Okay, A Memory of Light is going fine..the book is awesome, but it feels like I’ve been working on it FOREVER. I need some motivation, so…
I’m going to start doing what I did last year. If I hit my wordcounts, I will open a pack of Magic cards as a reward. Yes, I’m a nerd.
People are asking how close the draft is to being done. Close, but I keep realizing there are points that need expanding.
It WILL come out next year, and will not be split again. I’m close to the end, but still have several weeks worth of hard work to do.
Is there a word-count length that you are encouraged not to exceed?
Over 400k would really be pushing it.
And, as 5:00 rolls around, I have managed (barely) to hit my 2k wordcount goal so far today. Time for a Magic pack!
This one was sent to be by a fan, via my Amazon wishlist. (No name was included.) Whoever you are, thanks! The rare is: http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=246954
Is the infamous last scene Robert Jordan left behind already part of the 313,000 words?
No, it is not. So the ‘finished’ length is actually longer. I haven’t put that chunk in yet.
Is your average word count goal/day usually 2k?
On a WoT novel, which is much harder, that is a fair count. On something simpler, 3-4k is average.
I’m just wondering why you have a daily wordcount—surely the quality is more important than the length?
I believe that daily goals are important, as crafting a great book requires work as much as it does inspiration.
Laying down a rough first draft, then polishing over and over, is the path I’ve found to creating excellent work.
Have you written through the ending for all the main characters? If so, is the rest just “expanding” scenes out?
Not all of them yet. Just a few.
You are working on the final book in an epic series that people have been reading for decades and you need a game for motivation?
Even when you love what you do, it can be hard to work 12 hour days to finish a book after an exhausting tour.
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