It’s amazing how many people want to write a book. People who never read or spend any amount of time with words (other than speaking them) are suddenly telling me about their secret wish to write. This didn’t just start. No, it began when I finally chose my major (English) a few years ago. Suddenly people began to tell me that their lives were worthy of immortalization. No offense to all of these people, but I could care less. I don’t want to read about your boring life. I don’t want to read about your complaints, doctor visits and kids.
I want to read about excitement, different places, passion, and many other things. That said, I’m trying to write a romance novel and it’s not as easy as I thought it would be. When I found out that a novel consists of 100,000 words, I stumbled. How am I going to write 100,000 words? As of this moment my story consists of 2,510 words or 9 pages. My story is just beginning, but the number 100,000 is daunting. I know that you make up pages with tons of descriptions-the whole showing not telling thing-but lets be real; how many people really read every word in a novel?
I read every word in a novel. Granted, I’ve been trained to do so through extensive English education, but I know there must be others like me.
I know how daunting it can be to think of the word count. Do you have an estimate for each chapter? Working on my dissertation, I’ve found it easier to focus on one chapter at a time and the amount I need there. Maybe that won’t help, but it’s a place to start if you’re feeling very overwhelmed.
I think this is an excellent topic for a blog, because most writers feel very isolated. Good luck!
By: sladow on September 5, 2006
at 6:05 pm
Why are comments disabled on the next post? Are you afraid of receiving more criticism like the kind you mentioned, or …? Just curious.
By: PatternRec on September 5, 2006
at 8:36 pm
I’ve accidently turned the comments off on the next post. As soon as I figure out how to turn them back on I’ll be happy to accept comments.
By: scooper on September 5, 2006
at 8:45 pm
Hi scooper, – I’m a non-fiction writer who, nevertheless, is faced with word count expectations often. That doesn’t get to me – but of course, other things do! Focus only on telling the story. Forget about the numbers – once you get started you’ll have more than enough, and will be wondering how to decide what to cut!
By: blogondogs on September 19, 2006
at 12:29 am