I'm super happy to be able to talk over here quite honestly! So thank you for posting something to discuss! I've missed journaling like this! <3
The first thing I'd suggest is just taking a deep breath and ignoring the math for a moment. I think there's always an element of wonder and worry. When I started RHR, I was super nervous that I'd get to 35k and then just have nothing more to say and no way to add in enough to cover the word count. And it ended up 73k. I think I did the same as you this time, in that I wrote 52k and then 44 or 48 or something for Erised, and so I'm all confident like, 'Hey this happens easily by accident; let's take this pro!' LOL. But there's always an element of real uncertainty there.
The best advice I could give at this point is to not hold back when you're writing a scene. I think I tend to -- just by second nature and not even thinking about it -- self-edit as I write in order to keep the pacing good and exciting. But with 50k, you have room to describe what you want and not keep it super brief. I find myself trying not to describe too heavily or to let the characters talk too much, and then I'm like, 'Why am I trying to hold this back?' Because in reality, you can *always* take stuff out if it gets too long-winded. For that matter, though, you can add stuff in after-the-fact too. I did that a lot with Blood and Fire. I'd just read and reread and reread, and any good ideas I'd have on, like, the fifth or tenth read-through, I'd find ways to add them in.
I guess my only point is that, for me, it's a different mindset of allowing myself all the words I want to say in a 50k piece. I have to purposefully switch off the button in my brain that says, 'be efficient; go for brevity'.
I hope this helps! Fwiw, I think most stories that have a scene count as high as yours *will* end up over 50k. That other fic was probably a bit of an aberration. *shrugs*
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 08:03 pm (UTC)The first thing I'd suggest is just taking a deep breath and ignoring the math for a moment. I think there's always an element of wonder and worry. When I started RHR, I was super nervous that I'd get to 35k and then just have nothing more to say and no way to add in enough to cover the word count. And it ended up 73k. I think I did the same as you this time, in that I wrote 52k and then 44 or 48 or something for Erised, and so I'm all confident like, 'Hey this happens easily by accident; let's take this pro!' LOL. But there's always an element of real uncertainty there.
The best advice I could give at this point is to not hold back when you're writing a scene. I think I tend to -- just by second nature and not even thinking about it -- self-edit as I write in order to keep the pacing good and exciting. But with 50k, you have room to describe what you want and not keep it super brief. I find myself trying not to describe too heavily or to let the characters talk too much, and then I'm like, 'Why am I trying to hold this back?' Because in reality, you can *always* take stuff out if it gets too long-winded. For that matter, though, you can add stuff in after-the-fact too. I did that a lot with Blood and Fire. I'd just read and reread and reread, and any good ideas I'd have on, like, the fifth or tenth read-through, I'd find ways to add them in.
I guess my only point is that, for me, it's a different mindset of allowing myself all the words I want to say in a 50k piece. I have to purposefully switch off the button in my brain that says, 'be efficient; go for brevity'.
I hope this helps! Fwiw, I think most stories that have a scene count as high as yours *will* end up over 50k. That other fic was probably a bit of an aberration. *shrugs*
♥