Do you guys set out to write a story that is X amount of words, or do you just write until it's done?
 

In the second draft I see what will stay and what will go, like that extra character in the diner scene who takes up too much space. I check for plot, too. What happens and why and if it should happen or not.
By then I've cut down 20% of useless stuff. By the time I'm finished revising and rewriting, my story should be as long as it needs to be in order for a reader not to drop dead of boredom in the third paragraph.

And I'm babbling. Sorry. Getting back to your post: I just write till the thing is done.

Nicole

 

But size is not an exact word count.

I know from experience that when I write a novel its going to be about 75000 - 90000 words.

I do not aim for a word count. The story must carry itself forward and end where it has to end. Forcing a word count can make for a very disconnected story with stunted flow.
 

My first shot at a novel turned into a novella.

Unlike (seemingly) the rest of the world, I have to add rather than subtract words. I'm still working to break out of technical writing mode, which tends to be spare.

That means for a novel, I'll have to set a goal for words and then pad as I go along. By 'pad' I mean add the flavor and description I'm not used to writing.

 

Pad by making the story more complex. Add a vital subplot and weave it into your story.

You do probably need to add some description, but if you can pad a novella into a novel with description, its going to be a very dull novel with pretty descriptions.

 

I've started getting better by being a bit more disciplined about planning what scenes I need, about allowing myself not to narrate all the "gaps" (if nothing significant happens for three days, I used to write about nothing significant happening; now I am learning to start the next chapter three days later and live with it). But I'm still a long way from being able to plan a whole book out, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, which I suspect is the only real way to know in advance how many words you're likely to end up writing.

 

Lynda
 

If somebody wants me to write something for them (yes, it's happened, but not with paying markets) and tells me it has to be, like, "six hundred words," or "one column," well, I can do that, too. But often as not it's by editing something down, or occasionally editing something up.

If I go over fifty thousand words, I usually figure I've got a novel on my hands.
 

JOHN!
 

Sholar: Yep. I emailed you.

 

I’ve only attempted one novel and I’m 20,000 words into it with a target of at least 110,000 and no more than 120,000 words for a first draft, with the final draft not much more than that. I find that having a word count target has certain advantages.

1) I keep an Excel log of how many words I write each day and my total word count to date. This gives me a goal, helps me keep my weekly work targets, and gives me an idea of how far along I am towards reaching my goal.

2) It gives me a good idea of where in the story I should be for the number of words I’ve got. For example, I was over 10,000 words into the novel and I still hadn’t introduced one of three major characters that is crucial to the central conflict in my novel. That might be OK if I was looking at a 200,000 word novel but not for one half that size.

3) I want to sell my work. I don’t want to write a story that is too long because I think I stand a better chance of selling something near 110,000 words than I do something over 200,000 words. Keeping my story and plot points within certain word count goals helps me to meet that goal, and I think it also helps me with pacing the story.

4) When I finish my story, I’ll be better able to judge what I need to do next. If I’m well under the goal, I may need to beef up a subplot or two. If I’m over my goal, I may need to do some trimming of the main narrative or go as far as eliminate a subplot.

As a matter of fact, for the first three drafts of my first book I never once looked at the word count. Nowadays I'm much more attentive to how wordy I'm being.
 

I've never been an organized person. In fact, I feel more comfortable some degree of disorganization. My desk is hideous, covered in junk. If I asked someone to find something among that pile of crap, they'd never find it. Chances are they'd get lost and I'd have to round up a search party for 'em. However, I know exactly where all my stuff is. This may also be why I never use a bookmark.

Anyway, back to the main subject, I've never been able to forecast how long something's going to be. I do know from the beginning if something's going to be a short story, novel, or piece of flash fiction, but otherwise I tend to not plan the page or word count. Too much organization for my taste.
 

I've tended to avoid using my computer to keep track of anything but the simplest of things, ever since trying to use a Quicken checkbook program put me way in the red...just because the technology is there doesn't mean I have to use it...
 

All I did was rip the bottom half off a used piece of paper and paperclip to the printed ms. Date, ending word count for the day. It was the last thing I'd do before going to bed. Mostly, I hit or surpasssed my self-imposed goal, sometimes not.

I think it helped me keep on track.

You're not alone.

When I write novels, I have a general idea of how long it's going to be, but - and this is a pretty huge but - I also plan in copious detail (that's the best way for me), so I do know pretty much exactly where the story is going to go.

I've just started playing around with shorter stories, so those are not as familiar or predictable for me, but I suspect that with more practice, I'll probably be able to peg those as well.

Perhaps it's a part of my anal retentive calculating accountant type background that plays a part in this? :dontknow:
 

Naturally my literary work comes up in it. ("I wrote another 1000 words of my latest novel attempt. It seems to be going well.")