Basically I'm pretty much an amateur at writing seriously. I've been trying to find out what makes a good novel- technique and style and all the rest- but something I came across made me really stop. It was on a different website (writersworkshop.co.uk) and it was about how long a novel should be. The author of the article, who was herself a published fantasy author, suggested at least 90,000 to 20,000 words. In a different article, another published author spoke about the "one-third slump"- getting to 30,000 words and losing inspiration.
Actually, I've got a number of questions, and they are (sorry):
1- How many words do you think should be in a single chapter, approximately;
2- How many chapters do you think there should be in a novel, minimum;
3- How many words in a novel, also minimum;
4- How do you not run out of creativity/inspiration/ideas/energy/sanity?
Thanks :)
Agree with all above - and also to say, you don't need chapters (Terry Pratchett, etc). Length IS important since you have to write with a target in mind, but it shouldn't be an overriding factor. Write until the story is finished.
The need to be enough words to tell the story and not too many for the genre and era of writing.
In all genres styles of writing have changed over the years. Broadly speaking "English for the English" has become much less pedantic, much less formalised - and with that much less wordy. The pace of stories has generally increased as well...
This means that the study of what was successful is of somewhat dubious value. The issue for the writer is "what will be successful"?"
No-one can really project what music, poetry of plays will "take off" and be a great success. There are a few people with a good track-record... But we only really hear about the projects they start that succeed... How many do they reject or start but not develop?
What has this got to do with word counts?
Basically - nothing... But - word counts do not have anything to do with success...
What matters in a writing project is that the concept works, is well executed, well presented... and - the essential thing - that a good story is well told.
Any amount of retrospective analysis will make no difference to this basic fact.
There is probably even less point in trying to accommodate an analysed pattern than in trying to write a story "like" Harry Potter or "like" Bravo Two Zero... The thing is - that those stories have been written.
Okay - a writer can try to jump on a band-wagon... they are fairly likely to fall back off - if not immediately - quite soon..
As with the VW adverts - who wants to read a story that is "like". If the real thing is available - anything else is just (a more-or-less good) imitation.
The thing to do is to sit down and write - and not bother about all the analysis...
What is a writer trying to do? Create an analytically correct document or tell a story (well). Correct according to whose definition?
It is better to spend time practicing (writing anything) and improving grammar - that is "improving" grammar - NOT making it perfect. (Although - generally - the better the grammar is the more easy it is to read the story - and that is significant).
:-)
1) I think anywhere from 2000 words to 8000 words is fine.
2)This depends on how much you write and the story, but Its probably be 20 chapters.
3)It depends, but mostly I think its from about 30,000 words to 70,000 words.
4)If you want to, not run out of creativity, then take some breaks and get some air, and do what ever you want, anything, the purpose is for the job to make you completely forget about the book and clear your head. After this calmly think and imagine your whole plot and run through it all( its what I do), then you can singularly work on each scenes(you can create when while writing),because you have a basic plot.
Hope this was Helpful