Creative writing – Page 20

Do you want to know how long to make a story?

Published on January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell23 Comments

Size matters.

Some say write until your done, but as with all things, there is a rule of thumb. And knowing where the goal-line is may be helpful.

Want to know the answer?

I do agree we should write until finished, however, goals and guidelines are helpful. And as usual, successful writers/bloggers come to the rescue. With the help of friends, you can take the guesswork out of the numbers.

Flash Fiction?

Generally, unless restricted by rules of a publication or contest, the word count for Flash Fiction is under 1,000. If submitting to a specific publication be sure and check their requirements.

A Drabble?

A Drabble is exactly 100 words, not including the title. Writing 100 words is not as easy as you might think. Takes practice. Give it a try.

Short story?

A short story length generally falls somewhere between 1,500 and 4,000 words. As with flash fiction, if submitting to a specific publication, check their rules.

Novelette, Novela?

In our fast-paced world, the Novelette and Novela are becoming very popular. A Novelette is usually between 7,000 and 20,000. The Novela word count is between 20,000 -40,000.

Novel or Epic?

Novels vary between 40,000 – 110,000 depending on genre. Writing an epic is a big challenge. These tombs are over 110,000. Whew!

Here are my own cheat sheets.

Feel free to copy and paste them into your computer.

Robin Woods breaks down the word count further into genres. Be sure and read her post…

WORD COUNT 101: NOVEL? NOVELLA? NOVELETTE?

Christine Frazier breaks down the books into chapters and chapter count. This information can be really helpful in keeping your book consistent. Know where and how to break a chapter is important. Unless there is a compelling reason, you wouldn’t want your book to give the reader whiplash with one chapter 1000 words and the next one 4,500. Christine breaks down a few popular novels for us.

Playing the Numbers: Basic Word Counts by Christine Frazier

As with all rules, some are made to be broken. But, I find having guidelines and goals make me a better writer. What about you?

Want to read more about correct word counts keep reading. Here are more great posts on the subject.

Novel and Short Story Word Counts | WritersDigest.com

What is the Perfect Length of Short Stories?

How to Write a Drabble

Was this information helpful?

Do you think guidelines are useful?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

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How to get over the writer blues

Published on January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell11 Comments

Do you need to work through the winter blahs?

Well, I do.

Cooped up inside and too sick to write, my brain turned to mush. Every time I sit down to write takes a monumental effort. The words won’t come. But today, lo and behold, other writers came to my rescue.

This morning over coffee I opened my email and read…

How to Start and Keep Writing After a Long Break

Ask a question and someone has an answer. I really enjoyed reading READ TO WRITE STORIES and the suggestions in this blog post. And I can’t wait to get the recommended book.

There are a few exercise suggestions in the post. Some you may be familiar with, others may help jog your characters.

My favorite was DROP AND ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.

Think about that for a minute. I’m sure y’all have been in a room where everyone tip-toed around an elephant.

After you read the article, tell me what you think.

How do you get back into the writing groove after a long break?

Want to read more tips on jump-starting your writing?

Click and read…

4 Left-Brain Exercises to Jumpstart Your Writing By: Courtney Carpenter

Stimulate Your Mind With These Writing Exercises!

12 Ways to Kick-Start Your Writing By CHARLOTTE RAINS DIXON

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Please accept my apology and my best wishes

Published on January 3, 2018January 2, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell10 Comments

My apology for disappearing over the holidays.

I’m sorry my blog went dark for a few days.

The plague came to my house. Plague – flu, one in the same as far as I’m concerned.

Hubby and I were both hit hard. First time in years we’ve caught the flu, and the first time I can ever remember getting it at the same time. YUCK!

And yes, if you are wondering, we did get the flu shot.

Reading emails, writing on my blog or writing on my novel were impossible. I couldn’t focus to even read a book. Needless to say, I achieved zero of my holiday goals. Sigh…

Although not a hundred percent, I am feeling a bit more human today, and ready to get back into the groove.

Now that you’ve accepted my mea culpa let’s talk about 2018.

I’m not much of a resolution setting person but I did want to set a few goals. Three seems manageable. Don’t you think?

Three goals for 2018.

Write more
Read more
Learn more

Every time I sit down at the computer, I learn something new. And, if you stay with me through 2018, I’ll do my best to share every tidbit I discover about writing and blogging.

What are your goals for 2018?

Are some of 2017 goals carrying over into the New Year?

From my house to yours, Wishing you a happy and successful 2018!

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Here’s hoping you have a wonderful holiday filled with reading

Published on December 20, 2017December 17, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell10 Comments

Are you looking for additional books to read by the fire?

I’ve found a new favorite book on writing. This is not a quick read, but it’s good information about the style of writing. Click on the image to read an excerpt from Amazon.com.