The Shorter Story

I’ve been struggling for some time with finishing a WIP that I began writing a few years ago.  I’ve self-diagnosed the problem and it appears as though, while the structure is promising and characters are likable and entertaining, the actual story doesn’t motivate me as it did when I first began writing it.

While speaking with one of my good friends on Friday, I realized that perhaps my struggle was to fill an imaginary word-count goal instead of cutting the unnecessary “filler” and honestly relating the tale.  Taking that into consideration, I’m beginning to see that the bulk of the book has already been written… it’s just not that long of a book.

My first book was 70,000 words, my second 85,000 words and my third 80,000 words.  Now I’m beginning to accept that my fourth book may only be a 40-50,000 word story.  And honestly, after that epiphany the pressure to eek through more manuscript without rambling or beating a story to death has fallen away, and I suddenly feel motivated to finish what I’ve started.

 

Happy reading, writing & finishing

-Jenny