If I type one more word, I'll have accidentally written my first novel.

[TheRedChamber]

Writing 1,500 words a day is pretty ambitous. I've never come close to that. What should the next word be? (I assume you ended with a sentence, or did you just stop in the middle?) If it's a new sentence, then "The" or "He" or something like that might be inevitable.

It wasn't a hard limit. If I was in the zone and had time I'd write 4000 words. Other days, I missed my target or didn't write at all. I can write 1000 words in a hour or two assuming things are flowing, but I plan out what's actually happening mentally first otherwise I'd be a lot slower

I know I've mentioned this before, but about a year before I joined Lit I was doodling around on computer. (I was recovering from surgery.) As this thing grew, I started to think "Hey, I'm a novelist!" I was a bit premature, however. I eventually used parts of it later in short stories. The beginning premise was just awful and completely improbable. I later used a version of that as a fantasy by a male character.

So that was some of my issues with writing something that long.

One thing I've noticed about writing a novel is that you really have to deal with the whole 'Is this idea strong enough to actually support something this long's?' nagging at you from about a week into the process. That coupled with this NEEDS to be good so every part of it needs to be good or I've wasted my time, makes novel writing a lot more stressful?than tossing of a short story or ten.

 

[gunhilltrain]

It wasn't a hard limit. If I was in the zone and had time I'd write 4000 words. Other days, I missed my target or didn't write at all. I can write 1000 words in a hour or two assuming things are flowing, but I plan out what's actually happening mentally first otherwise I'd be a lot slower


One thing I've noticed about writing a novel is that you really have to deal with the whole 'Is this idea strong enough to actually support something this long's?' nagging at you from about a week into the process. That coupled with this NEEDS to be good so every part of it needs to be good or I've wasted my time, makes novel writing a lot more stressful?than tossing of a short story or ten.

Even a series is not quite like a novel, even though some of them are quite long. Yes, you do need a strong premise to get it started. And there are exceptions, but usually there more characters and settings to deal with. Updike pulled off quite a feat when he wrote four novels (and an epilogue) over the course of forty years about his Harry Angstrom character. Thus he had to show Harry's son Nelson at the age of three in 1959, thirteen in 1969, twenty-three in 1979, and so forth. And he has many other people for which he has to do the same thing.

Of course, some of them become so old that they pass away long before the end in 1999.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Even a series is not quite like a novel, even though some of them are quite long. Yes, you do need a strong premise to get it started. And there are exceptions, but usually there more characters and settings to deal with.

Yep, had beta readers wondering if I'm going to be providing fully satisfying arcs for at least five characters...I'm like 'I need to do that? Huh'

Of course, some of them become so old that they pass away long before the end in 1999.

This reminded me of one of my favourite Onion articles.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yep, had beta readers wondering if I'm going to be providing fully satisfying arcs for at least five characters...I'm like 'I need to do that? Huh'


This reminded me of one of my favourite Onion articles.

If I had just read that Onion article cold, without knowing its source, I probably would have believed it. The best part is Oprah Winfrey dropping it from her book club. They've got Janet Maslin in there too. Even the photo of the "author" looks plausible.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Reviving this old thread.

Up to now, my longest finished story is "Pranked" at 21,000 words. When I started the sequel, I figured it would also be novella length.

My draft is now at 39,291 words. I'm just about halfway through. (This is why I haven't published anything lately!)

Now, I always cut 15-20% in my first major editing pass, but still. This is going to be novel-length. It's also ... more of a wank story, to be honest. Way more sex, way less plot than "Pranked". (I think it has more characterization, though.) The plot is (I hope) a little subtler than its predecessor, mostly psychological rather than the literal car chase at the center of the first story.

Now I actually have to think about the whole "Publish in one piece or by chapters" debate that seems to be about a quarter of this forum ....

-Annie

 

[ElectricBlue]

Now I actually have to think about the whole "Publish in one piece or by chapters" debate that seems to be about a quarter of this forum ....

Think six months down the track. The release strategy is academic in the long run.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

First, for reference...

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is 47,094 words
• The Awakening: By Kate Chopin, 45,965 words
• Fahrenheit 451: By Ray Bradbury, 46,118 words
• Slaughterhouse-Five: By Kurt Vonnegut, 49,459 words
• Fight Club: By Chuck Palahniuk, 49,962 words

The average novel is around 85,000 words long, but can range from 50,000 to 120,000.

---

Now to my longest work. I have a traditionally romance novel that sorely needs editing. For some reason, writing transgender smut is too enticing to allow me to finish something so mundane. I mean the main characters don't even fuck until after they get married.

It's one of the first things I wrote when I started this about six years ago. The story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. It took me just under a month to write the 51.5K rough draft.

With everything I've learned over the past five years writing smut, I fully expect the finished novel to be well over 60K words, possibly as much as 80K by the time the final edit is complete. And yes, they will fuck sooner that their wedding night, but it probably won't be as graphic as some of my TG stuff.