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Shameless Self-Appreciation Thread

Fyri

Inkling
My dudes! I have finished!


The list is complete and I have written an article for each thing. Also, it grew into 9 ways to cut down your word count, but shhhh. In five years from now, perhaps I will make a counter-list, how to increase your word count. XD
 
My dudes! I have finished!


The list is complete and I have written an article for each thing. Also, it grew into 9 ways to cut down your word count, but shhhh. In five years from now, perhaps I will make a counter-list, how to increase your word count. XD
Tell DONT show?!? gasp, swoon, glance around for fainting couch.

Great article! I agree with you and hope the common advice that anything shorter than 120k words won't get published is going away. I love the tomes, but I think the number of "epics that could have been a novella" is increasing.
 

Fyri

Inkling
Tell DONT show?!? gasp, swoon, glance around for fainting couch.

Great article! I agree with you and hope the common advice that anything shorter than 120k words won't get published is going away. I love the tomes, but I think the number of "epics that could have been a novella" is increasing.
Well, the main reasons they dont go over well is usually 1) cost and 2) reader interest. I think cost will become less of a problem as more and more people are turning to digital and audiobook copies. But reader interest/trust is a tricky one. Readers are less likely to buy a tome from an author they dont know and trust to tell a story well. That probably won't go away. :/
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Just anecdotally, cause I don't know that I am representative of anything, but I find that given the internet market (Amazon), I often don't know if the book is a tome or not before buying. I almost always, if not always, look at the sample before buying anything. I want to see the quality of the writing. If I see a lot of errors or clumsiness on the first page, or throughout, I'll probably move on as its not really ready for prime time. Sometimes, I'll buy anyway, but its for other reasons.

The best way to get me to buy without a lot of scrutiny is have an audio book.
 

Fyri

Inkling
Just anecdotally, cause I don't know that I am representative of anything, but I find that given the internet market (Amazon), I often don't know if the book is a tome or not before buying. I almost always, if not always, look at the sample before buying anything. I want to see the quality of the writing. If I see a lot of errors or clumsiness on the first page, or throughout, I'll probably move on as its not really ready for prime time. Sometimes, I'll buy anyway, but its for other reasons.

The best way to get me to buy without a lot of scrutiny is have an audio book.
I'm on a budget and only get one audiobook a month. Your audiobook needs to sell me as well.

However, my method is usually
1) find book
2) Skim summary for interesting bits or turn offs
3) If interesting bits exist, read whole summary
4) Check reviews
5) If reviews look promising, put on list to read/get.

For audiobooks, I judge how long I want to spend dedicated to listening to it. Lately, I've been wanting longer books because I hate sitting the rest of the month with no good stories to listen to, and I also hope that I will still be enjoying it when I get a new audible credit, so that I can start stockpiling books. XD But, yeah, it needs to be good because I have many other things I can listen to if it's boring or frustrating.
 

A. E. Lowan

Forum Mom
Leadership
Yeah, so in true Irish tradition, I kneecapped someone last night. Also in true Irish tradition, that someone was me. I innocently scooted my chair closer to my desk and drilled my right knee so hard into the solid wooden leg that it launched my baby ultrawide monitor off its stand and right at me.

In true Irish tradition, at that point I was told to spend my cool roll. Monitor was undamaged, desk was undamaged, my legion of toys was undamaged, and even the fresh coat of nail polish I was sporting was undamaged. Just me.

Natural 20. Because it's me. :D
 

Incanus

Auror
Passed 39K last night, but the number may be a little misleading, since it is a thin 'half-draft'. In the completed version, this same part of the plot will likely be at about 50-55K.

I'm about 3 short chapters away from the mid-point.

At this point, this is now my second longest story I've worked on. I have a novella of about 37K, and a failed novel that reached 35K.

It's still going strong, despite all the 'blah' of the initial drafting.

I celebrated by splurging on some sushi.
 

Incanus

Auror
I guess this is the place for me to sort of track where I'm at. I feel like I don't do this often enough to justify a fresh thread.

Recently reached and completed the chapter that contains my mid-point twist. Word count is an estimate, but should be somewhere north of 44K. But this is a thin and woefully incomplete 'half-draft'.

Need to work on some planning for the next stage. I still have plenty of momentum--this thing will get done despite my slow work habits (tortoise for the win!)

I also polished up and submitted a short to an anthology. I think it has a good chance for being accepted; should hear back in under two weeks.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I'm on a budget and only get one audiobook a month. Your audiobook needs to sell me as well.

I have audibles subscription. I think its the 3 month one, where i get a credit every three months...but...those credits do pile up at the rate I read. If I am lucky, I may finish one today...but probably still a few more days. For me, it makes sense (or it did once) cause one subscription payment is pretty much the cost of one book anyway.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Recently reached and completed the chapter that contains my mid-point twist. Word count is an estimate, but should be somewhere north of 44K. But this is a thin and woefully incomplete 'half-draft'.

That is an accomplishment all by itself. Mid point twist...go you.
 

Incanus

Auror
That is an accomplishment all by itself. Mid point twist...go you.

I agree!

I think it means this story is set on a relatively stable foundation. I'd say it's the second time I've made it this far (out of many tries), but since my first novel didn't have a character arc (and thus, no mid-point twist), it's really the first.
 
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