Right? RIGHT? I can't even describe it. Back when I decided "I'm going to write a book," I felt excited, but scared. Hitting my word count goal seemed like such an impossible feat. But here it is, two and a half years later, and I did it--I reached 75k!
Unfortunately that's where the good news ends. Yes, I reached one goal, but the ultimate goal was to write a book, and at this point, I've written 75% of a book. I never imagined that I wouldn't be able to flesh out this story in 75,000 words, and now I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that I can wrap up my novel in a mere 25k.
So yeah, wish me luck as I scramble toward the new finish line. But for now, I think I'll keep that progress meter where it's at for a little while longer so I can keep marveling at that dark green bar being all the way at the finish line.
Good luck, Jodi, and congrats on crossing the 75k line!! You've definitely got this, even if it takes you 150,000 words to write the first draft, it's okay, that's what editing is for!! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you Kristyn!
DeleteThe problem is I want EVERY SINGLE WORD TO STAY. Okay, yeah, I might be a little overly attached. I'll work on that.
Congrats Jodi!!! That is incredible! WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Shan!
Delete*jumps up and down* *raises the roof* Congrats, Jodi!! Go go go!!! Send me a new chapter by Saturday? My final exam for the semester is on the 23rd and I'd love to unwind with SPIRALING. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd don't rush the end so it fits all below 100k! Make this the best story you can. We'd find where to cut in the middle or anywhere if your word count goes super high but never, ever rush the resolution.
Haha guess I sound like one super-pro. #Iwish
But go go Jodi! Smash that tape! ;)
Thank you Ify! And thanks for the "no rushing" advice, because I'm feeling this pressure to wrap up the story in 25K, and I need that reminder that the resolution is crucial and the LAST place I should be cutting corners. As far as cutting stuff in the middle, see the above comment to Kristyn. It's going to be like pulling teeth to get me to cut. I can't help it, ALL OF IT is ABSOLUTELY necessary to the story line. Okay, probably not. I'll keep working on that. ;-D
ReplyDeleteI'm leaving for a cruise on Friday, so I'll send you what I have on Thursday. Send me a DM on twitter or an email though if I forget.
LOL! The first one is the hardest. I remember that feeling. My first complete book (not novella) ended at 140K. *gulp* I had no idea what the standard was, so I was very happy with that. A writing education and ten drafts later... I shaved that thing down to 93K. Can you imagine? I think HALF the power of writing is figuring exactly which words to use and story telling in a punctual fashion. Here's wishing you the very best in reaching "the end."
ReplyDeleteCrystal, I can't wait for the day when I can say "The first one is the hardest"! I must admit, I'm both horrified and utterly inspired by your tale of taking a 140K book down to 93K. That's huge. If you can manage that, certainly I can shave a few Ks off of mine, right? (*gulp* would be the appropriate response here, I think).
DeleteBoth your website and "Moonless" look quite beautiful. Thanks for stopping by--it's always encouraging to hear from others who've been in those trenches and conquered them!