One of the (many) how to do a PhD manuals in my possession has an introduction called, "How to write a 1000 words an hour". Can anyone really write that fast? I had no idea it was possible!

Even if I'm very sure about what I'm writing, I don't think I've ever managed over two thousand words in a day. I hope I'll speed up as I get further on though.

I can, but it's drivel

I think its quality not quantity to be concerned with. I have never tried to write a thousand words in an hour ( have never clocked my speed!) but probably could, that being only a few paragraph. I have chunked out a paragraph or two in five or ten minutes, when trying to come up with an abstract for a conference proposal. But I don't think I would worry about how fast I can write over the quality of the writing. I would rather have five hundred quality words than five thousand ropey ones.

I have that book too! Did you notice that they call the introduction 'How to write 1000 words an hour' but then they don't really follow up and tell you how that is actually possible?

Anyway I probably could but it would also be drivel I think maybe 1000 words a day seems to be roughly my output - when I put my mind to it, that is!!!

Bugger me. 1000 words a day. I tend to follow the (Dirk) Bogarde rule that 250 quality words a day is pretty much a maximum.

I can easily write 1000 words in an hour as long as it's about my own experimental work and not a lit review or anything.

Well I didn't say they were necessarily great quality

No it doesn't actually tell you how to write that fast (...it probably helps the book sell though). I've got another similar book by Patrick Dunleavy which is much more useful... although in terms of structure etc rather than how to become a 1000 words an hour writing machine!

I start of writing about 250 words a day, and re-write those same words every day until I feel the panic of the deadline and gradually speed up through necessity to about 1000 words per day, until the day before deadline I literally throw 2000 words onto the page and hand it in.

Guess which bit my supervisors usually like the best?