From the get-go I've figured I'd be done with my novel when I was simply done telling the story. (Sounds obvious, I know.) But I didn't have any idea how long a manuscript that would make. So I recently broke down and did a rough outline for the remainder of the WIP (that's work in progress, for any visitors not familiar with writerly jargon), coming up with twenty-some-odd chapters. Decent, but not a substantial thing to base your work by, since there are no standards for number of chapters and the lengths of those chapters. Seems like most novelists instead shoot toward a particular word count. Tonight I've decided to set a total word count goal for myself. I came to this number by using the rule I've heard is common among publishers: they figure 250 words per typed page and multiply that by your total number of pages. So if I shoot for 250 words on 250 pages (only 100 to go!), that gives me 62,500 words. That fits about right (and I'm thinking it's do-able!), according to these guidelines for word count someone on AW gave me:
Epic: 200,ooo+
Novel: 60k +
Novella: 17,500-60k
Novelette: 7500-17,500
Short Story: 2000-7500
Flash Fiction: <2000
It feels good. Laying this tangible goal out in front of me makes it easier to plow ahead. And here I go...
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Routine Is Key
I'm a mom. I'm a writer. Sometimes I have trouble juggling the two. I've known I'm not the only one, but it helps to see in writing that another knows exactly what I go through.
Michelle Tune from over at Writing the Cyber Highway directed me to a great article; I've just finished reading The Mother-Writer: Two Full-Time Jobs by Rebecca Laffar-Smith. In it she gives advice on how to stay sane, keep your priorities in check, and be productive at the same time.
Developing a routine is the first thing Rebecca mentions, and oh, how important it is. Not only is routine necessary to get things done for ourselves, our kids need it to thrive. And if we give our kids the structure they crave, everything else will fall into place. I've found that if I give my daughters the time and attention they want/need (which doesn't mean I have to forsake my own needs all the time - there's a happy medium), they'll be that much more likely to entertain themselves during the time I use to get my own things done.
The routine is pretty well set in my home. Meals, preschool, naps, bath; those basics all fall around the same time each day. Chores filter in accordingly, as well as quality time with my girls. Typically I get the most writing done during favorite morning cartoons, while the oldest is at preschool and the youngest is napping, and in the evenings after their bedtime. I've done some tweaking and fine-tuning the last several weeks, and I think everything works more smoothly for the lot of us.
Whether you're a mom (or dad) or not, what routine do you have?
Michelle Tune from over at Writing the Cyber Highway directed me to a great article; I've just finished reading The Mother-Writer: Two Full-Time Jobs by Rebecca Laffar-Smith. In it she gives advice on how to stay sane, keep your priorities in check, and be productive at the same time.
Developing a routine is the first thing Rebecca mentions, and oh, how important it is. Not only is routine necessary to get things done for ourselves, our kids need it to thrive. And if we give our kids the structure they crave, everything else will fall into place. I've found that if I give my daughters the time and attention they want/need (which doesn't mean I have to forsake my own needs all the time - there's a happy medium), they'll be that much more likely to entertain themselves during the time I use to get my own things done.
The routine is pretty well set in my home. Meals, preschool, naps, bath; those basics all fall around the same time each day. Chores filter in accordingly, as well as quality time with my girls. Typically I get the most writing done during favorite morning cartoons, while the oldest is at preschool and the youngest is napping, and in the evenings after their bedtime. I've done some tweaking and fine-tuning the last several weeks, and I think everything works more smoothly for the lot of us.
Whether you're a mom (or dad) or not, what routine do you have?
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The Start Of A New Year, A Day Like Any Other
My day was filled with typical things: fixing meals for and playing with my girls, chores around the house, and a fabulous massage from Wentworth Miller. Well... the last may have been a mere figment of my imagination. (Ahh, Wentworth...) But as this new year began I was bustling around, doing my usual routine. Kind of a boring way to ring in 2008. 'Tis okay with me, though. Having accomplished a lot today makes me feel good about the year ahead.
And yet, there's still so much more to do on this, the first day of 2008. I've four (okay, five) loads of laundry to fold. I want to finish a little work on the WIP tonight. A hot bath beckons to me, as well as a book, a couple magazines, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice I never got to last night. And isn't there bound to be a rerun of CSI or Law & Order: SVU on tonight? Hmm, what to do? (Hubby's gone on a ski trip, the girls are in bed early, and I just can't choose what to do with the time to myself!)
And yet, there's still so much more to do on this, the first day of 2008. I've four (okay, five) loads of laundry to fold. I want to finish a little work on the WIP tonight. A hot bath beckons to me, as well as a book, a couple magazines, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice I never got to last night. And isn't there bound to be a rerun of CSI or Law & Order: SVU on tonight? Hmm, what to do? (Hubby's gone on a ski trip, the girls are in bed early, and I just can't choose what to do with the time to myself!)
High on my list of goals for '08 is keeping my priorities straight. I've posted before about finding balance in life, with my writing, my family/our home, and my own needs. I feel like I've gotten a good handle on it, and I hope I can keep it up. My days go so much better when I put equal amounts of time into each of these things; I feel so hopeless and lazy if I don't do a lick of housework or writing, but if I can somehow squeeze both in I feel like the Queen of the World. (Or at least Queen of the Lake.) And I'm bound to be more patient and have more energy for the things my family and household require if I've sneaked (come on, you know that's proper usage of the word) a few minutes to myself. (I'm only locking myself in the Peace and Quiet closet for half an hour a day, really...) Balance - when found - is the best thing for a mom. Or woman. Or moman.
Of course, I want to freelance at a higher level than I have before. And I'll be dadgum if I don't finish my WIP through the course of the year (hopefully sooner rather than later). I plan to seek representation, too.
Should be a fantastic year! I can't wait to see what it brings. May you all be successful and prosperous.
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