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@esther-c @janellebelovedpig @booksbyjayna @lightoverdarkness6 @freedomwriter76 @whalekeeper @lydibug @smiley @highscribeofaetherium @everyone!
So I am working on my WIP (Which isn’t very long because I am starting from the middle) And I am very motivated to do it! My question is, how long should it be? I want it to be a couple hundered pages but I feel like I am rushing things a bit to fast. Any tips on how to slow it down? Also, this might sound a bit dumb, but I am writing on google docs and when the book gets printed will each doc page equal one page on a book? No idea 😀 Thanks for your help!!
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@acancello So, the general length of a Novel is 60k to 80k words, and 200 to 400 pages long, whereas Novellas are about 17.5k to 40k, and about 100 to 120 pages.
It also varies based on genre, so you may also need to do some research for your specific genre. Always keep that in mind 😀
One way I’ve found out to make sure my books don’t rush is to make sure all of the characters and setting are WELL established before I really start rushing into the plot of the story, and also, don’t be afraid to do plenty of internal conflict/dialogue for your characters too if a scene warrants it!
A page in Google Docs will not equal one page in your novel, it will likely make more than 1, as Google Docs and Word are both set as basically the size of regular printer paper, which is not how tall or wide as a book will be.
Hope I answered a few questions for you 🙂
@freedomwriter76
That does help a bunch! Thank you!
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@acancello So glad I could help! You are so very welcome!!! <3
Freedom is right about page and word counts. I would say, however, don’t worry about rushing. There’s no such thing as writing too fast. Studies show that the faster you write and the more you do of it, the better your writing will be, both in the moment and later as you develop your skill. You can always edit it later, but getting it on the page is top priority. (Listen to me talk—I really need to take my own advice.) If, on the other hand, you feel that the story itself is moving too fast, do what Freedom said and slow down to plan a bit more and flesh out some subplots and character arcs if needed. Whatever you do, enjoy being so motivated!
Jayna Baas
Christian Author/Editor
www.booksbyjayna.comThanks so much for helping out! I will definitely try both of your and @freedomwriter76 tips! 🙂
If you’re using google docs one thing that may be helpful for you to keep track of book length is to enable word count and set it so that it is permanently shown on your screen.
Another thing you can do is change the page size (in page setup) so that it is either 5.5 x 8.5 or 6 x 9 (in inches) as these are the standard page sizes for most paperbacks
Ok, so I’ve struggled with pacing before, and I’ve discovered a few things to help me out.
First of all, don’t worry about pacing too much when you’re writing your first draft. It’s great if you can get some good pacing on your first draft, but if you don’t, don’t panic. Drafts are there for a reason. 😉 But there are things you can do to help the pacing:
1. Plot. I don’t know if you plot at all, but I’ve discovered that plotting a little bit, helps me. Then, I know what’s going to happen, and seeing the big picture, I can decide what things I want to spend more time on than other things.
2. Spread different scenes around. That not might make sense at first, but here’s what I mean… In my book, they do a lot of traveling, sometimes that can get pretty slow. So, I make sure that I have action scenes/more exciting scenes interspersed throughout the slower scenes. And in the slower scenes, I use that for conversations between characters or time for the characters to reflect. Sometimes, I also take what could be a slower scene and spice it up a bit by putting some humor in there to lighten the mood. Especially since for the majority of the book, my characters are running from the government and have been put at gunpoint multiple times. XD So try not to put a ton of more exciting scenes back to back. Make sure you still have some slower moments.
3. Quality over quantity. Before you focus on word count, (even though having a book at 80k sounds pretty awesome), make sure that you focus on quality. You don’t want a bunch of unnecessary scenes or chapters, just so you can rack up a word count. Make sure what you’re writing has a purpose. Unnecessary scenes are the worst. (And I may have some in my WIP right now, so I’m not innocent 😂)
And I think everyone else answered your question about Google Docs. 😉
I hope some of that is able to help you!! Good luck and keep on writing! ❤️
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Thank you guys! I’m so grateful to have all you helping me out! This will help a lot!
You’re so welcome!! Glad I could help! ❤️
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
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