Posted on 12/23/2024 8:51:04 AM PST by Lazamataz
Merry Christmas, all!
I'm finding that the act of writing a novel is very hard work. My writing style tends to be very concise. I can pack a lot of thoughts and ideas into a small number of sentences.
This does not work well with my current project. Various sources tell me that 90,000 to 100,000 words is the typical count for a given novel. I'm only at 15,900 words. I have quite a few chapters to go, but it's a struggle to flesh out this work to the right size.
I have a first draft manuscript, and if anyone wants to request a copy of that, I can provide it by email. Perhaps one or more of you have ideas on how I can improve this work.
Sounds interesting. I’ll have to think about it. I have a degree in BS so there’s that.
Needs more hitting it
It’s not autobiographical, is it?
Interesting. Will ponder.
Nothing generates word count quite so much as extensive adjectives on everything.
He got into the RAV4. It was blue, shiny, and the left rear tire looked slightly low. A bird had crapped on the hood and the sun’s reflection angle drew reluctant attention to it.
Nope. It's a science fiction novel, about First Contact as well as many other things.
Like this?
He gingerly settled into the immaculate, cobalt-hued RAV4, its resplendent, almost mirror-like finish gleaming proudly in the bright, unrelenting midday sun. The plush driver’s seat, clad in impeccably stitched upholstery, offered a welcoming cushion that practically enveloped him in its soft, luxurious embrace. As he glanced outside, the left rear tire, sporting a subtly sagging sidewall, presented a faintly pathetic droop, hinting it might benefit from a much-needed dose of pressurized air. Its alloy rim, however, maintained a dazzling shine, a testament to his painstaking regular maintenance.
With a tinge of resigned annoyance, his gaze drifted across the sleek hood, where an ostentatious splotch of stark, white bird droppings boldly disrupted the otherwise pristine surface. The shimmering rays of sunshine, angled so precisely as to maximize brilliance, seemed to conspire against him, highlighting the unsightly blotch in a glaring, theatrical spotlight. For a moment, he fought the urge to mutter a string of exasperated curses at the inconsiderate avian that had chosen his elegant vehicle as a target. Instead, he let out a long, weary sigh, acknowledging the inevitable trip to the nearest car wash that awaited him. The RAV4’s chrome accents and expertly contoured lines deserved to be restored to their unblemished glory, untainted by an ill-timed, airborne assault.
Did you go with “It was a Stark and nightie dorm” as an opening?
Here’s a suggestion, include lots of illustrations.
You can always look to Herman Melville for inspiration.
OK. I might could read it then.
Adjectives can be our friends, especially when trying to up the word count. There are specific e-books that tell hour to detail hair for example. Emotions, skin, etc.
Writing as though it were a film is helpful too.
My first book, of which no one has read, features my two-headed turtle. I wrote it in like five minutes minutes. I had the outline and just needed to flesh it out. The second book took longer and the third book in the trilogy is ten years and counting....
good luck
Nod. Lotsa words.
It’s not the word COUNT that matters - it’s the word USE
If you can tell your story in 70,000 words, then you’ve told your story
My girlfriend finished a sci-fi novel last year and it’s with her editor/publisher now (so I have no idea what the published word count will be...) - I helped her with spacecraft mechanics and Mars geography details, but I wouldn’t be much help with the ‘storytelling’ I don’t think...
I read a lot and I’ve often wondered why we care if the drapes in the living room are green or they don’t match the upholstered furniture. Now I know....I’ll be sure to remember that the next time I question WHY!!!!!
He got into the slightly modified RAV4. It was a faded sky blue, shiny in some areas, and the left rear second-hand tire looked slightly low. A bird had crapped on the dented hood and the afternoon sun’s reflection angle drew reluctant attention to it.
BTW, you should be able to input that text to GPT and ask for equivalent using X words.
That is not a slam by the way.
Most of us have a hard time cutting our work down. That is why we have editors and alpha readers who tell us to "just get to the point".
They (who ever They are) that everyone has a book inside them. Maybe yours is a series of short stories. And that is good too. Lots of writers start with short stories.
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