Angelina Kerner
Author
Does writing speed matter? Does the word amount count? #authorthoughts
Writing speed.
All of us know that it’s not about the word count or at least it shouldn’t stop us from continuing our WIP’s.
We strive to meet the 50k count, 60k, 100k but is it about getting to that number? Or we strive to have a certain amount of chapters and get stressed out as soon as we get to the last one. Did we write in everything we wanted? What if we needed one more chapter but our perfect idea of the amount of chapters didn’t let us add that one more number so we started to break up the chapters in new spots so we would have OUR number.
However, did you stop to think that the original endings for your chapters were perfect? That maybe the readers would want one more chapter and for you to not stick to your rules?
That’s not even the worst of our scary writing process.
Another question is – how many books can one author write per year? Does it matter? If one author writes writes one and another writes three while a third is not even close to finishing one… will some shun one of them or all of them?
All authors write at their own speeds and it’s not about the writing speed but the material.
Nanowrimo is all about the count but when one looks back at their novel after its finished, in December, one may find that the first draft is HORRIBLE. I’m not saying it happens to everyone. But really, when you look back, don’t be surprised if there are a lot of not needed words. A lot of those words will be edited out and replaced. The idea will stay and or even be changed as well in your second draft. Don’t freak out. Know that you did an amazing job with your work but accept that it’s a first draft.
That goes for all of the books you write, whether it be in a month, a year, or years. Don’t focus on the amount of words or how fast you write. Focus on the plot, the characters, and the love you have for your story. Readers don’t look at the count and chances are don’t even think about it. They don’t think about how long it took you to write your work in progress.
Readers want to care about your characters. Readers can feel the love you have for your characters. If they feel it, they will love your books.
Good luck!
What do you guys think?
Angelina Kerner 