a two-hour blog post. The problem is that I get easily sidetracked.

Coincidentally, I wrote 4,454 words before lunch today.

So, what’s going to keep me on track this time around?

The Year of Action

This year’s theme is “The Year of Action.” It means that I am going to take action to make all of my goals succeed, as well as get rid of bad habits that hold me back. This includes things like researching marketing methods, attending more book signing functions, and other actions that contribute to where I want to take myself and my content.

This year, I’m also putting in the same amount of effort, care, and professionalism into my own blogs as I do for clients. I should have been doing this all along, but I was happy just making sure my bills were paid. Well, now I have something to prove and some serious personal issues to address.

In other words, I can’t sit idly by and hope for the best. I need to make some things happen…and in short order.

The Books

I have ideas upon ideas for books of all kinds. And as I take the Lost Worlds and Crystal Skulls anthropology class at CU, I’m sure I’ll have even more. Needless to say, I don’t have a shortage of story ideas. I’m ready to write everything from Dark Fantasy to Star Trek fan fiction.

The sheer volume of tales accounts for a large portion of what I intend to write this year. Yes, the blogs will probably still get the lion’s share of the one million words, but that’s because the blogs actually make money. It’s not a lot, but enough to dial up the effort a bit.

In any case, part of the Year of Action includes publishing a couple of books as well as a bunch of short stories here and there.

The Blogs

I have several blogs that I own, all of which need more content. And since these blogs center around niches that greatly interest me, there’s no shortage of topic ideas. Besides, one of my goals is to rebuild two of the sites and make them grand again. That’s going to take a large amount of content.

In reality, I could easily crank out more than a million words just in blog content. If they paid me as much as freelancing did, I would surely do that. Unfortunately, I don’t make enough to sustain myself through the blogs…yet.

I’m hoping the effort in 2026 at least gets me a bit closer to retiring from freelancing.

The College Essays

As I am an undergrad, I’m sure I’ll have a large number of essays to write before I’m done. In fact, I already wrote four in the last semester, one of which was brilliant, and I hope I can make them public-facing.

Writing college essays is quite similar to blogging. Both have a similar structure; only essays use citations differently. Instead of linking anchor text in a blog post, the citations are created at the end in a source page.

I’m not sure how much essays will contribute to writing one million words this year, but they will contribute something.

The YouTube Channel

I don’t often get a lot of words written when creating a video script. I’m experimenting with different methods to shave off some time in edits while making it easier on me to record.

Sometimes, I’ll simply use the blog post as the script for the video.

Since I would like to post more videos this year, I’m sure I’ll do more writing for the channel. But like the essays, I’m just not sure how much they’ll contribute.

Client Jobs

Most of my client work nowadays centers on management and editing. I don’t get to write nearly as much as I used to. This is primarily why I haven’t written more than a million words since around 2018. Clients keep my mortgage paid and the lights on. I do what they tell me to do, regardless of whether I get to write or not.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my clients. But I would love to make more money simply writing than anything else. It’s who I am and what I love.

Perhaps I’ll get to retire when I earn a PhD and become a professor. That would be something else, wouldn’t it?

Why Focus On One Million Words in 2026?

This year, I turn 50 in July. As I round the corner of being half of a century old, it has lit a fire under my ass in a lot of ways. In this case, I want to prove to myself that I am still capable of churning out the content.

I know I am more than capable from a physical perspective. I write at a clip of nearly 70 words per minute. I’m not slow by any means. It has more to do with proving I can mentally handle the load.

Considering all of the pies I’m fingering, it’s an awful lot to manage. However, I still believe I can handle writing over a million words while keeping everything else in check. It’s not outside of what I can handle, according to what it looks like on paper.

But that’s the crux of it all, right there. Yes, plans and goals can look amazing when writing them down or setting them up in an app. It’s the action to see them through that is often the most difficult.

Life happens. And success is heavily reliant on how well you manage situations when they go south. Perserverance is vital to success.

Anyway, it all comes down to boosting self-confidence. I want to prove to myself that I am still capable of managing my time well enough to write a million words in addition to all of the other things I do throughout the week.

Maybe it’s my way of fighting back against time, or perhaps a version of a midlife crisis. Either way, I am pushing myself to see this one through to the end.

How Realistic Is It For Me to Hit One Million?

In reality, I average about 1100 words per hour. This includes research and proofreading, depending on the topic and niche. For me to average one million words for the year, it would theoretically take just under three and a half hours per day, Monday through Friday.

So, realistically, I should have no problem hitting a million words if I stick to my daily schedule, right? It’s not as easy as that, especially when you face as much chaos as I have over the last decade.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve jumped in front of my own way plenty of times. But it’s insane just how often I have to deal with chaos and mayhem in this house.

I keep thinking that I must have pissed off a gypsy somewhere.

I’ve made some massive changes lately that should ultimately improve my writing habits and routines, though. And as of January 5th, I was averaging just under 1.4 million words for the year. The trick is to keep that same momentum for another 360 days.

Why Am I Doing This Without AI?

I am a writer. Why would I use an app that takes away from the very thing I love most? I don’t believe AI should be allowed in creative spaces, and it takes away from the emotion, connection, and humanity that most artists promote.

If you don’t know how to write or can’t write well, take some classes. Learn.

When I began my writing career in 2012, I had no idea what I was doing in AP Style English. So, I spent the next few years learning everything I could about writing in all forms, search engine optimization, and dealing with clients from all over the globe.

It wasn’t something I accomplished overnight. And that’s the difference. I actually put in effort to perfect my craft while others merely want to replace skill with ease of use. Sorry, but we are not the same.

I’ll always side with education, practice, and practical implementation over using AI-generated garbage. And as a hiring manager, I’m paying for your expertise, style, and insight. I don’t want something cultivated and stolen from the best writers on the Internet. Any fool with a ChatGPT account can do that.

I want authenticity.

Anyway, before this turns into a massive anti-AI rant, I refuse to let AI take away from the very thing I love doing: writing.

Any Takers On Writing One Million Words This Year?

I keep setting a yearly goal to hit one million words, but have been falling short over the last few years. Too many things have sidetracked my efforts, both personally and professionally. This time, I am feeling very confident that I can set a new personal record.

I am doing all of this without the use of AI slop. And so can you.

So, can an ultra-busy 50-year-old crank out over a million words this year? The only one holding me back is me. And I think I am done wasting time.