In today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* The Novel
* Topic: The Invaluable Daily Word Count Goal
* Of Interest
Quote of the Day
“Do you have a rough idea what the novels will be?” comment on Dean’s post from yesterday
“No clue. I’ll write what strikes me when I sit down on the first day. That’s as much planning as I ever do.” Dean Wesley Smith
The Novel
Welp, the story didn’t wrap yesterday, and here we are in a brand new month and a brand new quarter. This day has never happened before, so we can make it whatever we want it to be. Ditto the month and quarter. And October has a bonus day, so if you don’t start until tomorrow, no real foul. (grin)
Yesterday I mentioned that I couldn’t see the end of the novel but I could see the beginning of the end. After I posted that, I wrote right up to the beginning of the end.
I still can’t see the end, thankfully, but I know it’s within say two to five thousand words. So the novel should wrap today, but if it doesn’t it will definitely wrap tomorrow.
This is me being fluid, by the way. This is me not pushing or forcing a story to wrap for my own convenience. No critical mind allowed even at this stage. It’s the characters’ story, so it should be whatever length it is. Because otherwise, seriously, what’s the point?
Topic: The Invaluable Daily Word Count Goal
This morning, one of my mentoring students caused me to realize that in my post on challnges and goals yesterday, I didn’t mention my own daily word count goal. So I thought I’d rectify that.
From April 15, 2014 when I first started writing fiction seriously, my word count goal has been 3000 publishable words of fiction per day. But I often reach it, so it isn’t really making me stretch anymore. So I should probably increase it. I probably will do that once I finish the current novel.
I love this quote from my student’s email: “Finishing two novels seems mad compared to where I was only a week or so ago.” (grin)
He also asked whether I had any suggestions for setting daily and long-term goals:
1. Set your daily word count goal so it makes you reach or stretch a little. It shouldn’t be easy to reach, but it shouldn’t be impossible either. (That’s why I said I’ll be increasing mine soon.)
2. Your daily goal should be set in concrete. It will
a) drive you to the computer when you might not otherwise go, and
b) keep you coming back through the day until you’ve reached your goal.
3. Yes, set long-term goals too, something to keep you moving forward (never back) but let those be fluid. I want to write 5 novels in the last quarter of this year, so 18.4 days per novel. But if one runs longer than 18 days to write with no end in sight, should I set it aside until this challenge is over so I can write more novels that are shorter? Of course not.
So leave your long-term goals fluid.
And also understand that you can adjust your daily goal as necessary. If you meet your goal every day for a week or two or three, you should probably raise it by 500 or 1000 words. If you never reach it with a week or two of trying, you should probably lower it by 500 words.
When setting or attempting to reach a daily goal, I tend to think in 500 word increments. 500 words is about a half-hour for me, and I figure I can always write another 500 words. If I do that twice, it’s 1000 words, etc.
I generally break every hour or so, usually for only five or ten minutes, then return to write another session. But if I went for a break and it turned into something much longer—say a trip to the neighboring town or something—and if I had written less than my daily goal before I left, when I got back the daily goal would drive me back to the writing ‘puter. It really does work.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “A Day of Nothing” at https://deanwesleysmith.com/a-day-of-nothing/. These days happen. Don’t beat yourself up. Just climb back on Heinlein’s Rules the next day.
See “I’ve Heard Such Mixed Things” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/ive-heard-such-mixed-things/. I love it when writers accidentally write advice that is all about WITD without even realizing it. Some good stuff here.
See “Outlining/Plotting vs Discovery Writing/Pantsing” at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2022/09/30/outlining-plotting-discovery-writing-pantsing/. I don’t need to read this, but if you do, here it is. I’ve been in the old camp, and I’m now firmly in the new. And oh yes, I definitely left a comment. (grin)
See “Our galaxy is rippling…” at https://interestingengineering.com/science/our-galaxy-is-rippling.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 800 words
Writing of Carmen Morales (novel, tentative title)
Day 10… 3375 words. Total words to date…… 31839
Day 11… 3350 words. Total words to date…… 35189
Day 12… 3640 words. Total words to date…… 38829
Day 13… 3673 words. Total words to date…… 42502
Day 14… 3604 words. Total words to date…… 46106
Day 15… 4568 words. Total words to date…… 50674
Total fiction words for September……… 53951
Total fiction words for the year………… 124950
Total nonfiction words for October… 800
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 154020
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 274402
Calendar Year 2022 Novels to Date…………………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 0
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 67
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this Journal, I discuss various aspects of the writing craft. I advocate trusting the characters to tell the story that they, not the writer, are living. This is by far the easiest, most liberating, and most fun way to tell a story.