Word Count versus Chapters

I was going to do a wonderful blog about the greatness that is National Novel Writing Month but that never happened. Then again, I was going to write 100,000 words in November and that didn't happen either. So, influenced by the word count goals that are common in this month, I am instead going to talk about the difference of having a word count goal or having a chapter goal when writing.

Word Count Goals

This goal is often daily, but can also be a weekly, monthly or even a yearly goal.

The point of this goal is to pick a target number of words that the writer wants to have written in the time frame chosen. The common word count goal is to write 1,000 words a day. During the month of November, those participating in nanowrimo have the goal of 50,000 words in that month and that equates to 1667 words per day.

I have often tried to get a certain number of words per month on projects, but I'm beginning to think I should try a different approach.

Chapter Goals

This goal is similar to word counts in timeframe, but the difference is the number of words written doesn't matter. The goal is to write a certain number of chapters in a given project/book.

I am going to try this starting in December.

First Real Con Experience

I attended the Sirens Conference in Vail Colorado, October 1st-4th. It was fantastic.

http://www.sirensconference.org/

The Keynote Authors were Tamora Pierce, Sherwood Smith and Kristin Cashore. All women writers of the fantasy genre that focus on strong female main characters. Cashore is a newer writer of the three, having her second book published this month. All of the authors gave talks. Tamora Pierce did her talk the first night, Smith the second day during lunch and Cashore the third day during lunch. All were fascinating. During one rountable discussion on the word "feminine", Tamora Pierce sat beside me.

There were other authors at the convention as well. Anne Osterlund was there, has published a few books, and she signed her book for me as well. I talked a bit with her during the convention. Also, I had many discussions with Valerie Estelle Frankel, who wrote a couple of Harry Potter parodies and is getting a nonfiction book published.

Overall. The whole experience was amazing. I would recommend going to small conventions if the opportunity arises. As a writer, there is always something you can take out of any conventions.

Finding Time to Write

Finding the time to write can be a difficult task for any writer. One of the most common complaints that I've heard when it comes to those who want to write is that they don't have the time to write a book. But the writer always finds at least a little time to write because "writers write".

Think that you are too busy to write?

Try 10 minutes. At some point in the day: morning, lunch break, right before going to bed, whatever works best for you. Take that moment and whatever tools used and write. Do that every day for a month and see how far you get.

If that works really well, maybe try for half an hour.

For me. I have too much time. I could be writing 3-5 hours a day, if I could be dedicated enough. But I get distracted with other things. (another topic for later). Writing often is something that I need to work on, like many of my fellow writers.

Goals for September

When it comes to writing, I like to create goals each year and each month. Sort of like deadlines, but if I don't make one then I just change it for a later date. It gives me a deadline to work with and a goal to work towards. What this gives me is focus, which is a part that I have struggles because I work on too many projects at once.

I was surprised when I discovered that I'm actually doing well with the ones I set up for myself in January. I had to redo the teen book goal a couple of times, but at last I'm going to succeed. Here is an example of goals that I give myself:

September

BP - 15,000 words

Horror SS - Rewrite Not So Funny

Sci-Fi SS - Write Clone One

Fantasy SS - Write Elves with Technology

Pre-writing on Mom's novel

10 freelance works

I will report progress on here.

Children - Inspiration

This might be surprising for some, but children are a great source of inspiration for me. Not my adult stories, of course, but my enjoyment in creating and telling stories. I started young, not with the writing, but with the making up stories. Even though we had enough toys, we had more fun making up games than using them correctly. Such as skateboards. We didn't know how to skateboard, not one bit, but we sure had fun playing with them. From that experience I came up with a quote and even had someone ask permission to use it, which was neat. The quote is:

"The greatest toy a child can have is an imagination."

And even now I think this is true. With all the toys children have, the electronics and computer stuff along with the other toys, an imagination makes things even better. I noticed this with my cousins.

We write books but they are more than a source of story telling for kids. They can make games with the books, much like they can make games with the box the toy came from. My little cousins were using the books as stepping blocks. The red book was blood and if they stepped on it they would die. The green one was hay (as they were horses and unicorns) and the book with Mickey Mouse and the Giant was where the monster lived.

It's amazing what kids can do with their imagination and I think what helps us writers is that we maintain some of that imagination. Some say it is gone with age, but for those that are "creative" it is still a part of our lives. Maybe some people can "stay gold" after all.

Write Every Day?

(Some ideas for posts will come from "The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists" by Andrew McAleer.)

This is a topic that I struggle with. I can understand the idea behind trying to write every day but sometimes it seems a little more than necessary. Even if we consider writing to be our jobs, most jobs aren't 7 days a week. Having one day off can have a positive affect on a person's writing. However, in McAleer's book, all the authors quoted say to write every single day.

S. J. Rozan

"Write every day. Every day. But not like you're on a diet, where as soon as you goof up, you figure yourself for a miserable failure and give up, and you do this three times a year, with new and useless resolve each time.

No, write every day the way an athlete practices a sport, or a musician an instrument. You're doing the same thing: not just producing pages in your manuscript, but even more important, keeping fit, keeping toned, keeping in practice. Do this for the rest of your life. Or at least, the rest of your writer life."

I do believe in having realistic writing goals, but for me: I am not sure if I'm at a place where I can write on novels every single day. Sometimes I do a poem one day, others work on a story. But there are times when I don't write. Then again, I'm just starting out in this business. Maybe in the near future I'll post saying everyone should write every day.

For now, I agree with Mur Lafferty. Do what works best for you.

Publisher Requirements

While the submission process is something that I don't have much experience in, I thought that this would be a good topic. After my last rejection, I found a new magazine to send the story out to only this one isn't an online submission. But what spurred this topic is that the publisher had more than a postal requirement. They wanted the stories to be printed on bond paper (50lb +). I went to an office supply store and even the people working there had never heard of bond paper. People I tell the requirement too have actually asked me why and for that I don't have an answer because the truth is we don't need to know why it is required, just have to find a way to follow the rules. I found linen cover stock (65lb) and printed out the story. It is in the mail now.

Make sure to check what the publisher requires in a submission. A few things to check for:

1. Word Count or Line Count requirements

2. Email submissions allowed or not

3. Do they want a cover letter with it or no

4. Are multiple submission accepted (more than one by the author to the same location)

5. Do they allow simultaneous submissions (meaning same story to different publishers)

6. Are they even accepting submissions at that time. (not all will be)

There are so many reasons a publisher can reject a story. By making sure to follow their requirements that at least gets your story into there hands and gives it a shot. Because if their rules aren't followed there is little chance the story/poems/etc will even be considered. It pays to pay attention.