Reality check: There is no “one size fits all” answer to the question, “How long should my book be?” Yes, books in certain genres fall into varying lengths. You might spend a lot of time trying to fit your book into some rule of thumb: how many words long it should be, how long each chapter should be, et cetera, instead of writing what needs to be written. You might be stuck looking for the “perfect” word count. Arguments against using word count to write Much like going for a short walk in the evening after work is less intimidating and easier to maintain than training for a marathon. We’re more likely to maintain the practice over the long haul. Five hundred words does not take that much time. Word count is easy to maintain as a routine. You don’t need any fancy gimmicks, and you don’t need any fancy writing. Every word processing program can do it for you automatically (if you write by hand, you can soon eyeball when you’ve reached your goal, as well: I promise you only need to manually count your words a couple of times before you realize how many written pages you need). Word count keeps us on track with our work. Word count is concrete and non-fussy, where books are ethereal. However, all of us can write 500 words today. The thought, “I will never finish this book!” bogs us down all the time. Why word count is a great idea for your writingīooks are long, impressive creations with lots and lots of words. We’ll also look at an alternative if, after my arguments, you still decide the word count truly is not for you. Let’s take a look at the pluses and minuses of using word count as a writing tool. I’ve worked with clients who resist the idea. The best way to do this is through regular writing practice, and one of the best ways to adopt a regular writing practice is to set word count goals. The fact is, though, that we need to write, in order to have written. In fact, more writers clean their bathrooms as a way to avoid writing than you could ever imagine.
We dislike editing, revision, and sitting down to write when we absolutely, 100%, do not feel inspired to do so. Likewise, we like holding the book we wrote in our hands, the feeling of accomplishment, the glow of success and recognition. We don’t like going for a run, or taking the time to go to the gym, or changing how we eat. We like being strong, healthy, feeling good about our weight. Most of us like the end result more than the process of getting there. CC image “ 62” courtesy of Fit Approach on Flickr.
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