Today I finished chapter 13. Things are going great. I’m please, but also kind of shocked. My word count has hit 50,000. That’s staggering to me. How long have I been writing this book? Didn’t I start in early April? 50K is important because now we are getting into a “real” book length.
How long are novels? The first Harry Potter book was 76,944 words (Deathly Hallows grew to 204,796). S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, another glorious first novel, was 82, 409. To make a long story short, most first novels are in the 75-85K range. So, me being at 50K when I am about two – thirds of the way through the story I want to tell, well, that means I am right on track as far as length goes. It’s a realistic length for a book.
Beyond that, I know right where I’m going. I know where the story ends. I even know where the next story goes. Yes, this will go on into another book.
The side effects of all this writing are that I feel younger, and I don’t sleep very well, and I am listening to the radio again. I’ve found new music that I really like. But, I think my husband may be ready to put my face on a milk carton. He’s been a super-good sport for the last month while I’ve been holed up in the basement, writing or reading most nights.
I’m going to catch up on the back log of laundry and dishes now and try to make it through the night with my eyes closed. Failing that, there’s always Chapter 14 waiting to be freed from the stone. Meaning, my head.
