12,000 words and counting

     I have heard other writers talking about how much they have written in their books. They say things like, "Oh, I wrote 10k words on my book this week," or "I wrote about 62k words on my book, and I probably have another 10k or 15k before it is done."
     These other writers have been blogging about their writing longer than I have, so I feel like a big girl now that I can say that Bella and Gerard has over 12k words.
     Unless someone makes me, I don't write to a word count. I just write my story, and I will worry about how many words it has after I am done. After all, who knows what changes may come during the editing process? There is no point in worrying about the number of words yet.
     A novel generally seems to run 50k to 80k words (sometimes a little more or less based on the genre and the age range of the readers). I can't predict how many more words there are in Bella and Gerard, but I am still introducing characters and plot strings into the story so I imagine I have quite a ways to go. This story may be a novel yet.
     For those of you who are monitoring the progress of Bella and Gerard, I just introduced Harry and John into the book. For those of you who have no idea who Harry and John are, please read my earlier posts on those characters. I talked about Harry in November, and I introduced John to my blog on October 26.
     And now I am off to write some more...

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More Snippets from Snow White Rose Red

One of the shadows moved. “Were you just going to chuck it in there with no thought for the poor folks on the other side?” Flip’s voice drawled out. It was a deep voice and it made my heart skip a beat. He moved away from the trees and came to stand in front of me. “Some hard-working fellow is plowing his field and then – whop! Out of nowhere, a poisoned apple flies out and hits him upside the head.” He clucked his tongue reproachfully.

A Short Story Break

via Pinterest It has been a while since I penned a short story. Usually it takes something like a "short story contest" to inspire me. But I have noticed my writing skills improve with each contest so there is something to be said for writing short stories. I say all this to lead into the fact that I am going to try another short story. There is no contest looming on the horizon, but it has been so long that I think I am due to write a short piece. Life cannot be entirely devoted to novel-length plots... I am rolling around different ideas in my head. There is no one to give me the first three words or a picture to base my story on. There are no restrictions, no props, and no judges. Methinks I will try something that is both epic and ordinary...something I have seen before. After all, personal experience, great things, and the expression of the ordinary are part of what makes a story.

The Countdown: Eight Days

Eight days. Do you know what that means? Barely over a week. Tomorrow will be one week from the announcement date. Are you excited? I am. So, today, I want to talk to those who wrote something for the contest, whether or not you entered it in the end. What made you start writing your story? What was the first inkling of an idea that tickled your brain? What was it that you liked about your premise? As you wrote, did you have a favorite character or a favorite scene? And are you glad you wrote it down? Do you feel like you learned and grew in your ability as a writer as you tried out things for this contest? And, if your story isn't included in this year's Rooglewood anthology (either because you didn't submit it or because it didn't fit with the other four stories selected), what will you do with it? Will you market it elsewhere? Or will you lock it away in a drawer?

The Pen of a Ready Writer

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