The Ideal Length of Books - Then, Now and Tomorrow

Last week I confessed that my first drafts are too short. With 30'000 words, they are a kind of bare bones drafts or extended plots. However, is 30'000 really too short? How long should a novel be? Well, it depends...

The Traditional View

If you google "book word count" you get tons of links. Scrolling through them, the answer to the question for the ideal novel length isn't an easy one.

Based on Wikipedia a novel is between 60 and 80'000 words, while thrillers might get up to 100'000 words. For NaNoWriMo it is more than 50'000 words and for the Nebula award over 40'000 words. A blog post from Writer's Digest from 2012 differentiates between clients and different genres. Middle grade is around 30'000, Young Adult around 40'000 and an adult novel around 80'000 words. On the upper end, the spectrum reaches 115'000 words for Sci-Fi and Fantansy.

But why all these rules? A blog post from Harvey Chapman on novel writing help gives a hint: Publishing Industry standards.  It seems that these numbers are a sweet spot for print books:

• "Thin novels might be cheaper to produce, but book buyers won't feel that they are receiving their money's worth - a 150-page book does not sell for half the price of a 300-page book.
• Thick novels will be more expensive to print, meaning more units will have to be sold to reach the same amount of profit - 600-page novels are not twice the price of those of 300 pages."

I get it - it's an industry standard that has evolved out of year long experience. Still, it has changed over time adopting new technologies as well as the overall market demand. Based on a blog post from Charlie Stross on his diary. SF book length evolved from somewhere around 50'000 in the 1930ies due to the weekly magazine style via 70'000 words in the 1960ies to the current size of 115'000 words. The blog post suggests, that the inflation between the 1970ies and the 1980ies triggered also a demand in thicker books (i.E. customers would accept higher prices much more if they also see that they get more).

You get a similar result looking at the average word count of famous novels:

• The Crying of Lot 49: 46,573 words
• Slaughterhouse-Five: 47,192 words
• Lord of the Flies: 62,481 words
• Brave New World: 64,531 words
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: 70,570 words
• Lolita: 112,473 words
• Madame Bovary: 117,963 words
• Moby-Dick: 209,117 words
• East of Eden: 226,741 words

The average word count on Amazon is about 64'000 words. Given a bell shape curve, Animal Farm with 29,966 words and War and Peace with 544'406 words seem to be the tail end.

The Indie View

Again, technology triggers a change. E-books and new distribution channels enabled the indie revolution. A writer can publish a book with 30'000 words via KDP - no industry standards, no restrictions.

Even the main argument from the publishing industry with readers expecting a certain numbers of pages to justify a certain price is not relevant anymore. With an e-book price of maximal $2.99 and a book without visible size the number of words is secondary as selling point. And even if we translate this back into the printed world, with print-on-demand, the cost to have smaller books is affordable to a writer.

However, there is the craft-vs-the-money trap again. Writers might tend to write shorter novels in order to be able to produce more books and hence, sell more books. Nothing wrong with that, but less words should mean less characters and subplots, not flat characters or lousy subplots. A shorter story needs to be less complex. Exceptions apply, however, I would go with this as a general rule.

The Outlook

So far, we looked at the impact of production and cost on the lenght of books, but we haven't factored in the demand side of the equation. What do reader want and how is the reading behaviour changing the landscape.

I don't know. I don't have a crystal ball, will say I don't have empiric data to underline an analysis. However, I do have an opinion based on observation.

I think, there will two different kind of reading behaviour, one that is time spent on reading for the purpose of reading and the other one is reading as a gap filler. I love to dive into a good strory and read for hours and I don't care if I have a physical book of 500 pages. It's the rainy-day-cozy-sofa-and-coffee reading. On the other side I have a commute of 45 minutes twice every day and I see a lot of my fellow commuters reading with their e-readers or smartphones. Now think of yourself, if you  have 45 minutes time, how far do you get. Additionally, if you have only 45 minutes you will be much less patient to read through non-action scenes as if you are deep in the story on a  rainy-day-cozy-sofa-and-coffee. You will scan these pages until you get to the next action scene.

You see, it's a different reading and I predict, that there will be a growing market for shorter novels, maybe even serials, and longer books will adapt in a way to be digestable in 45 minutes.

At least in the next decade - for everything beyond I would definitely need a crystal ball.

Happy writing
Your writer in a foreign land

Discovery Writer Reloaded

I am still rewriting my story and simultaneously translating it from German to English. Remember? I am glad I decided to do this. 

When I started I assumed that I would be able to improve the story, but I couldn't imagine how much I have to fix. Not plot-wise, but with regards to storytelling. I had far too much telling in it and not remotely enough showing. Additionally, some characters needed development in order to keep up with their assignment.

However, I realized there is another angle to it, that I wasn't aware before. I already knew that I am an inbetweener, something between plotter and discovery writer, and that I develop the plot during the breaks in the middle of the story. Going back through stories I wrote so far, I noticed that my first drafts always tend to be very short. I mean really short. 

I write my first drafts in a kind bare bones approach. Of course, there are side tracks and various characters, but outside the main characters and the central plot they are flat and colorless. It's the bare minimum to tell the story. 

You could also call it an extensive plot.

Please don't misunderstand me, there's nothing wrong with this approach. It simply means more work during the rewriting phase. It's a little like painting - first you do a sketch with a pencil and afterwards you color it. An then again it also means further backload the work. 

How it works out? See for your self, how the first lines evolved: 

"He had heard about the death sentence years ago on one of these old pirate radio stations. He knew this would be his last day. The night had already fallen and there was only a small sickle of purple left on the horizon. He had noticed the lights a while ago. Like fireflies they were crawling down the hill on the other side of the lake.

"Here they come. You are late guys, years late. Even for Argentinian benchmarks, you are late." 

His chuckle turned into a cough."

Not yet there, but a whole better than the first draft.

Happy rewriting

Your writer in a foreign land

Carve Out Time For Writing

This week I failed my own standards. I wasn't writing my 250 words every day. I know, I know... I should have. But there is a reason for that - work. "Work, that is no reason, that is an excuse. We all have to work. You have to force yourself if you want to be a professional writer." I can already hear the arguments, discussions and opinions. 

Seriously? After three days in a row with 16 hours at work, I just fell asleep while writing. No kidding - by body took its toll. 

Here is the clue - apart of taking yourself seriously as a writer, you also have to take care of yourself. You have only a certain amount of time and it is completely up to you to decide how you want to spend it. I agree that cutting off gaming, surfing and sometimes even reading is a good idea. However, I would stay away from cutting time off sleeping, eating and a decent amount of exercise. Also, try to find a sustainable balance between writing and your social life, be it time with your family or with friends. Last but not least there is work and sometimes the amount of time you have to spend for it is not in your hands.

Having said that, even with a demanding work like mine, there is room to carve out writing time.

Commute

I have twice a day 44 minutes of train ride which I can use for writing. Sometimes I use one of the train rides for reading or listening to writing podcasts and the other one for writing or I use both for writing. On a normal day (i.E. when I don't fall asleep) I make about 300 words during one train ride.

Lunch time

Not every day, but at least twice a week I find the time to go to a park or a coffee shop and write some pages.

Weekends

Even with family, there is always time on the weekend to write - sometimes more, sometimes less. As I am more a morning person, I try to get up early in order to have more time during the day. My blog for example is something I usually outline on the subway ride (10x 5min) and write it down on the weekend. Having said that you probably want to communicate your writing time actively if you have family. Don't leave them without knowing what are your plans so you can have your time and they know when they will have you back.

Vacation

For vacation, basically the same rules apply as for weekends except that you might carve out more time in order to do more intensive work, such as rewriting or editing.

Tools

A little side note on tools. If you have a rather scattered writing schedule like me, one of the main criteria for a writing tool is seamless synchronization. In my earlier writing days I used very brick-and-mortar approach - I e-mailed my story back an forth using the e-mail account as tool. Key to this approach is a meticulous versioning. 

Today, there are several tools which have built-in synchronization functionality. I use a tool called the Storyist, which allows me to have my story up-to-date on all my devices (Notebook, iPad and iPhone) on one click.

Happy carving

Your writer in a foreign land

How To Come Up With Story Ideas

First draft is done - Yeah! But now what? The story has to rest, like a beer has to ferment. Write some short stories? Probably, but most of the times they don't keep my mind enough occupied to forget about the story I just finished.

Here's what I do: I start a new story. I flip through my list of story idea and pick the one that appeals me most, and if there is none, I come up with a new idea. But how to come up with new ideas out of the blue? There are certain techniques that give creativity a jump start. 

Read Newspapers

Truman Capote found the story for "In Cold Blood" by reading the newspaper. 

The trick is to read it with an eye for conflict. For example could a headline about a conflict between two foreign countries lead to a story. For two coworkers in an American company originating from these countries this conflict suddenly wouldn't be far away anymore. Even though they got along very well earlier, they even might have been friends, they now have to deal with old prejudices and taking sides.

But it's not always about big things, more often it is about the small things that can cause a large conflict for somebody. Just think of what matters to you or to somebody else.

Defamiliarization

This technique probably doesn't give you a story idea right away, but it turns on the creativity in the brain. It is basically very simple how it works: Take a random person and list three things this person does. A pilot flights a plane, gets to see a lot of different places and his highest concern is the safety of the passengers. Now turn each one of those into the opposite and see which could be the best story. A pilot who doesn't fly a plane? Possible - he could be suspended because of drinking or he could be have developed a phobia. A pilot who doesn't see different places. Again possible, but probably not very exciting. Finally, a pilot whose highest concern is not the passengers safety. Looking at these options, the first one is probably more about inner conflict, where the last one could be good basis for a thriller.

Steal a Good Idea

Have you ever read a book, where a certain part got you under your skin. One specific conflict, one idea, draw your attention? Take this idea, put in a different place and write about it. Don't get me wrong, this is no fanfiction. Don't take the story or a key element, but one that one moment and develop it further. 

Everybody Has His Own Story

Take a person you don't know, just anybody. It should be somebody you either like or dislike just based on a look or the way he or she behaves. A grumpy co-rider on the train or a funny guy sitting next to you in a coffee. Then, try to come up with a story for them. Who are they, why do they react the way they do? What is their pain, what is their joy. You would be surprised with the potential of this technique. 

Happy story finding

Your writer in a foreign land

Favorite Podcasts - My Writing Class Room

I am teaching myself writing, or rather it is a learning by doing. This concerns all dimensions you could imagine, from the writing skills to grammar, from vocabulary to understanding how the industry works.

Ambitious, but I'm not alone. There are many helpers out there; fellow writers, editors, agents, all willing to give the community back something and thanks to the Internet they can be found easily.

Since I've started to write I came across a lot of podcasts and I decided to dedicate them a post - not only to thank them, but also to spread the word and hope they help other the way they helped me.

Writing Excuses

Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Dan Wells provide a 15 minute episodes every Sunday evening, reliable like a Swiss watch. Episodes have a great variety. Sometimes, they have guests in their show, talking about their work and life or participating in the discussion. 

Most of the time it is vivid discussion about what to write, how to write and great examples out of their experience. Listening to them is always a lot of fun. For example, with their pointed examples, they opened my eyes what "show, don't tell" actually means and where telling is ok.

They also have a book tip every episode - based on their tip, I read "A Short Stay in Hell" from Steven L. Peck. It loved it.

I should be writing

Mur Lafferty provides a great mix of talking about specific topics, such as killing darlings, the value of writing, self esteem, having great interview guests, or proving feedback to questions asked over twitter and or e-mail. 

Outside of the great writing advice and the interesting interviews, this podcast gives me a very warm feeling of not being alone out there with my wishes and fears. Last Thursday, the 327th! episode was published and listening is worth every minute.

Helping Writers Become Authors

Among the writing podcasts, Helping Writers Become Authors is probably the most structured one. In episodes of usually 5 to 20 minutes, K.M. Weiland takes you through writing topics from character arcs to plotting and from writing personality to how to get organized. Sometimes, the podcasts feels like sitting in class. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it. Interestingly, while I listen to other podcasts aside of doing something else, I have to concentrate more when I listen to this podcast. It almost seems, that other podcasts talk more to my left side of the brain, while K.M. Weiland talks to my right side of the brain. Anyway, I learned a great deal of what it means to write a good story. 

I especially loved an idea she brought up in one episode regarding music. Usually I get into the mood of a scene by listening to specific music; slow for romance, fast and loud for angry moods, melancholic for more sad scenes. She brought up to switch this from time to time - listening to a march or to epic classic music while writing a romantic scene changes the outcome in a surprising way. the same happens when writing a war scene, listening to melancholic music or to rock music.

The Creative Penn

As an indie author herself, Joanna Penn focuses her podcast more on the marketing and distribution side of a writer's life. She has a lot of interview guests sharing their experience of writing and especially of how to bring a book to the market. For me, as I am not from the business, these episodes help me a lot to understand the industry as well as the current market dynamics. Episodes are between 40 and a bit over an hour long.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

The Grammar Girl's podcast focuses on specific grammar topics. The host, Mignon Fogarty mixes fun topics, such as understanding the background of "Little Buny Foo Foo" with more grammar use related episodes, for example about the correct use of quotation marks or the Oxford comma. For me, as a writer in a foreign land, her podcasts are extremely helpful, but I am pretty sure, the same is true for a lot of writers with English as mother tongue. Episodes are usually 5 to 10 minutes long. 

Inside Creative Writing

Brad Reed talks in each episode about a specific topic in great detail, for example how to keep characters alive or unreliable narrators. For my part, I love the episode about the techniques for writing dialog. Each episode is between 30 and 50 minutes long. Unfortunately, the podcast is currently on hold (after 13 episodes). However, Brad announced, he will start again soon. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks to all those who spend valuable writing time on helping other writers by sharing their experience. 

Happy listening,

Your writer in a foreign land

Research - A Writer's Homework

Research is a kind of homework that comes with writing. Rarely, a writer knows already everything about his story, and then again there is always a dimension that needs research. 

Dimensions or Research

Every dimension is different with regards to sources. However, some sources are almost omnipotent, or rather do have a portal function to different sources. The best example would be Google, but I would also count the library or Wikipedia to this category. In any case it is beneficial to read books, that had the same topic or similar ideas. For example, if you write about time travel, you probably want to read The Time Traveler's Wife, Up the line, or Timequake or watch the movie A Sound of Thunder.

I see the following dimensions, that affects the most of the stories

• Geography
• History
• Psychology/Anthropology
• Physics/Chemistry
• Other Areas

Geography

You have to know where your story plays. My first novel was playing in Burlington, VT in the near future. I had to use several sources in order to have a picture in my mind. Mostly, I used google maps and its street view, but I also browsed through an extensive number of photos on the web. I did the same with other locations or in order to estimate travel time by car between locations. Of course, the best would have been to visit and spend some time there, but you will probably not be able to do this for all your locations.

However, geography is more than just the location. Depending on scenes you might need to know if one can see a certain mountain or where in spring the sun rises. Additionally, in Fantasy and Science Fiction, the world you build must be cohesive. For example on an ice planet like Hoth in Star Wars, you might want to think about how a food chain could look like. Food chain would also be a topic in Pitch Black. You may not want to build in all research in the book, but for sure you want to have an explanation in the back of your head (and give away some glimpses here and there).

Main sources for geography: 

• For a present-day view: Google maps/street-view, Wikipedia, Google (pictures), or Pinterest
• For a deeper understanding of the context: National Geographic or similar geography specific resources, or the good old geography high-school book (or call up your old teacher - he might be happy to hear from you)
• Special resources: If necessary and available, first hand information is always a good idea, such as calling up the local tourist office or similar. Sometimes, I go very deep and even look-up crime related websites in order to gain a feeling for how secure a certain area is.

History

History is another topic that affects most of the stories we write. In order to know why things happened, we want to consult history books or online sources, such as Wikipedia or Best History Websites. Again, the various history school books from the library are an excellent resource.

If you are writing a historic novel, the history research becomes crucial. To be honest, I've never written a historic novel, but I would suggest the best resources to start with are the library and historic films/tv shows. You might think the later is too much stereotype, but it will give you a good basis for your further research. Going from there you also might consider visiting a museum in order to get a feeling for the epoch and eventually talk to people who deal with it professionally. Have you ever talked with somebody, who survived a concentration camp, or with somebody who lived in East Berlin when the wall came down. You will understand much more than you could get from any other source.

Main sources for History: 

• Wikipedia
• Library (fiction and non-fiction, I'm sure the librarian is happy to help you)
• Specialized Internet pages: history channel, Best History Websites, etc.
• Museums
• Professionals (history teacher/ -professor, museum curator etc.)
• Contemporary witnesses

Psychology/Anthropology

The same as with the two first dimensions, the third dimension is again relevant for most stories. Although I suggest to not overdo it, unless you write a novel like Kafka's The Trial.

Still, I think it is key to know some basics about the motivation in human behavior as well as the behavior of the different type in groups. It makes your writing more real, if you are aware of the human nature.

However, if you write a novel where psychology has a main stake, e.g. one of your characters is autistic or a serial killer you need to do in-depth research about this specific part. Outside the usual Internet research and some specialized books ( fiction and non-fiction), I definitively suggest to talk to a psychiatrist or even somebody who suffers from a specific mental illness.

One word to forums: I would stay away from them. Usually, you will receive generalized personal experiences, mixed with answers from non-professionals. It is very hard to filter them out.

Main sources for Psychology/Anthropology: 

• Wikipedia
• Library (again, the librarian can be better than google)
• Professionals (ask your doctor if he knows somebody who can help you)
• Specialized websites: American Anthropological Association etc.

Physics/Chemistry

Outside of the very basic knowledge you might need in stories, especially Science Fiction stories need more background know-how in physics. How far away are the next stars and how long would it take to get there at the speed of light? Why is it, by the way, that with the current knowledge it's impossible to travel at the speed of light?

Some basic knowledge might be found on Wikipedia, but I think the best source might be the SiFi-Forums on the Internet. There are also very good (i.E. digestible) books, such as A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. 

Main sources for physics/chemistry: 

• Wikipedia
• MinutePhysics (podcast or facebook page: Complex concepts, explained in an easy way)
• The Classroom Physics in case you need to start with the basics
• CERN
• Hard Sience Fiction literature - these guy did their research

Other Areas

Additional fields of research might include medicine or botanics, for example when you write about the Spanish Flu or the next pandemic. It all depends on your story.

But let me loose some words about economics at the end. Even if you are not writing the next John Grisham, certain parts of economics are relevant for every story. Even if you are creating a new magic system, basic economics applies, such as magic has to come with a cost, or else, why not using it for everything.

Another example would be the Star Trek Holodecks - there must be a cost, otherwise I would enter and happily die in there decades later.

Note: I am aware of the fact, that Wikipedia is a semi-reliable source. While I think it is a good and reliable source in most of the topics, you still have to see it as a POV-library, rather than a reviewed source.

Note 2: My experience with professionals has mostly been very positive. The explanation, that you are writing a novel and need some help to get the background right, has opened many doors.

Happy researching,

Your writer in a foreign land

Of Plotters and Discovery Writers aka Pantser

There has already a lot been written about Plotters and Discovery Writers, for example there is this awesome guest post from Karen Henderson on The Struggling Writer or several episodes of Writing Excuses took care of the topic.

So what can I add to it? A lot, well, at least my humble opinion and the way I approach it. 

What is What?

First, some definitions. The plotter is a type of writer who outlines his story before he starts to actually write it, using writing tools, such as Scrivener, Storyist or simply excel or index cards. The discovery writer aka pantser sits down and writes, letting himself be surprised where the story takes him. The word pantser seems to have its origin from somebody who sits down on his pants and writes. What an ugly word. This must have been invented by somebody who hates discovery writing, I'm actually glad they haven't called it something like Butter. I haven't heard any Discovery Writer calling himself Pantser. Out of respect for colleague writers, I'll call it discovery writing going forward.

Second, these two forms hardly exist, at least not in their purest form - just like the long tail of normal distribution. Extreme plotting would mean write the novel before writing the novel and an extreme Discovery Writer would sit down and start with the first word without knowing anything about the story. The truth is in between, from plotting chapter and scenes, having all character sheets ready and lots of background material saved, to knowing only very little like what is the topic of the story or who is the main character. I've also heard from Plotters, that they would have two outlines, if they had two possible ways the story could go. Just in case.

I am an Inbetweener

I can plot and for business papers I'm the perfect plotter. Usually I write 3rd to 4th level outlines with keywords for each point, before I even start the paper. I can't do this with my creative writing. I tried it, I really did. I got stuck in the middle with an immense urge to write the scenes. And the worst thing was: I lost some of the great scenes that emerged in my head, simply because of the fact I didn't write them while plotting.

After having written for a while now, I found my optimal writing approach:

1. The vague story: In order to sit down, I need an initial idea of the story. That can be as little as the topic "fear" and its different shades or the personality of the protagonist, who tries to solve his dating issues by applying the strategies and techniques he learned during his MBA.
2. The very high level outline: With the vague story in my head, I do a very rough outline, something like: Main character had only unsuccessful relationships in past. Led by the idea, that he is a successful manager, he tries to apply the techniques learned during his MBA. He meets somebody, but is not able to overcome the manager and getting real. The ending, however, might not be defined yet. Either he is successful if there should be a happy end or not. The focus should be on the main character and his developments, rather than the story being a romantic novel. 
3. Sit down and write
4. Plotting/re-plotting: After having reached the first third of the story, I know enough about the characters to do the character sheets. This is important to remain consistent. At that point, I also know enough to do the plotting in deeper granularity, including a re-plotting of what I've written so far. Sometimes I have to add another chapter or scene in the part I've already written.
5. Keep on writing
6. Plotting/re-plotting: After two third of the story I need to repeat the re-plotting. It is healthy to make a step back in order to not loose the big picture of the story.  Step six can be repeated if necessary several times.
7. Write the rest

The Risk of Being Me and How to Mitigate

Even though I feel comfortable with my approach, it doesn't prevent me from the various pitfalls of discovery writing. 

Writers block as sword of Damocles to be named first. This could happen when I the vague story idea and the arising conflicts are not strong enough or when the plotting/re-plotting wasn't done thoroughly. If it is the plotting/re-plotting the solution is simple: Do it again, but better, and don't hesitate to cut out parts already written if they don't fit anymore. In case it is the conflict, try to add more or different layers of conflict. However, if additional conflict doesn't solve it you might come to the conclusion, that the conflict serves only a short story. 

Lost in your own story, doing circles with your characters or writing chapter over chapter without real progress. If this happens to you, the solution is to get back into plotting/re-plotting. I've also heart some other advice which I have tried once and it worked: Cut everything back to the last place you've been excited about your story.

Increased revising and editing efforts. Yes, that comes with it. Live with it.

Other issues, I deal with them when they come up. Or rather when I discover them.

Happy discovering

Your writer in a foreign land