This morning I exceeded 12,000 words on NHI. That’s between 15% and 20% of the initial draft, which I anticipate will be somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000 words. If it’s at the lower end of that range, it will mean that the plot is a little thin and I’ll beef it up in revision. Meanwhile, writing from the detailed outline I prepared is mostly helpful. Having it means that I don’t worry that I won’t know what to write next–I’ve already decided that. If I decide to diverge from it a little (which I’ve already done once), the outline helps me keep in mind the various plot points that still need to be dealt with. If I can maintain my current momentum, I should finish by the beginning of November at the latest.
Dwell on the Past
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1 response so far ↓
1 Terry Odell // Aug 19, 2009 at 8:32 am
Good luck. And impressed with a detailed outline. I’m 76,000 words into my mystery and finally know who the bad guy is. But if I’d known from the start, I think all my clues and red herrings would have been heavy-handed or too obviously disguised, which is just as bad.
This way it’s more fun. I was shooting for something around 90K, so I’ll probably have to go back and do some tightening. But that’s always a good thing. First drafts are for the author.
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