So. My WIP is evil. You see, I have a final word count for the manuscript in mind. A nice lil' goal I want to meet. Knowing myself, the first draft will be much longer than my intended goal.
When I sit down to write, I try not to dwell on word count. It's not about how much I write. It's about what I write--content. Otherwise, I'd just put whatever sparked my fancy on the page in order to get to X amount of words, you know? So, like the word count rebel that I am, I haven't cared that much about it. Until now. You see, there's this chapter that WILL NOT END.
Well, I sort of... finished it this morning, but... you get the point...
Anyway, Chapter From Hell is long. Very, very long. And it hits the 30k mark of my first draft. Which is supposed to be the halfway mark of the manuscript. Problem? Chapter From Hell isn't the halfway mark. Not even close. That makes my first draft much longer than my intended goal.
In a way, keeping that goal now is sort of useless, right? I'll just surpass it, then meet it again during revisions. Which leads me to the following tips:
1) For the first draft, focus on content.
I get it all out, even if it's messy and makes zero sense. Blocking scenes, playing with dialogue, raising the stakes and putting my MC face-to-face with more conflict--you name it. I tend to write chronologically, so I go from Point A to Point Z without losing myself or the story. Yes, content is a top priority in every stage of the writing process, but during that first draft, I think it should be the only one.
2) For revisions, focus on everything else.
Here's where I pull out my axe and start cutting, cutting, cutting. Or improving, which means keeping something, but making it sparkle to the best of my ability (with help from others, of course). Word count should matter during this stage to me, mainly because here's where I decide if Chapter From Hell is as relevant as I thought it was when I wrote it. But I can only see that in hindsight--after the deed is done. Word count for the sake of word count will only give me the worst headache of the century during revisions. And it'll probably happen to you, too.
There you have it, folks. For me, content wins every time.
Now tell me: what do you think about this epic battle between word count and content? Who takes the lead during your first draft?
I had a very specific word goal for my WIP and then I just said screw it and instead of focusing on word goals I focus on content goals. (Great advice from Claudia Gray). It doesn't matter how many words I get done in a day as long as I get through the scene. It makes life easier and you aren't dwelling on word count as much.
ReplyDeleteMy word count was too high - easily over 200,000. Now I am editing, cutting, and even slashing chapters, sentences and characters. IF I had to do it over...I would do it differently. But it really depends on how you get the words onto paper.
ReplyDeleteMy last draft I had content and word goals, and they ended up being pegged together almost perfectly. Now I need to cut a bit -- I can see where I padded a bit (consciously or not) to meet daily goals.
ReplyDeleteIt's SO much less painful to cut once you get to the end. Until then, it seems like you'll never get there.
I never establish word count goals for the first draft. Most of the time they get torn apart and rewritten, so I don't see the benefit of a word count in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI struggle to get the words out. My first books were long and I didn't really notice that they were long b/c I had no idea what my word count was supposed to be. But now that I'm a constipated writer (hee hee, well, you asked), it's work to get to the end of a manuscript. I'm constantly second-guessing myself, probably because of that focus on content above all. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteBut it's nice because when I get to the end, I've usually already cut most of what needs cutting and I have room to beef up my bare-bones dialogue, which is what I usually end up with. Great points about worrying about cutting/padding words later. First draft is all about the story.
I never worry about word count until The End. Then I worry!! LOL!!! Content always for me! Take care
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Only once have I worried about word count as I wrote a first draft. I wrote the sequel to A Bitch Named Karma this past summer and I wanted it to be about the same length. But I didn't let that hinder me...I just wrote and in the end, it came out a little under. Which was fine. I always add words when I revise. That's when I rework and "show" instead of tell and I always bump my word count.
ReplyDeleteFirst draft anything goes. It's funny going from editing madly to that first draft stage again, where you have to let all your cares go...
ReplyDeleteI never usually think about the word count, except for when I did NaNo. :) I like to have an idea of how many chapters I may have, and then I worry about the logistics later.
ReplyDeleteI heard setting a word count goal for the first draft is silly, BUT I think it's a good way to have a place to look toward. For me it's been a great way to know when I need to start condensing, when I'm starting to just write for my fancy and not for a purpose. Just think of it as a goal and not a restraint :)
ReplyDeleteMy word count goal is always "somewhere between 60-100k words". I never really get more specific than that. You write what's necessary and cut what's necessary, and the story, the "content" as you say, should always come first.
ReplyDeleteAre you a pantser? I'm a outliner and I have a pretty good idea of the number of chapters to expect, and therefore the word count as well. My first draft usually comes within 5000 words of my target. :)
ReplyDeleteDef just focus on getting your story out. You can always worry about chap length and word count later. Most of my chaps are 6-7 pages and I wrote one yesterday that was like 20. Ooops. I'll deal with it later. Good luck and congrats on the 30k!
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