Writers (me included) tend to be a bit obsessive about word count.
Too much. Too little.
Daily, Hourly. Weekly. Yearly.
I have always thought that a good way to reach your long-term writing goals was to set word counts. And it is.
But it’s not the only way.
It’s actually harder for me to get back into my writing groove after a long break because of word count goals. Writing becomes a chore, and I dread the feeling I get when I won’t meet that goal. I can’t even get started writing.
That’s why sometimes it’s better to just forget about word count and simply write.
When it’s hard to pick up that pen and you end up staring at that blank page…Or put your fingers on the keyboard and stare at the blank screen….forget about word count and just write. Remember why you love writing in the first place.
For the stories that get your heart racing and make you feel better when you didn’t know something was wrong.
A lot of the time you will find that you will meet that word count and then some without even realizing it. And writing will be a joy again.
When you are at that place again, set those word count goals again. Adjust them if you need to. Or don’t set them at all if you find that you work better without them.
What works better for you? Word count goals or no word count goals? A little of each?
I think word count really matters when your querying. Agents want to see that you know your genre and how to whittle all the extras out. I was so careful to follow the word count rules (70,000-80,000 for the first in the series since you don’t want to take up too much shelf space when your finding your market). But now that I’m self-publishing, the only thing that matters is that I tell the story the best that I can. I’ve seen a lot of indie authors selling short story collections, novellas, novels, and series. Let your story tell you how long it should be.
PS-love the new look and I might have to ask you for some wordpress improvement questions
Thanks, Lauren! That means a lot! I love the changes you’ve done to your site, especially the buttons. I think we’ll need to give each other tips
You’re exactly right. Word count is very important when you want to traditionally publish. I think it’s easier to focus on that when you already have the first draft down.
Just to get it down, though, is a huge challenge (at least for me!). In that case, sometimes it’s good to forget “the rules” and just write.
Like you said, that’s not even an issue if you self-publish.
I try not to obsess too much about word count. I’m writing a story right now and for a short time I began obsessing about if I should make it longer, because it is quite a long short story (maybe enven what they’ll call a novella?), but I think what L.E. Waters said in her comment the focus should be on the story in itself, and as self-publishers one has the freedom to release any kind of lenght of book.
Exactly. Nicely said. I don’t think readers, especially, really care as long as it’s a good story. I’ve seen a lot of shorter and in-between length books take off. Such as Hugh Howey’s Wool series.