Tag Archive - word count

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Writing My First Novel

Today’s post is by Luke Lovelady.

Writing your first novel is without a doubt the most simple, fun, and stress-free project you will undertake.

*Cue the damaged writers laughing in the background*

Okay, while it might not be any of those things, there is truly poetic beauty that comes with grappling with the daunting task of writing your first novel.

The feeling of holding a written piece of work that you slaved months (maybe years) pouring your heart and soul into is like no other feeling in the world.

From my experience, writing my first manuscript in high school came with countless wasted hours meditating over seemingly pointless details.

If I had simply taken the time to comprehend some basic ideologies from experienced authors, I would have saved countless hours and a bit of mental stability. Continue Reading…

The Truth about Writing Mechanics

Today wraps up our year-long exploration of the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing. We hope you’ve learned a lot of useful things to seek out and destroy these flaws. Be sure to get the most benefit from this course by purchasing the book! With dozens more Before and After passages and expanded content, this #1 best-selling must-have resource should have a prominent place on your shelf. Be sure to pull it out, though, and refer to it as you work on every scene of every novel. Buy it in print or as an ebook (available in all formats via numerous online bookstores).

Let’s talk about writing mechanics. I suppose it’s only to be expected that in a book written by editors there would be some admonition to write correctly. Meaning, someone has to mention the obvious: that to present flawless writing, a writer needs to learn how to write grammatically correct sentences.

Don’t panic—this isn’t going to be a grammar lesson. If you want to take the time to learn about grammar, there are plenty of books and blogs that can help (especially Say What? The Fiction Writer’s Handy Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage, another book in The Writer’s Toolbox Series).

But really, every writer should spend time learning the tools of his trade. We use words, and in abundance. We writers should wield them both creatively and correctly. Continue Reading…

Why Counting Words May Be Hazardous to Your Health

From time to time I make a comment on Facebook about word count or I guest post or comment on another blog about it. I’m always  astonished at the emotional reaction to this topic and to my less-than-approved views on the subject.

I am pretty opinionated about word counting, and when I post (as I’m sure this will happen today as well), I’ll get comments that range from irritation to scathing anger over my view. Which fascinates me–why so many authors get their shorts all bunched up over this topic. Continue Reading…