I hit 20,000 words!
The average YA/romance novel is between 50,000 to 80,000 words. Using 80,000 as my goal, that’s about 1/4 of the way through the book! Woooo!
I’m a big believer in celebrating wins, even if they feel small. This belief stems from my very bad tendency to…not do that at all and just plough through until the work is done. But, the need is especially there since I’ve been feeling very burnt out lately. So, I gave myself a break, let myself refuel creatively, and even finally unpacked some books.
What’s in the 20,000 words?
I’ve got an inciting incident, some key relationships building, and the beginning of my MC’s (main character) journey into her “conflict” zone where she is not so comfy anymore. There’s also a very clear direction of how those relationships will either help or hinder the MC’s journey. I’m very excited about how it’s going right now. We’re really into the plot now which is the fun stuff but also where it gets challenging for me to keep tension.
I’ve got about 8 chapters, which feels right to me. I write around 2,500 to 3,000 words per chapter. That length leaves me enough room for a few different scenes following a couple different lines of conflict. I usually hit around 30 or so chapters (when I actually finish drafts) so I’m on track.
My reward
I bought a book. I’ve heard so many people talk about “Writing Down the Bones” lately. When the universe throws a book in your face repeatedly, and then a woman in a bookstore literally hands it to you when you ask for something completely different, you take the hint.
I put my personal books in my office in the bookshelf my grandpa built me. Since bookshelf organization always fascinates me, here’s how I put mine together (for now). Top shelf: Writing/craft books, reference books, and notebooks. Second shelf: Study-able novels/favorites. Third Shelf: Shakespeare, short stories/essays. Fourth/Last shelf: Childhood favorites (don’t judge little me she had some phases…mostly witches, spies, and vampires).
As you’ll notice my short stories very lacking so if anybody has good referrals, please let me know! I’d love to keep working on my skills there too! I haven’t quite gotten the hang of telling a shorter tale of fiction.
What have you been doing to celebrate small wins? How do you refuel creatively?
Happy Writing!
Rachel
Subtle Stories 