By Susan L. Tuttle, @Susan_Tuttle5
As writers we know all about word count, but how do you set a realistic pace for finishing your book? Whether you’re a pantser or plotter, you’ll need to know how to do this, especially when it comes to writing toward a set deadline.
It would seem the obvious place to begin is to decide how many words your project needs to be and then divide that amount by the number of days you have to complete it within. While that’s definitely an element, there are several other things to account for as well.
Brainstorming & Plotting – Plotters tend to be incredibly organized and have their stories broken down into what happens in every chapter. Pantsers prefer for the story to develop at the keyboard. Then there’s those who fall someplace in between the two. Wherever you fall, figuring out your story elements takes time. And when you find an unexpected plot twist, well, that can eat up even more time as you follow it. Know whether you need to bill this time as one chunk into the front end of your deadline (plotters), or if you’ll add in a few hours to each week (pantsers).
Research – While this doesn’t add to your word count, it does affect it. If you’re a plotter, you may do all your research on the front end. This means you need to set your actual start date for writing out by a few weeks if not a month, depending on the intensity of the research you need to do. However, if you’re a plotter, you most likely stop at certain points to look up the information you need—and that can lead to long trips down rabbit holes. In this situation, you might need to decide that though you have five days a week to accumulate words, it could only work out to four days due to the hours you stop for the necessary research. Be honest with how much time this process takes, and account for it accordingly.
Editing – No matter how much you plan, that rough draft will be … rough. You need to ensure you give yourself enough time to read through the story. Weasel words will abound. Depth will need to be added, and themes fleshed out. There’ll be disjointed story arcs and even some scenes you may want to add—or pull. This process takes fresh eyes and time, so ensure you give yourself enough days for this portion. If you’ve written a novella, you may only need a week, but a 90,000 word story takes two weeks to a month, depending on the state of your draft.
Life – Each time you write a story, you’re in a different season of your life. This can, arguably, be the toughest aspect to bill in time for, but be very, very honest with yourself. Are you helping aging parents? Have kiddos who need your attention? Or are you working another job? Take a hard look at your personal calendar and assess your true bandwidth for what you can give toward writing. Even if it’s only one day a week, that’s okay! Better to be honest, than to frustrate yourself (and those around you) by trying to meet an impossible deadline.
Once you know the date you can truly start sitting at your keyboard, how many days each week you can honestly accumulate words, and what your deadline is, you can set a realistic daily word count goal. If you want to figure it out yourself or use an Excel spreadsheet, that’s awesome! But there’s also a very cool program called Pacemaker where you can input your customized information, and it will shoot out how many words you need to hit per day. Plus, it will automatically adjust for those times when you exceed or miss your daily word count. It even has a free version! You can find it at pacemaker.press.
Now go on and get started on finishing that next novel!
Falling in love again wasn’t on her checklist, but he’s about to pencil it in.
Nate Reynolds’s ugly history has dogged him long enough. He has spent years reforming himself, but there has to be a purpose for all the pain in his youth. When he discovers the perfect campground for rehabbing juvenile delinquents, he sees his chance for redemption. Even if it means butting heads with the owner’s granddaughter, Gwen Doornbos, a woman who, for all her sharp edges, possesses a heart similar to his. The more time he spends with her, the more he envisions a future he once thought impossible.
Four years ago, Gwen Doornbos lost her husband at the hands of a troubled teen. Her dream of ministering to kids died with him, and she returned home to help her grandfather run their family summer camp until his retirement. That day has finally arrived, except her grandfather has other plans for Camp Hideaway, and they include the irritatingly handsome Nate, a do-gooder with more brawn than sense who insists on bringing the past right to her door.
When an accident requires Gwen to temporarily assist Nate, she discovers that the campers challenge her in ways she’s not ready to face. Yet if she can find the courage to stay, the darkness that has shrouded her for so long may lift to reveal a love arriving out of the blue.
ACFW Carol Award finalist, Susan L. Tuttle lives in the Mitten State where she’s a mom of three and happily married to her best friend. Between still homeschooling her youngest and leading the women’s ministry at church, she finds time to write stories filled with inspiration, hope, and encouragement. Connect with Susan at www.susanltuttle.com.