Hi all, I've attempted to write a novel which unfortunately it appears I might not be ready to do. Each time I start it ends up finishing far too soon. I've heard word count is part of what defines a novel from a short story etc. Is this true? And if so does anyone know what the word dounts are for each? Also does anyone have any tips on how to properly go about my novels without them ending far too soon? Thank you in advance.
Kind regards Victoria
Hi Victoria, I would agree with all the posts here, and would add the book ''On Writing' by Stephen King to the list of recommended reading. Planning may be a good way for you to extend an existing story - break it down into parts - is there more you can say or a characters viewpoint we haven't already heard that may enrich the story further? But the best thing to do is definitely to just sit down and write :-) All the best.
I'm not sure of your word count for the stories you have already written, but I assume you feel they are too long to be a short story as well as too short for a novel.
Just one idea I had while reading your question...
...maybe you could combine some of your story ideas?
Perhaps you already have a cast of characters who currently reside in their own stories. What might happen if they met?
I agree with the planners - it's key, I think.
To begin with I found word count a difficult concept. How on earth do you work out how long your novel's going to be if you just sit down and write?
Mine are historicals, which after a bit of research I found varied between 80-120k words. So I aimed for 90k because it's a nice round figure! What I do is write a 1-30 list of chapters, reckoning on 3000 words each to hit my target. Some will end up longer, some shorter, but at this stage it doesn't matter. Then I write an idea for what's going to happen in that chapter, which is usually just a few words but must be different in content to those preceding it. Now I have a whole book...apart from filling in the words :)
This'll work for any length of novel, in any genre. Breaking a story down this way helps you see where you're going when the writing starts to get tough, which it always does. I usually break down chapters further into three sub-ideas (1000 words each) and each of these into three if it's possible, which means at this point I only have to write a page (approx 300 words) on each sub-sub idea.
Some people add even more detail, but I've never found the need - yet. I'm always in a rush to get going and patience a virtue I keep for other things.
Best of luck :)