Debra is facing a dilemma.
Believe it or not, this is the last week of summer vacation for me. I'm really trying to figure out where the time went. I mean, wasn't it just June for Pete's sake? I feel like I've had a fairly successful writing summer in that I made quite a bit of progress on my WIP and I've been trying to get myself out there more by making regular use of my Twitter account, visiting other blogs, and even put my Fourth of July book on sale for the month.
However, as everyone knows, the writing road is not always a straight one. It's often filled with roadblocks and detours. And I had plenty of those this summer, too.
I started really getting serious about my writing in the middle of June. Before that there had been a long, long, dry, dry spell. I'm talking like time measured in almost a year, not months. But I started grooving again and was really pleased with the progress I was making on my WIP. I wasn't necessarily aiming for a particular word count each day, just making sure that I sat down and wrote something. Most days, I was recording anywhere from 500 to 2,000 words. Not too shabby. I was pretty pleased and well on my way toward meeting my goal of finishing this story over the summer.
And then, BAM. Roadblock. In the middle of July I got sick. Bronchitis, laryngitis, and pink eye. Fever. Chills. Hacking cough. You name it. In the middle of summer!! It was awful. I was totally down for the count. I literally laid on the couch for ten days, not having the energy or motivation to do anything else except watch tv. (I had a mega "The Office" marathon. I think I watched three or four entire seasons.)
But eventually I started feeling better and got back into a normal routine...although believe it or not, I still have a lingering cough and a slightly scratchy voice...and was once again making progress. I'd lost a bit of momentum, but still felt I could meet my goal of finishing my 65,000 word story. From there I planned to print it out so I could do several rounds of edits, send it to a couple beta readers to gather their opinions and insights, and then send off a query to a new (for me) publisher.
Then, just when I thought I was on the right path again...FORK IN THE ROAD. I was aiming for a 65,000 word novel. I've been so used to writing novellas, that writing a full-length was a bit of a challenge for me this time around. It was going to be stretching it to reach that 65K, but I was confident I could do it. And then I looked at the submission guidelines for the publisher I was considering. Turns out they want novels 85,000 to 100,000. (Now, yes, granted, this is my fault for not checking sooner. Although I swear I did check once upon a time and it said 65,000. But maybe I was just thinking of my current publisher. Who knows?) To say I was discouraged was an understatement. I lost any and all motivation to write and let the mss sit once again. Eventually (about a week later) I got over myself and sat down to finish the darn story.
Anyway, now I'm faced with a dilemma, and I'm not sure which direction to go. My story is for all intents and purposed finished. There's a beginning, a middle, and a happily-ever-after ending. It's at 63,000. There are a few scenes I'd like to add to here and there, which will bring me to what I thought was the magic number of 65K. I can still follow those first two steps. Polish it up. Get a few beta opinions. And then submit it to my current publisher (that I really, really love...don't get me wrong.)
But I'd envisioned something a bit different for this one. Stepping out of my comfort zone and putting myself and my story out there. Just to see what happens. But to do that, I'm going to need to add at least 20,000 words to my story. That is A LOT of words. I mean, it's an entire novella. This wouldn't simply involve adding or extending scenes, this is adding a whole ton of content. Not just extending the story, but going back to various places in the middle and creating new scenes, chapters, and interactions.
I don't know if I have it in me. I know I won't have the time to write like I have been. Like I said, I'm back to school next week. I'd love to think that since I'm back in a writing routine, I'll at least be able to clock something each night. My writers' group is doing this great challenge, too, which is wonderful motivation. It's the 90 words for 90 days challenge. (#CN90wordsfor90days) Starting August 1 and going through October 31, the idea is to write at least 90 words everyday. There's a chance for a prize at the end for those who accomplish it. It's definitely helping me to stay motivated at the moment, let me tell you. I'm I'm still averaging about 1200 words per day at this point, so the 90 I can do standing on my head...most days.
But, like I said, I'm stuck trying to figure out which direction to take with this book now. If I go one way, it's super exciting to think I might be close to finishing it. If I go another way, it's super daunting to think about creating so much more plot. At this point I don't need to rush...even though summer is over, I can take my time in attempting those additional 20,000 words. But come December it will be a year since I've had a release. And who knows how long the process will take, if I even would get a contract from this new publisher, to get this book in print.
I'm stuck. I honestly don't know what to do. Any thoughts? Advise? Sarcastic comments? Smart aleck remarks? Any and all would be appreciated.
For now, I'm going to get out my lap top and clock those 90 words right now.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
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Showing posts with label word count. Show all posts
Showing posts with label word count. Show all posts
Monday, August 7, 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Back in the Saddle
Debra is FINALLY writing again.
It's been a long, long, crazy long dry spell. But I've been back at writing this week, and I'm thrilled. Don't get me wrong...it's not like I've pounded out an entire novel in the past few days, but for three days in a row I've written about 1000 words per day. This may not seem like a lot, but for me, it's huge. I haven't written anything this regularly in what seems like forever. In definitely over a year.
What's more, I'm motivated. I'm in the fun phase where I think about my story all the time, so that when I sit down at my computer, I'm able to put words on the page...not stare at the blinking curser, page up and down, reread certain parts, add a word or two here or there. I'm actually writing paragraphs, pages, entire scenes. And it feels great.
The story I'm working on is "The Cowboy and the Princess". I started it a while (a loooooooooong while ago) and it's kind of just been sitting there. I'm aiming to make this one a full-length, eligible for print novel. At the moment, its word count is about 25,000, so it's not quite one-third of the way there. But I know where I'm going with it, and I know kind of how I'm going to get there, and I'm sure the rest will happen along the way as it usually does.
It's been a long time since I've worked on a full-length. My last six releases have been novellas. Getting back into writing a full-length has been interesting. There's a lot more introspection that needs to happen. A lot more internal dialogue. Which is great for really digging deep into a character's psyche. Perhaps a bit more description. And some very fun secondary characters to help move things along. (Sometimes I think they're more fun to write than the main hero and heroine...)
My biggest 'problem' at the moment is I think I'm channeling too much of my favorite romantic-suspense author. I've been reading her obsessively. With her new release out, I felt the need to reread the entire series (8 books) up until that point, plus two other books of hers from a different series. I liked the new story so much that I'm in the processing of rereading it for the second time in the space of a week. Like I said, I'm a bit obsessed. So I find myself sometimes writing in her style instead of my own. Which is why I usually don't read romance while I'm trying to write one. I swear, as soon as I'm done with this reread, I'm picking up a YA fantasy featuring dragons. And while it sounds like an enjoyable read, it's a far cry from my writing wheelhouse, which is a good thing.
My goal is to finish this book this summer. If, and that's a big IF, I continue along my current trajectory and word accumulation each day, I should be able to do it. I'm sure there will be days I write less, but hopefully there will be days when I write more which will balance things out.
Another goal, okay, maybe more of a thought, I have is to possibly branch out and submit this story to a different publisher. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love, love, love writing for The Wild Rose Press, but I almost feel like I want to challenge myself to see what happens somewhere else. If I could push myself to go a little outside my comfort zone and put myself out there.
So, there you have it. I feel a little bit like my author-self has come into her own again...at least making an appearance that makes me feel like the author I am.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
It's been a long, long, crazy long dry spell. But I've been back at writing this week, and I'm thrilled. Don't get me wrong...it's not like I've pounded out an entire novel in the past few days, but for three days in a row I've written about 1000 words per day. This may not seem like a lot, but for me, it's huge. I haven't written anything this regularly in what seems like forever. In definitely over a year.
What's more, I'm motivated. I'm in the fun phase where I think about my story all the time, so that when I sit down at my computer, I'm able to put words on the page...not stare at the blinking curser, page up and down, reread certain parts, add a word or two here or there. I'm actually writing paragraphs, pages, entire scenes. And it feels great.
The story I'm working on is "The Cowboy and the Princess". I started it a while (a loooooooooong while ago) and it's kind of just been sitting there. I'm aiming to make this one a full-length, eligible for print novel. At the moment, its word count is about 25,000, so it's not quite one-third of the way there. But I know where I'm going with it, and I know kind of how I'm going to get there, and I'm sure the rest will happen along the way as it usually does.
It's been a long time since I've worked on a full-length. My last six releases have been novellas. Getting back into writing a full-length has been interesting. There's a lot more introspection that needs to happen. A lot more internal dialogue. Which is great for really digging deep into a character's psyche. Perhaps a bit more description. And some very fun secondary characters to help move things along. (Sometimes I think they're more fun to write than the main hero and heroine...)
My biggest 'problem' at the moment is I think I'm channeling too much of my favorite romantic-suspense author. I've been reading her obsessively. With her new release out, I felt the need to reread the entire series (8 books) up until that point, plus two other books of hers from a different series. I liked the new story so much that I'm in the processing of rereading it for the second time in the space of a week. Like I said, I'm a bit obsessed. So I find myself sometimes writing in her style instead of my own. Which is why I usually don't read romance while I'm trying to write one. I swear, as soon as I'm done with this reread, I'm picking up a YA fantasy featuring dragons. And while it sounds like an enjoyable read, it's a far cry from my writing wheelhouse, which is a good thing.
My goal is to finish this book this summer. If, and that's a big IF, I continue along my current trajectory and word accumulation each day, I should be able to do it. I'm sure there will be days I write less, but hopefully there will be days when I write more which will balance things out.
Another goal, okay, maybe more of a thought, I have is to possibly branch out and submit this story to a different publisher. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love, love, love writing for The Wild Rose Press, but I almost feel like I want to challenge myself to see what happens somewhere else. If I could push myself to go a little outside my comfort zone and put myself out there.
So, there you have it. I feel a little bit like my author-self has come into her own again...at least making an appearance that makes me feel like the author I am.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Z is for Zero
Debra talks about starting a project.
Is there anything scarier, more overwhelming, and downright nerve-wracking than staring at a blank computer screen at the start of a new story? Page count: zero. Word count: zero. I mean, there's just so much pressure to get started. That first blank, white page will need to be filled with words. Top to bottom. And then another one after that. And another. And so on...so there's only one place to start. We type 'Chapter One'...and now, magically, we're no longer at zero. Now our word count is two. The page isn't blank anymore. Soon (hopefully) we make it to the bottom of the page and our page count moves to one. Eventually those zeroes we started out with turn to bigger numbers and we are able to see the progress we're making. But starting out can be mighty intimidating. Because filling those pages isn't enough. Once they're filled, then we need to edit them, and polish them, and send them off and keep our fingers crossed our editor will offer us a contract. And pray we won't have a big fat zero in our sales column.
On the other hand, is there anything greater, more thrilling, and downright exciting than starting a new story? Page count: zero. Word count: zero. Just pages of endless possibility stretching before us. Sometimes we aim for that zero to turn into a specific word count or page count. Sometimes we simply track our progress as we go, and our story grows, and we tell it how it needs to be told, using as many (or as few) words as necessary until we reach the HEA. Our pages could go from zero to one hundred or zero to four hundred. Our words can go from zero to ten thousand or zero to one hundred thousand. Numbers with lots of zeroes at the end. And once we're finished we edit them, and polish them, and send them off and keep our fingers crossed that after our book is published we get lots of zeroes right after the number next to the dollar sign on our royalty checks.
Yep, at the beginning we always start at zero. And it's amazing to see how far we go from there.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Is there anything scarier, more overwhelming, and downright nerve-wracking than staring at a blank computer screen at the start of a new story? Page count: zero. Word count: zero. I mean, there's just so much pressure to get started. That first blank, white page will need to be filled with words. Top to bottom. And then another one after that. And another. And so on...so there's only one place to start. We type 'Chapter One'...and now, magically, we're no longer at zero. Now our word count is two. The page isn't blank anymore. Soon (hopefully) we make it to the bottom of the page and our page count moves to one. Eventually those zeroes we started out with turn to bigger numbers and we are able to see the progress we're making. But starting out can be mighty intimidating. Because filling those pages isn't enough. Once they're filled, then we need to edit them, and polish them, and send them off and keep our fingers crossed our editor will offer us a contract. And pray we won't have a big fat zero in our sales column.
On the other hand, is there anything greater, more thrilling, and downright exciting than starting a new story? Page count: zero. Word count: zero. Just pages of endless possibility stretching before us. Sometimes we aim for that zero to turn into a specific word count or page count. Sometimes we simply track our progress as we go, and our story grows, and we tell it how it needs to be told, using as many (or as few) words as necessary until we reach the HEA. Our pages could go from zero to one hundred or zero to four hundred. Our words can go from zero to ten thousand or zero to one hundred thousand. Numbers with lots of zeroes at the end. And once we're finished we edit them, and polish them, and send them off and keep our fingers crossed that after our book is published we get lots of zeroes right after the number next to the dollar sign on our royalty checks.
Yep, at the beginning we always start at zero. And it's amazing to see how far we go from there.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Thursday, January 8, 2015
A is for Attempt
Debra is attempting a new writing project.
As many of you know, I've been dithering back and forth a lot about what writing project to work on next. Ultimately, when it came down to it, although I had plenty of options, I wasn't doing much of anything. Not in the mood. Muse not musing. Lazy. Unmotivated. Call it what you want.
Monday was the first day back to school after Christmas vacation. A two week period of time where I did basically nothing. Let's just call it a well-needed mental health break. I read about a dozen books, but didn't do anything related to my own writing, even though there was a tiny niggle in the back of my brain telling me to work on a Christmas novella I have an idea for.
Sunday night, for whatever reason, I finally sat down and wrote. After my shower and while waiting for the hubby to finish his so we could watch some tv together, I opened a new doc on the computer, formatted it, and wrote 504 words. For those of you who are prolific, that might not seem like many, but for me, it was huge. Amazing. An incredible break through. I haven't written anything new since I submitted One Great Night to my editor in August. That's quite the dry spell.
Monday night, I used the same routine. Wrote 444 words.
Tuesday night I wrote 626 words.
Yep. They're starting to add up. In just three days I was up to 1,574 words. Again, those of you who pound out thousands of words of lovely prose each and every day are probably saying 'so what?'. But it's progress. And everything counts.
And then on Wednesday, things really got good. By the fortuitous quirk of Polar Vortex 2015, the temperatures plummeted and the wind chills dropped into the negative thirties or so, and we had no school. Not that I needed another day off. I'd just had two weeks worth, but when you get a bonus day at home, the usual routines and rules don't apply. I spent most of the day writing. I managed to work in a work out and a bundled up trip to get my nails done, but I pounded out those words. As of the writing of this (I'm drafting a day ahead.) I've written 1,776 words. Which puts my WIP up to 3,350 words and about 18 pages.
I've plans for this to be a short novella, so I'd have to estimate I'm about a quarter to a third of the way done, depending on where my characters take me. It's a spin off of my Corral Series, featuring a character I'd mentioned once in passing in This Can't Be Love: hero Zach's brother Van. I've wanted to do a few spin offs of the trilogy for a while now, and with the recent holiday season, had the idea for a Christmas story in my head. So, I decided to go ahead and combine the two. So far, it's working out well.
So why call this an attempt? For no other reason than the word attempt seemed less scary than the word goal. Don't ask me why.
The deadline at TWRP for Christmas stories is March 13 each year. So I'm going to attempt to finish the novella and submit it before then.
It won't be easy. Basketball season is in full swing at school. But I have a new routine and time set aside to write, and I'm keeping track of each day's progress. And I've really enjoyed seeing those numbers climb higher in the first part of this week. I know I won't get another bonus day like Wednesday. (Although who knows, Polar Vortex 2014 gave me four bonus days last year.) More importantly, I feel motivated and into the story.
I'll be sure to let you know how I progress in my attempt as I go.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
One Great Night coming January 14 from The Wild Rose Press.
As many of you know, I've been dithering back and forth a lot about what writing project to work on next. Ultimately, when it came down to it, although I had plenty of options, I wasn't doing much of anything. Not in the mood. Muse not musing. Lazy. Unmotivated. Call it what you want.
Monday was the first day back to school after Christmas vacation. A two week period of time where I did basically nothing. Let's just call it a well-needed mental health break. I read about a dozen books, but didn't do anything related to my own writing, even though there was a tiny niggle in the back of my brain telling me to work on a Christmas novella I have an idea for.
Sunday night, for whatever reason, I finally sat down and wrote. After my shower and while waiting for the hubby to finish his so we could watch some tv together, I opened a new doc on the computer, formatted it, and wrote 504 words. For those of you who are prolific, that might not seem like many, but for me, it was huge. Amazing. An incredible break through. I haven't written anything new since I submitted One Great Night to my editor in August. That's quite the dry spell.
Monday night, I used the same routine. Wrote 444 words.
Tuesday night I wrote 626 words.
Yep. They're starting to add up. In just three days I was up to 1,574 words. Again, those of you who pound out thousands of words of lovely prose each and every day are probably saying 'so what?'. But it's progress. And everything counts.
And then on Wednesday, things really got good. By the fortuitous quirk of Polar Vortex 2015, the temperatures plummeted and the wind chills dropped into the negative thirties or so, and we had no school. Not that I needed another day off. I'd just had two weeks worth, but when you get a bonus day at home, the usual routines and rules don't apply. I spent most of the day writing. I managed to work in a work out and a bundled up trip to get my nails done, but I pounded out those words. As of the writing of this (I'm drafting a day ahead.) I've written 1,776 words. Which puts my WIP up to 3,350 words and about 18 pages.
I've plans for this to be a short novella, so I'd have to estimate I'm about a quarter to a third of the way done, depending on where my characters take me. It's a spin off of my Corral Series, featuring a character I'd mentioned once in passing in This Can't Be Love: hero Zach's brother Van. I've wanted to do a few spin offs of the trilogy for a while now, and with the recent holiday season, had the idea for a Christmas story in my head. So, I decided to go ahead and combine the two. So far, it's working out well.
So why call this an attempt? For no other reason than the word attempt seemed less scary than the word goal. Don't ask me why.
The deadline at TWRP for Christmas stories is March 13 each year. So I'm going to attempt to finish the novella and submit it before then.
It won't be easy. Basketball season is in full swing at school. But I have a new routine and time set aside to write, and I'm keeping track of each day's progress. And I've really enjoyed seeing those numbers climb higher in the first part of this week. I know I won't get another bonus day like Wednesday. (Although who knows, Polar Vortex 2014 gave me four bonus days last year.) More importantly, I feel motivated and into the story.
I'll be sure to let you know how I progress in my attempt as I go.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
One Great Night coming January 14 from The Wild Rose Press.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Goals
‘They’ tell you that writers should set goals but I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually set specific goals for myself.
I’m aware that many writers decide on word-count or page-count goals - it might be 500 or it might be 5,000 words a day, or it might be a certain number of pages.
What, I wonder, happens when they don’t achieve their goal? Do they feel guilty or frustrated? Do they feel pressured to achieve that magic number of words or pages? Is their writing dictated by the goal rather than by what they’re actually writing? In other words, does the goal become more important than the story? And, maybe the most important point, are they concentrating more on quantity than on quality?
Writing 5,000 words a day means you could complete a 75,000 word novel in 15 days. Even 1,000 words a day would complete it in just over a couple of months. Nice idea! But I can’t work like that. Although I took part in NaNo and completed the ‘goal’ of 50,000 words in a month, I was very aware of how the quality of my writing deteriorated. That story will need a complete re-write.
My ‘goal’ is simply to write the best story I can. Okay, maybe that’s not a ‘measurable’ goal as such - except that I think I CAN measure it. I know when I’ve achieved what I want to achieve, whether it's an emotional experience, a build-up of suspense/tension, or simply a word picture of a scene. I know, too, when something doesn’t ring true and then I work at it until I’m satisfied with it. Sometimes I can write 1,000 words in a day; sometimes I’ll agonise over just 50 words. I once read: For a writer, ‘that’ll do’ is not an option. Maybe my goal is never to say ‘That’ll do.’
I’ll be interested to hear whether you set goals and, if so, what kind of goals?
I’m aware that many writers decide on word-count or page-count goals - it might be 500 or it might be 5,000 words a day, or it might be a certain number of pages.
What, I wonder, happens when they don’t achieve their goal? Do they feel guilty or frustrated? Do they feel pressured to achieve that magic number of words or pages? Is their writing dictated by the goal rather than by what they’re actually writing? In other words, does the goal become more important than the story? And, maybe the most important point, are they concentrating more on quantity than on quality?
Writing 5,000 words a day means you could complete a 75,000 word novel in 15 days. Even 1,000 words a day would complete it in just over a couple of months. Nice idea! But I can’t work like that. Although I took part in NaNo and completed the ‘goal’ of 50,000 words in a month, I was very aware of how the quality of my writing deteriorated. That story will need a complete re-write.
My ‘goal’ is simply to write the best story I can. Okay, maybe that’s not a ‘measurable’ goal as such - except that I think I CAN measure it. I know when I’ve achieved what I want to achieve, whether it's an emotional experience, a build-up of suspense/tension, or simply a word picture of a scene. I know, too, when something doesn’t ring true and then I work at it until I’m satisfied with it. Sometimes I can write 1,000 words in a day; sometimes I’ll agonise over just 50 words. I once read: For a writer, ‘that’ll do’ is not an option. Maybe my goal is never to say ‘That’ll do.’
I’ll be interested to hear whether you set goals and, if so, what kind of goals?
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