by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Let me be clear — I have no idea what I’m doing. But I am beginning to read more and I have done enough graze-reading about how to write a novel that I feel as though I’m slowly beginning to get some sense of how to do it.
Generally, things are going well.
A few issues still exist. One of them is length. I see a “real” novel being closer to 160,000 words, but as I keep reading, the sweetspot is 80,000 – to 100,000. I’ve changed the structure of the novel around some, so it’s possible I’ll get closer to 100,000 with a lot less pain than I originally expected.
I’d like to have a first draft in the 120,000 – 140,000 range because Gone Girl and The Girl on The Train are both in that range, as I understand it. But, obviously, I’m just a boy with a dream at this point.
I honestly just want to finish a novel and say I’ve accomplished that. The fact that there are at least three more books in the series (one sequel and two prequels) is cool, yes, but I need to hurry up and finish just one.
I’m still very interested in writing a screenplay and attempting to seriously write song lyrics. But I need to give this novel 110% of my creative ability for it to be a success, so those other interests are going to be put aside for the time being.
I currently have six solid chapters sketched out. It fits within my current timetable to use the rest of the week to make those chapters readable. As such, I at least hope to spend much of this week reading.
