I am 16 and writing a novel. I want it to be a good size, so at least 80,000 words. I go to school, get homework and go out all day on Saturdays.
Can you recomend a reasonable amount of words per day for me, a target for me to aim to. Thanks for your thoughts.
To reiterate, I am just wondering what would be a good goal to set. I work better if I have a goal.An I just wasting my time if I only write 300 words a day? Would I be better off aiming for 1000?
2007-09-19 07:21:29 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Just aim for whatever sounds reasonable with the time you have. If you write just 300 words a day, you can have 109,500 words in a year, or 80,000 in just 267 days. Also, if you ever get hung up on something, you can check out these free online tutorials. http://www.elfwood.com/farp/writing.html
2007-09-19 07:30:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only people I know of who plan the length of their novel in advance first do a book proposal for someone like Harliquin Romance, because they have a "standard" length and form for all of their books.
Most writers just write the book, and see how long it turns out to be.
When I began writing, I did two single spaced pages per day on a rough draft. Now, I do more, but I have a hard time scheduling a routine.
300 words a day doesn't sound like a lot, but you seem quite busy with other activities. As you get more practice, your speed will probably increase, but only if you set up a routine that allows your mind to prepare for the writing each day.
It will take about a year to finish 80,000 words at 300 per day.
And then the rewriting begins, which could take another year.
I hope you have patience.
What ever you do, you'll be sorry if you set a pace that produces lower quality. Take as much time as you need to do it right.
There's no rush.
Best wishes
2007-09-19 09:01:51 · answer #2 · answered by james p 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My advice is to aim for writing time, not writing length. Sure, professional writers like Stephen King might aim for 10 pages a day, but they also have deadlines.
Try to fit in writing time whenever you can and keep a notepad with you (for when ideas strike). If you truly want to be a writer, write as your brush your teeth, eat meals, etc. A few minutes here and there can add up.
As a side note, a novel should only be long/short enough to tell the story that you want to tell. Don't aim for 80,000 words if your story is only 60,000. The story dictates the length, not the other way around.
2007-09-19 09:00:44 · answer #3 · answered by Thought 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
300 a day isn't much, I can turn out around 3-4,000 in an hour, but it's most often around a thousand. It's not tough to do, if you are creative enough to just sit down and be able to write without pause for an hour you'll get a good chunk of story written.
Yeah, a thousand is a good number, you will most likely work on your book for around a year, as it's your first. My first I'm still on, a year and a half later, at 110,000 words. Although, I have at several times eliminated massive sections of it and rewrote them so I've probably written three or four books worth of rewrites. But, a novel while you are writing it is a static thing, it always changes. Which is why I suggest not trying to stick to an outline, and I'm rambling.
2007-09-19 09:20:24 · answer #4 · answered by Dan A 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Write at whatever pace works for you. 300 words is better than nothing.
Have you ever tried National Novel-Writing Month? That's a yearly exercise in which participants write 50,000-word novellas in a month; roughly 1,667 words per day. It's pretty grueling, but it might help you if your main goal is to get words on paper and worry about revision later. Often the first draft is the hardest part.
2007-09-19 08:00:57 · answer #5 · answered by Caitlin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2000 words a day is your goal. divide that with 80,000 and you'll get the amount of days of full work you need to finish it. but if you go to school and have homework, even 300 is good. congrats on your courage.
2007-09-19 08:17:23 · answer #6 · answered by sarah kay 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly don't aim for a certain size, than if you don't meet it you won't be dissapointed in yourself... Just write. When I write I do honestly set goals, but it's more like 1 chapter a day (when I write that is)..... Good luck!
-cayleejo
2007-09-19 08:26:01 · answer #7 · answered by Bello Stella 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Follow your muse. I sincerely doubt there can be a rule except one you set for yourself based on your gut feeling.
2007-09-19 07:30:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋