Don't Let the Word Count Stress You Out

Don't let premature length editing get in the way of a good story

Over the past two weeks, I struggled to work on my manuscript. My husband is going through a healing journey, but even in the downtimes, I barely touched my writing. I’m currently in the phase of reading the printed version of my draft, which has been so helpful. I highly recommend the exercise. Reading the story on paper makes finding mistakes and getting into my POV's voices so much easier. Instead of progressing on my book, I looked for every distraction to avoid it, like updating my website. It took me way too long to realize that the block I faced in my manuscript exceeded the industry standard word count for debut authors. 

Word Count Conundrum:

Debut author’s manuscripts should be around 80k to 90k words, and maybe 100k words for fantasy due to the magic system. Before I started reading my manuscript, it was +110k, meaning I needed to cut at least 10k words. So far, while reading my manuscript, I’ve added more than I’ve cut. Because I’m halfway done with my read-through and haven’t cut anything significant, I’ve been stressing that my story will be even longer than when I started.

On top of integrating the changes I'm making, my mom read my manuscript. She gave me great feedback about the ending and one of my POV’s character arcs. These are two improvements that I want to make, but again, the fear of adding more words instead of fewer words felt like I couldn’t win. I didn’t realize how the pressure to cut sucked all the fun out of the editing process until I got honest with myself.

Realizations:

1. I love my manuscript

This is great news because it’d suck if I’m still working on something that I don’t even like.

2. My book isn’t me

I understand why debut manuscripts should be between 80k words and 100k words. It’s important to have a clear and concise story that’s not too long for translation. A dream of mine is to go on a book tour through Germany! Ja, bitte!! 🇩🇪🥨

Because I’m over word count, I made that mean I’m not clear and concise and will never fit in this industry. Yikes! Because I’ve poured so much into this story, it feels like a piece of me. But my book isn’t me. When I cut words or scenes, it doesn’t mean I’m cutting out parts of myself.

Ultimately, I want my readers to get the story. I don’t want them to reach the end and be like wtf did I just read. I want them to enjoy their journey to the world I create and want to return again and again. While I can sometimes be confusing, rambly, weird, out there, and awkward, which I kinda love about myself, making my story as clear and concise as possible doesn’t mean changing who I am.

3. F*** the word count (for now)

I want to write the story I want to write. Because I still have time, I don’t want to sacrifice the story by prematurely cutting just to get the word count down. I plan to continue reading my manuscript and not pay attention to how much I add versus cut. Although I’ve probably thrown too many ideas into one story, I will figure out how to make it work because I love it.

Book Talk:

I love that cozy has become a subgenre of fantasy and mystery. I’m so here for it. I stalk the interwebs for books that are labeled as such. If you haven’t read Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, I highly recommend it. It’s fun. It’s light. There’s still death. They’re mysteries, after all. But they’re not gory and graphic and don’t haunt my dreams for months afterward.

I recently read We Solve Murders, his latest series, which has a similar concept to the original series. A retired widow solves who is framing his daughter-in-law for murder. It’s a fun cast of characters, and it kept me turning the pages to figure out who did it. I aspire to write something charming and cozy one day.

Conclusion:

Now that I’ve overcome this block of feeling stressed out about the word count, I’m excited to get back on track with my manuscript. I trust it will all work out, and the solution will present itself. Despite everything that's happening, I will keep going after my desire to finish my dang manuscript this year. I realized if I kept waiting for the “perfect time,” I might be waiting forever. And I don’t want to wait forever. I want to start enjoying life now because nothing’s guaranteed. 

Sending you good vibes and fairy dust, 

Liza