NaNoWriMo: Quality AND Quantity

Happy November, everyone! For many people November equals NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I want to take this opportunity to go through NaNo with you, and to look at the writing process in great detail.

Today, we're discussing both quality and quantity. To some extent, this is a continuation from last week's post which addressed word counts.

As we established last week, you want to target around 50,000 words if you are going to write a full-length novel.

So we have quantity, but we also need to discuss quality.

NaNo makes no bones about focusing on quantity rather than quality. When I first heard that (when I did my first NaNo), I was appalled. How could you focus on quantity rather than quality?! I didn't want to churn out some second-rate book.

My perception has changed, though. NaNo is a challenge to get it on paper. That's the focus. It's more about laying down the foundation so you can go back and polish your piece, rather than having a perfectly stellar novel ready for publication in only a month's time. 

In order to write a story, you have to start somewhere. NaNo is the perfect vehicle to get you started.

Could anyone achieve both quantity and quality in only 30 days? I suppose it is plausible, but I don't think it's realistic. If I was to wager money on anyone accomplishing that, it would be Stephen King. 

I don't even think that he would say that he could or would do that. Far better than most of us, he understands the importance of the entire writing process. That process includes editing and revision so that once the quantity is there, the quality follows suit.

It's not easy to have both. It takes time and dedication. Believe you me, I would love to just wake up, type away, and have both quantity and quality. To have a fairy godmother tap her wand on my laptop and boom! There's a perfect novel! If only it were that simple!

You can have quantity and quality, and you really should strive for them both. Just be patient with yourself and the process. It'll be worth it in the end!

NaNoWriMo: Why word counts count

Happy November, everyone! For many people November equals NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I want to take this opportunity to go through NaNo with you, and to look at the writing process in great detail.

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This week, I want to discuss word counts.

To start off, we need to look at the breakdown of word counts. As a general rule, they go as follows:

Short Stories: 20,000 words or less

Novellas: 20,000-40,000 words

Novels: 50,000 words or more.

NaNo sets the goal at 50,000 words, which is a good goal. At 50,000, you should have a very well rounded story, and good foundation for the novel itself.

50,000 is a lot of words! Yes it is. Any writer will tell you that there are times when 50,000 feels more like 5,000,000,000. It's not always easy, but word counts are important to keep in mind.

Why?

First and foremost, if you're seeking publication, publishers watch word counts carefully. If the word count is low, they see an emaciated story that will need lots of editing to beef it up. That's time and money that they're not willing to spend. On the flip side of that, if the word count is too high, the piece is too long and no one will read it. So you need to watch your count if you want to get published.

What if you're not seeking publication? What's the point of watching your word count?

Well, those of us who are die-hard grammar policemen/-women will tell you that you need to follow the rules. 

For those of you who are rebellious and don't like rules, look at a word count as a challenge. It's a goal to meet. It's a good frame to help you beef up and trim off sections of your story. It will show you what sections of your novel require more attention and editing. 

I personally find word counts to be a great guide in my story writing.

A good word count is not necessarily indicative of good quality, per se. However, a good word count is indicative of the fact that the writer has been paying attention. If they're paying attention, chances are they're paying attention to the quality and the quantity.

So yes, word counts count.