Questions about estimating fic lengths

[birdsofshore]

Hello! I don't know if people still have discussions on here, but I can't find any other platform where I can follow the conversation, sooo... Any advice gratefully received.♥  

I've signed up for the H/D Bang, and having finally got started with it, I'm now having a crisis that the fic I've planned is not going to reach 50k. 

The length my fics turn out is always a surprise to me. This year's erised ended up being 65k, and I had NO IDEA that was going to happen. I still don't really know how it did. Foolishly, I let this give me confidence to sign up for the Bang. After all, if I could write a 65k fic by mistake, how hard could it be to write 50k on purpose? /o\

So, I got a rough plan together and it's around 30 scenes long. No problem, I thought. My 65k erised only had 25 scenes! This was going to be easy!

Then I wrote the first scene and it's only 800 words long. FUUUUCK. What's gone wrong? No way is this going to be 50k! I looked back at some other fics. My next longest fic has 42 scenes. But it's only 41k! OMG! 

I looked at my other mid length fics.

28k = 18 scenes
28k = 19 scenes
22k = 14 scenes
32k = 19 scenes
28k = 16 scenes
34k = 18 scenes

This is reassuring. But what about the rogue '42 scene / 41 k' fic? How can I be sure this one isn't going to go fucked up like that one? 

I have so many questions. How do you estimate the length of a fic? Are you anywhere near being right when you do so? I've never even TRIED before, so I have no freaking idea.

Thank you if you can help! ♥ And I hope you are all well?

Comments

[lightofdaye]

okay, first is it's nice to see you. Second is good luck with your fic whatever happens. And third is, I'm sorry I know nothing about the topic at hand. The longest fic I ever wrote in one go was 16K.

The best advice I can give, is as LQTT says, ignore the word count, don't worry about the math, just write and enjoy the writing and do the story that's in your end as is for the first draft.

Editing and subsequent is when you can take stock and look at the length and add or prune scenes to fit if necessary.

If you come up short it's not the end of the world.

[birdsofshore]

It's lovely to see you, daye! I hope you're doing OK?

I think ignoring the word count and writing the story is good advice. I'm just worried I might end up several k short, and there's no leeway with the bang, it's either 50k or it isn't. I could always put it on ao3 on its own, of course, but I'd feel it was a failure, and I've got a lovely artist who's agreed to work with me, which I'm very excited about. So I do hope to be able to participate.

Thanks for your thoughts and reassurance. I know you're right, but it won't necessarily stop me angsting about it!

[lightofdaye]

I wasn't think you could just post it elsewhere if you fall short, although that is an option. If you finish your first draft early you can always find new things to put in. A new subplot or new scenes, or as someone suggested extra smut!

Still I do advise not stressing as of course we do this for the fun! :)

[birdsofshore]

My gut tells me that adding parts just to make up the word count would feel like 'filler'. But it definitely could work.

All for the fun, of course ;-)