Saturday, 10 October 2009
NaNo - 10000 words in an Instant
Okay, that was a tricky title. :P
I was planning to do 90K words for NaNo this year, because that's how long I was guessing my first draft to be. However, while working on outline, I am getting the vibe that 90K might be too long, so my new goal is 80K because that is more reasonable for the story.
By the time I am done with that draft, things might change yet again, but I am aiming for 80K for now. And you know what, after worrying about how I am going to write 90K, 80K seems like - well, not easy - but definitely more possible.
How do you decide how long your book is going to be? Is it just a random guess based on genre initially, or is there method to the madness?
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I write until the story's been told. Word count be damned. Of course I do a lot cutting in revisions.
ReplyDeleteI think mine will hit around 80k too. This is a guess based on what I already know of the plot. If it's longer or shorter though, so be it. :-)
ReplyDeleteAdam
I have a friend who knows exactly how long her story's going to be before she starts writing and she sticks ruthlessly to that wordcount. I have no idea how she does it - I don't know that I could work under such constraints.
ReplyDeleteI have an idea how long I would like my story to be when I start it, but I usually just write until it's done and, like Matt, word count be damned.
I start the book, see how long each chapter is, in general, look at my outline of chapters, and calculate it up. A good length for me is about 70k.
ReplyDeleteI'm targeting a specific category line, so I know my finished novel needs to be 50-55k words to fit the submission requirements. I just go off guidelines for whatever I'm targeting - I prefer to have some sort of "word deadline" to write within (otherwise I feel like I could meander forever).
ReplyDeleteGreat comments everyone. Thanks for making the effort. You are right of course. The most important thing should be the story, then technicalities.
ReplyDelete