Too many words, not enough words?

[M.A.Gardener]

When I hear writers talk about word count, they talk about how they write "too many" words. Their editors say "Cut out 30k..." (or 40 or 50 or...)

I'm having the opposite problem. According to my critque group, I have great characters and a wonderful plot and setting. They want more, but I can't seem to come up with enough words! I'm up to about 28k right now (at 250 per page) and am struggling. And it's making me freeze up in panic!!!

Any suggestions? (And no, it's NOT a novella - the plot is complicated enough to support a novel, I'm just not sure how.)

[James D. Macdonald]

Check to see if you're summarizing.

[scribbler1382]

That's the way it goes in first draft, sometimes. Not all writers reel off three or four times as many words as they need in their first crack and then have to spend their time cutting. Sure, East of Eden was 350,000 words before Steinbeck cut it down to 75,000, but just as many writers (our beloved UJ included) start with the core and grow their stories. Everyone is unique. The trick is figuring out your strengths and fine tuning them.

[blacbird]

East of Eden was 350,000 words before Steinbeck cut it down to 75,000

As published, East of Eden is a good deal longer than 75,000 words; I'd estimate at least twice that, though clearly a lot shorter than 350,000 (thank God).

caw.

[blacbird]

I'm up to about 28k right now (at 250 per page)

Which strikes me as indicating you might not have enough story for a novel. It isn't simply a matter of adding words.

caw.

[kristie911]

This is a problem I tend to run into. I find that because I get into the flow of the story (especially when I have a definite idea of where it's going) I skip the details and just show what's happening. I forget the reader needs to know descriptions like surrounding, colors, emotions, things like that. For me, once the story is written it's easy to fill in all that stuff...especially after I print it for hand editing. When it's on paper you can really see the gaping holes. Good luck!

[zornhau]

I'm with Uncle Jim. It sounds as if you're summarising - telling the story, rather than showing it. If so, and you have a good story, then you're laughing. It's very easy to get the word count up by showing the story play out blow by blow.

(You might want to take some time out to read Swain's "Techniques of a Selling Author", but if you're in a rush, I suggest you search the archives for "Motivation Reaction Units", which IMvHO might fix your problem.)

[danielmc]

It simply sounds as if you've written a good short story/novella. Put it away and move on to the next piece. If expansion is needed the MS will call when it's ready.

I think alot of wannabe writers, myself at the head of the queue, get worked up on the minor things like word count, ms format, font etc etc, without giving the work itself the room and time to breathe, develop, to find its own way into the world.

Breaking into this game is hard enough without restricting ourselves and forcing a piece of art into a specific pigeon hole" If it gets that far, let the editor/the agent/the publishing house ask those questions!

My WIP will, tonight, when i get out of this office, off the train, home, dinner with girlfriend who feels like she's been abandoned out of the way, hit 200,000 words. Five moths ago i envisioned a 3 month, 125,000 word period for the first draft. I was wrong. I worried myself into aborting the work where it stood a month ago and writing the end when i shouldn't have. Now I just let the story write itself to conclusion and, lo and behold, I will be done by Sunday.
If an editor likes a novel, they will take it, regardless of length. (Disclaimer: Genre specific writers of works, with strict guidelines on length, Romance etc, should ignore that last comment!) They will see something, a talent, to work with, end of ,simple as.

I know every writer is different, but I'm not sure about the letting it all flow and then going back to fill in the blanks theory. I've read some fiction in which this is obviously the way in which the writer works. In one novel, can't even remember what or who, the writer felt the need to tack on to the end of every chapter a 'reaction' paragraph. Every single chapter. Pulled me out of the story, I lost confidence in the book and found something else in which to invest my time.

Descriptions, colours, emotions are as organic and influential as dialogue and action. Take time, work those things in as best as possible. 'Going for the Money shot' is the phrase i'm thinking of! Of course there will always be some blanks to fill in, some points to clarify, but remember, writing a novel isn't a race. Take the time to craft, as opposed to just writing. I'd rather take 6 hours to write 2000 words of good prose than I would 5000 words in an hour of he said she said they did they kissed they ran into the sunset kind of thing, but that's me, that's something I learned through the 200,000 words of the first draft of my first, still on submission 5 months later, novel.
Just my 2 pence worth! Good luck.

[Nateskate]

It's work, but if you go back and add one interesting character, and one interesting plot line, you multiply the story.

A crazed aunt, a mysterious hunched creature under the bridge. Whatever Genre you write this is possible.

You have enough creative minds per square inch here, that if you shared the gist, they could throw out a hundred possible suggestions. Obviously, you want your own idea, but look at their suggestions as seeds. "Ah, creature lurking under the bridge?" Is he real? Is he misunderstood?

Even an incident, such as "an accident" can change the story, adding another layer. "Uncle Willy freed from prison" impacts on everyone's life.

[Dru]

M.A.,

I fall into the same trap, and asked this question directly in the UJ thread a while back. There was some great feedback on ways to help with my "green-screen"-itis. The one that has really helped me the most was to work with my crit group. I asked them to mark/let me know any time they were in the story and wanted to "see more".

Wow, has that provided enough grist for the mill! It continues to help energize me about something I was stumped on. Turns out that I have more than enough polot elements, I just needed more eyes on the work. They may point out whole scenes or chapters that need to be there for the reader to follow the plot.

As suggested above, you might do a search in your text for summarizing verbs. Adverbs also sometimes act as summarizing tools, and correcting that can provide for a great way to draw a reader into your work.

I will caution against word-count checking until you've responded to some feedback from your crit group in terms of filling out scenes or creating new ones. Write everything that people ask for, if it makes sense. Then go back and see where you are with your word count.

Hope this helps,

--Dru

[M.A.Gardener]

Thanks, all. Good advice - reading it inspired me to write more!
Mary
;)