I just realized that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. I thought it stood for National No-Writing Month.
Okay. Starting anew in December.
I just realized that NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. I thought it stood for National No-Writing Month.
Okay. Starting anew in December.
A NOVEL CONCEPT 
Random q – how long do your books typically end up? Nanowrimo aims for around 50k I believe, but that seems closer to novella length. I’m working on being more diligent about writing my own book, and it’d be nice to have some real benchmarks. Good luck in Dec!
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They tend to weigh in between 100,000 and 140,000 words based on my two completed novels. Degenerate is sitting at around 70,000 currently and I can’t yet tell how much more is needed. I’d estimate maybe 30,000 words, but I’ve been wrong before.
Authors who can devote themselves to writing books tend to knock out 100,000-plus-word novels every three-to-six months. Stephen King could probably do it in a month. But I think my average is looking to be about a book a year unless I can someday devote myself to the craft.
Yeah, NaNoWriMo’s 50,000 words is really more of a novella than novel. Most agents / publishers won’t even look at books that length, in my experience. The other thing about NaNoWriMo that I don’t love is the philosophy of rushing through something–anything really. Whether you’re making a movie, writing a book, or cooking a burrito, I don’t necessarily think the best plan is speed. I get that it’s supposed to get you into a rough draft that you can tweak later, and yet that feels like throwing a can of paint on a car door and calling it a first coat. I’d rather paint it as thoroughly as possible the first time.
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Yeah, NaNoWriMo is a very limited scope, for sure. Thanks for the reply/insight – appreciate it.
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