Word Count Targets

I've been giving some thought to how writers choose the word count of their stories. Or does it choose them? How important is it to have a target length in mind at the outset? While mulling this over, I found myself reviewing the guidelines of this most basic tool.

First off, there are various guidelines that vary by genre, but basically:

Short story: 1,000 to 7,500
Novella: 17,000 to 40,000
Novel: 70,000 to 100,000

Yes, you may notice these ranges have gaps. I noticed that too. Hmm. What about 50,000 words? Maybe the numbers are wrong? What is the source? Well, the thing is, there isn't one source. Not anymore. If you search for it, you will probably find a chart that says something different -- or one you like better! The rules have changed, or at least blurred, over time. Maybe, as we go forward, the most accurate we can be is to say "anything over 40,000 words is considered a novel." Maybe. Or, on the flipside, there is even more definition. This is actually how the website Owlcation.com breaks it down (with no gaps):

Flash Fiction: 53 - 1,000 words

Short Stories: 3,500 - 7,500

Novellettes: 7,500 - 17,000

Novellas: 17,000 - 40,000

Novels: 40,000 + words

 Ok, this sooths my need for a categorical breakdown! It does break down those shorter ranges. But it also supports the broad range of longer works, bringing us back to "anything over 40,000 words is considered a novel."

Whew. We've come full circle to a very loose number - at least for a novel. Does it matter? Well, I think it is helpful to work through the numbers for a general idea of expectations, but I'll leave that up to you. What does matter is arriving at that target to shoot for, whether it is defined by a publisher's guideline or by you. But I still haven't decided if we, as writers, have a sweet spot for length. Maybe. Or does the story decide?

It's likely a combination of both, but I think there must be a heavy dose of instinct. Amazingly, even with so many of the variables yet to be pulled from the universe, I think you can and do know how long your story will be from the onset. Yes, really. You know the target from a framework of your intentions. Now that's not to say you're not going to second guess yourself along the road, and it's tempting to discount it because it came to you pretty easily. But think carefully before you move your goalpost. I'll get to more about that in a minute.

First,what is in this framework I mentioned? Well, it's more numbers. Consider your own numbers from the history of your stories' word counts. Do they match up with what you intended? I'm guessing they roughly do, but even if they didn't, it's an interesting exercise to consider why they did or did not. What does this tell you about your sweet spot for length? This is what I find:

My last novel had a target of 80,000 words. I arrived at this after my previous novels were, respectively, about 90,000 words, 70,000 words, and 50,000 words.

Yep, they got shorter until I leaned back into a longer target. (I also have a very long non-fiction work, but that's a whole other animal!) In hindsight, I do feel like the shortest novel was a bit too short. However, I stand by that pre-determined target. I intended it to be shorter. This was a novel in the midst of a series and I purposefully left loose ends. In fact, I thought the romance of the central couple might continue into several stories. In this respect, my future intentions influenced my prediction of the target length of this book and, for that matter, also the next. I did feel the tug of second guessing the target I set, but I held firm.

The only problem was my plans -- the framework of my intentions -- changed. I didn't want to write the next, shorter novels. Instead, the next novel would be the final in the series and it would take longer than I thought. (Four years, but who's counting.) Anyway, to make a long story short, loose plot ends were one thing to tie off, but to give the romantic leads in one book a relationship resolution as a secondary couple in another book was more difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. Should I have listened back then to the tug of second guessing? Was I just too stubborn to move a goalpost?  Perhaps. Or maybe it turned out as it was meant to be.

The choice is ours -- we can either embrace the bullseye of a target to be exactly 80,000 or shoot to be an exception above or below. There will always be exceptions, above and below this target. Need examples? Yes, I have more numbers.

 Twilight, for instance, is a novel above this baseline target at about 118,000 words. This is an exception to the rule, but I think, whether consciously declared or not, it fit in the author's framework of intentions. Some genres can do that. Fantasy and science fiction can do that. More on this is explained in the Writer's Digest post Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post.

And then there is the trend of eBooks and non-traditional publishing that have many examples that make a strong argument for shorter word counts that may well be your "sweet spot." If you balk at calling your 50,000 word story a novella, you are not alone. In fact, you may be in the majority if your book length falls in that gap between the ranges given for a novel or a novella.

Other exceptions, I would argue, are whether your book is in a category of, well, appropriate enough,  category romance. In this case, the word count requirements are generally a bit shorter and very specific to each line with a range from 50,000 to 75,000. In this case, don't take my word for it, go here to the Harlequin Submission page to see exactly what is required. (As a side note, this, in fact, is my current challenge. I intend to write a Harlequin Presents. Amongst other things, it goes against what I "think" may be my sweet spot for word length.)

All of this goes into your framework of intent. Once you have it, you have a word count target.

Then the work begins. So, you know where you want to end up, but what about progress? Word count does seem most useful. It is a number and an unambiguous target. You can say, presumably with confidence, that you are a quarter of the way or half way done. Only somehow, it doesn't work that way. A funny thing always happens. Always. 

My novels always feel much closer to completion at much lower word counts.

At about the 25,000 word mark, in some alternate universe, it is, in fact, finished. In my dreams. Yeah, that's about it. If only the technology were advanced enough to beam my perfect dream to others. If only. That's a tough spot to be in where nothing can match your imagined story. It takes a lot of words to fill in the blanks and it's different than the "dreaded middle" we've heard about where the story stalls out. There isn't a stall. It's finished. Yeah, yeah, in my dreams.

Eventually, even if each one is a struggle, real words fill in the blanks and get moved around and tweaked until they fall into place. Round after round of layering will eventually raise the word count. It is possible for the imagined to be captured.

 And that brings me to milestones. I've always been very confused on defining my writing stages; rough drafts, first drafts or however many drafts, and at what point you're in revision. I think final revision I'm a little more clear on, but barely. The only thing I find concrete is word count. I know that at 25,000 words I have a long ways to go, but I have gone too far to stop. The rest will come. I will get to a target I set from the beginning.

Do you have a sweet spot for word count length? Do you stick with it?

What is your writer's block?

Status: In revision.   That's become a bit of a catch-all phrase for me that covers everything after the first draft to final edits.  It also feels like I'm:  In renovation.   And we all know if you tear down one wall in a renovation, the dust will settle on the rest of the house.  Even if you've covered everything with drop cloths, somehow the dust will invade the nooks and crannies far from the destruction zone.  By the amount of fallout, you'd think the demolition crew had used explosives to tear down that wall.

After the explosion, even if the "all clear" hasn't been given for further demolition, I really can't resist the temptation to do some feather dusting of a scene I just blew up.  Then I wander through the building's structure looking for signs of fallout from this change.  When I find it, I hesitate with my feather duster in hand.  How severe is the damage?  Can I clean it up?  Should I?  Or do I wave my feather duster like a magic wand and undo the explosion?  I can do that.  Yet another choice is a further explosion.

Revising the Manuscript Under the Bed: Part Two -- The Revision Prep

In part one of this topic, I posed the question of choosing to revise that “manuscript under the bed.”  Assuming the decision is made to breathe new life into a perhaps too familiar story, it’s time to come up with a revision plan.  We could dive right in, but we might get lost in the maze.  No, it might be better to do some “revision prep,” the reconnaissance phase of checking out the current state of affairs in order to give us something to work with for assessing the macro level changes to come.

Revising the Manuscript under the Bed: Part One

Many a writer has a manuscript that is metaphorically placed “under the bed.”  That first book (or more) often comes to be thought of as a necessary learning process or the “practice” novel.  So, it doesn't surprise me when I read time and again in writer interviews about how their first novel published was actually the third (or later) story written.  It almost seems a rite of passage to have those early manuscripts under the bed.

Ouch.  As realistic as this is, I could happily skip this rite of passage and I don’t think any writer easily comes to the acceptance of forever placing their manuscript "under the bed."  How can we accept letting go when we also think of our first complete novel as our “baby?”  We had such high hopes and certainly didn’t write the book for a future home under the bed.  Most likely, we also had some very ambitious ideas in our first effort.  We dreamed larger-than-life and just wrote the book of our heart. 

Forget the Resolutions! Enroll in the Novel Writers' (Mock) University

This is the time of year when I usually want to hide from the resolution chatter. Personally, I don't "do" resolutions, but it's hard not to think and dream about what I would like to happen. Like:

1. Finish my novel.

2. Submit my novel.

3. Sell my novel.

Okay, I usually skip to the third item.

Well, actually that's being harsh. Last year I made it to the second step, so 2 out of 3 of those "what I'd like to happen" items at the end of the year two years ago did happen. Follow me? I'm not sure I do, but I think I'm saying it's been a dry spell. For a while now, it's been hard to keep my writing a priority in the face of other obligations. It's been hard to keep the faith that writing is what I do; my identity and not just something I tried.

But...I did get a lot done this year and completed three semesters of college courses; spring, summer and fall. Quite a full year. Yep, I managed to follow my course syllabus and complete the assigned tasks. I had to do those things, but this is better than it sounds. Even though I might be the one paying, it was my job. That's better than it sounds, too. That's the thing about a JOB. Even though you might wonder -- why am I here in this job I didn't dream about -- there is the validation of knowing others aren't going to question the sense of why you do what you do every day. It's your job.

Writing without a paycheck (for now) isn't quite the same, which is why it's vitally important to make what we do have equal weight with what others see as a traditional job. Because no matter how thick our skin is, it won't be thick enough if we don't give that to ourselves.

So, for now my job is going to school, and being a mom (another poor paying job), but writing should not be moved down on the list of valid occupations. But how? If only I had a syllabus for writing my novel...that document that I can sneak in with the rest...

Hey! Why not? Actually this "light bulb moment" came to me recently, but after further thought, I put it aside as one of my "ideas" that wasn't coming together as workable. There were a few mind block obstacles to get past that meant I quickly shot it down.

First, there's the structure of a syllabus. Dates. Ick. And knowing exactly what goes with the dates. Uhm, I don't know exactly what goes with what until I get to it. A linear structure? -- read chapter one, two, three, etc. of the required text. Nah.

The syllabus idea lost its fizzle but not its appeal for reaching an objective. Not knowing where to go with it, I put it aside and came up with my "Scene by Scene Milestones Charted the Gin Rummy Way." No dates and flexible!

Little did I know, or admit it at the time (funny how last week seems longer ago!), but this was laying the groundwork for my syllabus. I simply fooled myself into collecting the data for my "lesson plan." But I also realized I needed dates. Without the dates, I would be like any other student who found themselves at finals week scrambling to play catch-up.

So, I drafted my syllabus -- with dates. I went with the standard 16 week semester of my University. My spring semester starts January 10 and ends April 29. Wow, that doesn't seem very long, does it? Just think how much can and will be accomplished!

Next, I tackled the linear aspect of a syllabus. I thought hard about this and decided a compromise could be working ahead, BUT the assigned tasks did have to be completed on due dates.

And what are the assigned tasks? They are each of the scenes on my Scene by Scene Milestones chart, broken up according to my estimate of length to complete according to rating. In a way, this is my "required text." Thinking of it that way, the Milestones are a pre-requisite or almost part of another course. And because I'm jumping into this class at a revision stage, I came up with some "mock" course names -- just for the fun of it.

Writing 1020: Novel Plot & Scene Framework

Writing 2020: Novel Revision I

Writing 3020: Novel Revision II & Submission for Publication

This spring semester I'm taking Writing 2020. (I already took Writing 1020, of course! It took a couple of years, but that's because I didn't follow the syllabus. LOL)

Next, some other syllabus items (for Writing 2020) got added, included a Course Objective, Required Texts, Class Time and Location. A time to report to class is important and attendance will be taken. (As for location, this class is held in building HB110 -- otherwise known as Home Base, first floor!)

Here is my filled in Syllabus. Yes, it is rather a "do it yourself" kind of University, but worth every penney! Really.

I "imagine" the Due for Discussion" assignment due dates as a "lab working session," such as with a critique group. Of course, there isn't one, but if there were, you'd want to be prepared!

I did give myself a bit of a head start with the work done on the beginning scenes, but this is the advantage of getting the syllabus in advance. Now on to the rest!

Oh, and of course this is a Five Credit class. That's why due dates are on Sundays, but psst! -- if you're done you don't have to do anything.

So, although I have 18 credits coming up for "real" classes this spring semester (added American Lit before 1865) this one seems pretty darn real too.

Next summer I will take the class Writing 3020. :)

So how about you? Feel like taking a class?

Scene by Scene Milestones Charted the Gin Rummy Way

I had a different post planned for today on "wish lists" that was more in line with the season. I'd picked out the appropriate Santa Claus image and everything to decorate, but it seemed too, well...wishful. I guess I played out my enthusiasm for "wishful." Ah, well, the colors are Christmasy!

But while in the general "wishful" mood over the past few days, I thought a lot about productivity for my goal of organizing my WIP through to completion, and, when that plan didn't come together - - played online Gin Rummy.

Yep, typical avoidance. I am on "vacation" but still, I would like something to show for my stories. However, when it comes to constructing a "plan," I don't really know where to start. One way or another, productivity advice boils down to: 1) Write it Down, and 2) Do it.

Now how enthused can someone be about that? It's just...boring.

Then I had an idea. Since I seem to want to play games rather than actually organize a plan for working on my novel, maybe I should make it a game. After all, just like for characters, there's nothing like being a little eccentric to maintain interest.

Plus, something else occurred to me. The sorting tasks of Gin Rummy are basic organization skills! Yes, the very thing I try so hard to avoid. Next thing I knew (all right, several hours later), I had my novel broken down with my "Scene by Scene Milestones Charted the Gin Rummy Way." Now, is that a snappy title or what?

If you'd like to try it, below is an image of my file that I think you can enlarge by double-clicking on it and also some "instructions." It might not work as a plan for everyone, but I found it fit my goal and my stage of the novel, which is with nearly all of the plot points fleshed out but in various stages of "polish." So I see this more for revision of a nearly complete, that is plotted, manuscript.

Benefits:

• I got a much clearer picture of my WIP as a whole and found I couldn't resist adding to the scenes as I identified them. Yes, one of the purposes is to break out and identify EACH scene. The scenes are the milestones.


• The Rating System -- the Gin Rummy Way -- shows me where I'm at in passing the milestone.


• Naming the scenes gives me a unified theme for the conflict and goal of each section and helps with judging the pace.


• It can be, but doesn't have to be, a linear process. I can sort and reshuffle my "cards."

First, the quick basics of Gin Rummy as a refresher which will hopefully help understand the system.

Gin Rummy Rules (simplified): By drawing and discarding, you sort your cards in groups (like three Aces or a run of the same suit: A, 2, 3 [Ace counting as #1]) and try to be the one left holding the lowest points, or none at all. You can either "knock" with low points to catch your opponent or call "Gin!" if none. (Note: I think the cards in the image above is a bridge hand and not Gin Rummy, but the idea is there.)

The System

I. Sort your "cards" which are your scenes. Make a table (Excel works nice or with Word) with the headings: "Chapter #," Scene #," "Scene Name," "Stage 1 Milestone (A, 2, 3)" and "Stage 2 Milestone (G)" Optional headings, which I added, could be "Characters Involved" and "Location" or other category you'd like to track.

II. Enter the data for each scene under the header and rate its completion status.

Rating System for the "Milestone" headings. Objective: Get all the Stage 1 Milestones to "A" before moving on to Stage 2. In Stage 2, get all the Milestones to "G."

A (Ace or #1) = "You're ready to "knock." This could be enough to win, but it needs another look before calling Gin! in Stage 2.

2 = It's solid with the plot, but needs to be revisited to smooth out rough edges.

3 = The scene fits with the plot, but the writing is sketchy at best with holes to fill. (I have lots of 3's! That's okay...time to whittle them down in points.)

G = Gin! This is only for Stage 2, the polishing stage and checking the details and continuity. Once you go Gin! for all scenes, the novel is officially finished! (Time for query letters and a synopsis.)

One thing notably absent is dates. Personally, I left this out, but it could be added. I may add it for Stage 2. I think the main thing is getting to know where I'm at and what I need to work on next. I think it's good to have direction, but there are many different interpretations of the advice: 1) write it down, 2) do it!

Have you customized your plan? What would you add to this one? Any other ways to turn your plan into a game?

In a far off land I've never been to...

...is where I've set the first chapter of my WIP, River of Tears. And this setting is: New Zealand

I've written about this setting choice in another blog, but that was several revisions ago. Since then I've been concentrating on amping up the suspense for this important first chapter. (I'm sure I have several blogs on revisiting the first chapter!) And while I did that revision for the hook, I just had to put the logistics of describing the setting out of my mind, as much as possible. Yes, I know I'm not done yet with that first chapter.

The setting. Oh, it started out so easy. Picture the lush green landscapes of New Zealand. You've probably seen it in movies like the Lord of the Rings and King Kong, Bridge to Teribitha, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and many more. New Zealand was also the setting in the TV series Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. Remember those?

In a word, the setting of New Zealand is iconic.

The thing is, in many films set in New Zealand, we don't know this is where we are. In fact, we are most likely not in New Zealand, at all, but in a fantasy setting.

Perfect. This is what I want; a fantasy setting. I need a river and a waterfall and a large forest of mythic proportions for my hero and heroine to have an adventure. With only this in mind and the combined background settings from film playing like a memory, I figured New Zealand was the ideal setting. I wrote the scenes for this chapter long ago and made other assumptions along the way. It's hot. Without a bit of research, I had my hero and heroine in an open-top Jeep, decked out in khaki shorts and batting away insects while unnamed native birds scold them from the treetops.

Ah, ignorance is bliss. It's a little different when a fantasy setting is written as a real location. For one thing, the country has a diverse climate. And it's not all gnarly treed forests and waterfalls. As I've found, there are limits of regional geography that the fantasy world of film can pretty much ignore. Yes, I probably went about this backwards. Is there something wrong with thinking to make reality match my fiction? LOL

I know (sigh), now I have to make an attempt to match my assumptions to reality. But how much? I'm not writing a travelogue, but each bit of authenticity has the potential to get me into trouble. Do I identify birds and trees native to the region? Maybe, but would my city-girl heroine know this anyway? Or place names, like the river they'd been following until they went off the beaten track. I'd thrown in the Waikato River, but have since nixed that when I find out the Waikato region is mostly farmland.) Or, when Ben, the hero, says "if we leave now we can be back at the hotel before dark." Is it important to say where this hotel is? Auckland or Wellington? Uhm, where is that? Which leads to, of course, where are they? Could they be back by dark?

All this and its the only chapter in this location. Then I'm "home free" in the more familiar setting of Washington, DC. (I'll complain about the familiar another time.) This is when a writer either chucks the challenge of writing a far off setting or says nothing specific enough to get them in trouble. How fun is that for the reader? It's an interesting balancing act between detail and purpose for the scene. Much of the detail, in a single instance, doesn't matter, but I do see a need to touch on some reality. Besides what I also make up, that is. I do have a fantasy location of the rope bridge they find. Trust me, no one will ever find it. :)

Now to search for the nearly perfect regional location, the web will help me out. From the website New Zealand Waterfalls, I see a lot of prospects!

How do you tackle writing about locations in a far off lands you've never been to?

It's Not Perfect: Writing Mistakes Worth Repeating

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you do it again. --Franklin P. Jones

Hmm.

When you do it again. Wait a minute! I'm sure there's a more famous quote out there about not repeating past mistakes. Isn't the goal to learn from them and not do them again? Maybe not. Maybe some mistakes are worth repeating.

Often, a writer - - myself included - - works toward the day when certain mistakes are a thing of the past. We study and we strive for a writing process that saves time. We try to eliminate the mistakes that identify us as beginners.

But what happens when we keep we've learned, all the mistakes, foremost in mind? Is it possible to paralyze your writing? Does it become a goal toward perfection that inhibits your muse?

Maybe it's just my new excuse of the week, but I think there is something - some answer here - that at least partially explains what is putting the brakes on my own writing. One reason anyway. I don't like to think I'm a perfectionist, but I do feel like I have a lot of "don'ts" rattling around in my brain....

Don't repeat certain words or phrases. Don't use excessive dialog tags. Don't headhop. The list is personal and ever changing.

Of course, we do need to identify writing mistakes or have an awareness of them. I think many of them came to my awareness only a couple of years ago when I first became brave enough to submit my work to critique groups. That was an eye opener and invaluable lessons were learned on what to change to polish the finished product. Once your eyes are opened, you do have newfound knowledge.

Here's a list of possible don'ts that may have a few things that sound familiar. I caution that they may be more a list of things to avoid in excess rather than never attempt.

The Ten Mistakes.

The dilemma though is this. With experience, do you ban repeating mistakes you recognize? Or, my excuse or revelation (which I'm not sure!) do you realize some of your mistakes are part of your bag of tricks that enable you to put together a rough draft?

I think, with practice (yep, only achieved with actual writing!), the flow will become more instinctive, but like a pioneer on the wagon train having to decide what to keep and what to toss, not everything needs to be thrown out. I think there a middle road - - some mistakes tossed aside and others kept. For instance, one of my old mistakes, headhopping, I can't imagine going back to. I certainly wouldn't want to fix shifting POVs in revision. Believe me, it's a lot of work! Still, I wouldn't say I wouldn't consider it might be better in another character's POV, but as a whole section change, not the frequent switching I utilized in my early writing.

Other mistakes, however, aren't such a complex fix. It's not so difficult to fix dialog tags. It's not so difficult to find a different word to replace the same "go to" words. These, in a way, are "keeper" mistakes. Much like a placeholder note to look up research, maybe allowing myself certain mistakes are essential to maintaining the writer "trance." It's hard to remember though! I'll have to practice.

Have you identified your mistakes? Have you banned them from your writing or are some mistakes worth repeating?