Previous - How to Plan Your Project
Once you have a writing project planned out and you're ready to start writing, it's a good idea to run a few calculations ahead of time, so that you're aware of how much you're committing to. These numbers include word goals, time spent writing, page count goals, and scheduling.
Word Goals
Many writers work toward word count goals. This allows you to estimate how long your project will be in the end, and gauge where you should be in your story. If you want "Act 2" to take up about 2/3rds of your book, then estimate it based on your total word goal.
In a NaNoWriMo competition, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel, which is about the size of a purse-sized romance novel, in a month. This means that you would write at least 1667 words each day.
This article from Fiction Factor on word count can give you an idea of how long different word counts will turn out-- Also, look around the rest of the site, as Fiction Factor is a great resource for writers. Here is a short summary of the article:
In a NaNoWriMo competition, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel, which is about the size of a purse-sized romance novel, in a month. This means that you would write at least 1667 words each day.
This article from Fiction Factor on word count can give you an idea of how long different word counts will turn out-- Also, look around the rest of the site, as Fiction Factor is a great resource for writers. Here is a short summary of the article:
- Micro-Fiction = 0-100 Words
- Flash-Fiction = 100-1,000 Words
- Short Story = 1,000-7,500 Words
- Novellette = 7,500-20,000 Words
- Novella = 20,000-50,000 Words
- Novel = 50,000-110,000 Words
- Epics/Sequels = 110,000-∞ Words
Word counts are great to help you get an idea of how large your book or piece of writing will be, but they can also be stressful. Some writers don't want to have to worry about making their word goal, because they want to focus on getting their point across through their story. Some writers like a word goal because it gives them perspective, and helps them focus on getting to the end of your story. It's up to you.
Page Counts
Some people like to work towards page counts, but be advised that this method is going out of style very quickly. With new reading devices like Kindles and smartphones, the page size will change, and the amount of words per page will never remain consistent. If you are considering any kind of digital publishing, it may be better to avoid using a page count for your goal.
On the other hand, page counts will help you with word count estimations as you plan your story:
- Find several books that you think are just about the right size for your project.
- Find their word count-- you can estimate their word count by following these instructions:
- Count how many words are in a random selection of 10 lines (maybe from different pages.) Divide your count by 10 to get an average words-per-line.
- Count how many lines are on each page. You may want to subtract 1-2 lines to make up for half-page chapter headings.
- Multiply words-per-line times the lines-per-page to find your average words-per-page.
- Multiply your words-per-page number times how many pages in the book.
- Now you have the book's total word count!
- You can now see how many words are in each book, and how page count and word count can correlate. A 50,000 word novel will be about 200 pages, if each page has approximately 250 words.
These numbers are all good to consider as you plan.
Typing Speed
In order to schedule your time efficiently while you're writing, it's important to know about how fast you can type. Some people will spend half an hour typing up 1667 words, and others may spend three. Go to Typing Test to take a short speed test. Avoid trying to write quickly as you take the test-- focus on writing thoughtfully, just like you would as you write a book. My average is 47 words per minute, but I can usually get through 1667 words (for NaNoWriMo) in less than an hour, maybe an hour and a half. It takes me longer because I usually have to stop and think or look up what I'm writing about, or occasionally get up and stretch.
Take the time to consider how much time you are devoting to writing every day (I strongly suggest writing every day). Once you get a feel for how much you can do in an hour, or in a day, you'll have a more accurate way of scheduling your writing time. Do you want to be writing daily for a month? A year? A week? That being said, how many hours a day would you like to be putting into it? Based on how much time you can devote to it, you can determine a word count goal. Or, vise-versa-- how long will it take you to finish a 110,000 word epic?
All of these numbers are good things to consider as you being to think logically about your project. Once you have a set goal-- like 1667 words every day for a month-- write it down! Make sure that you uphold the numbers!
And by the way-- it's okay not to reach these word goals. Life gets in the way, and you should be able to give yourself grace. As a writer, you are your own boss-- which means that you should meet your deadlines! But, it also means that you can work with yourself to figure out what your goals can be based on your lifestyle. Don't make your goals too big or too small. Push yourself, but don't run into a wall.
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