My Knickers Aren’t in a Twist Over Word Count – Are Yours?

by Lindsey Loucks, posted in A Boy and Her Scratch, First Drafts, Life, Real life, Sequels, The Grave Winner, What Gifts She Carried, Word Count, Writing
From openclipart.org

 

So NaNoWriMo is over, and while I didn’t participate, I did try to write a little every day on A Boy and Her Scratch. I didn’t succeed, and I didn’t even come close to 50,000 words. But I’m okay with that.

 

The story and characters have solidified in the 10,338 words I’ve written on it, which is always a plus. I keep fighting the urge to go back and “fix” things because the first draft is supposed to look like word vomit, and it does, so yay! I’ve decided to keep writing this story until December 31st, and then at midnight, instead of turning into a pumpkin, I’ll start writing like a mad woman on What Gifts She Carried.

 

From January onward, I won’t be staying the night at work (something I did do in November), I won’t have as many loooong work days, and I won’t be going out of town. It gets too cold in Kansas to do anything but stay home in my pajamas and write anyway!

 

My point to all this rambling is that I’m trying this new thing where I don’t stress about writing. I let it happen, word by word. It’s slow going, but I’ll get there.

 

Does word count stress you out? Does getting the book finished twist your knickers?

7 thoughts on “My Knickers Aren’t in a Twist Over Word Count – Are Yours?”

  2. There would be those that say a productive writer writes everyday regardless if they feel up to it or not. If writing was your job, I’d agree. Those of us with careers and families, I’d say don’t stress over not being as productive one day as you were another.

    Although somedays I may not sit at the computer and move my story along, or edit a previous draft, while doing the other things required of me, in my subconscious I thinking about plot, characterisation and wording of previous paragraphs. This helps to make me productive when I do sit at the computer.

    Keep doing what you’re doing.

  3. Funny you wrote this. I HAVE stopped stressing over word count both per day and how many are in my novels. Both Gemini and Shadow are long, but people don’t read ‘long’ books anymore. They like short ones that are easier to download.

    So, I’ve decided to make them happy and keep my word count between 50-60k words.

  4. Melissa – thank you!
    You’re right, Dana. My story is constantly running through my head, which is part of the reason I must write it down. Thinking about it counts for something!
    Louann – 50 – 60K is a great range. I sometimes shy away from longer books. And good for you for making your readers happy!

  5. Yeah, it gets me sometimes, especially around NaNo. I just don’t write that fast as much as I try:)

  6. I try not to stress too much about word count, but I know I do it sometimes anyway. What really helped me was taking a class where I had to complete a finished book draft in 2 weeks. It was crazy, but it really helped me break through the “barrier” of internal editing. Once I did it, it felt much more possible the next time. 🙂

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