Word Count

The word count is intimidating. That's a fact. For a fiction novel your book should probably be a minimum of 60,000 words. Wow. That's a lot. Write now my novel is 45,000 words so I'm going back through and I'm thickening the plot and adding more words. I think this will actually improve my novel.

Here are the recommended word counts for various genres.
These are taken from http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/word-count.html

• Short story: any fictional work under 7,500 words
• Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500 words
• Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000 words
• Novel: anything over 40,000 words

Though a novel is anything about 40,000 words you're going to have much better luck if you make it longer. If you can get your word count up to 70 or 80 thousand without just dragging your story then you're golden!

Writing Tip: It's always easy to take away some of your story than it is to try and write more. When you write your first draft put in everything you can think of, then go back through and take it out later.

Alysa Tarrant

Literary Agents

Now I love to be organized. If things aren't organized it bothers me with end. So as I am now getting to the point in writing where I am researching literary agents and writing query letters I have made a chart. This chart has an unlimited number of rows and has seven columns. These columns are as follows:

• Agent
• Email
• Agency 
• Submission requirements
• Sent (When the query letter was sent)
• Replied (When and if the agent replies)
• Comments (any comments that the agent might have left that are important)

This is really helpful for me because that way I can see who I intend to send out query letters to and who has responded. 

Writing Tip: When you write don't have anything open except your writing and possibly research. Also, always have a glass of water close at hand.

Alysa Tarrant

Computers for Writers

Of the late I have been researching computers for writers. A writer's computer is their life. It's where we write our stories, do our research, and contact agents and publishers. Here are some of my requirements for a new computer, which I have not found yet but would love suggestions!

• Light
• Under 16 inches
• Easily accessible documents
• Can play music
• Access internet
• Fast
• Over 200 GB
• Good battery light

As of right now I am leaning toward a Chromebook. The only thing I don't like is that I will have to use Google Docs all the time and that I would have to transfer all of my music. As for the Google Docs that's not too much of a problem except for the fact that there is limited space on Google Docs. The price is also fairly good. It's just below $300. 

I am also considering a Mac. Macs seem to be great in every sense except that they're usually over $1000, which let's be honest, most of us teen writers can't afford. 

Question: What kind of computer do you use and what do you like about it?

Alysa Tarrant

Writing is Like Debating

For me, writing is like debating. I take a debate class in school and there are some debates that I get very passionate about, so passionate that you can not shut me up. When you write you need to be passionate about it. There should be times when you get so excited about writing that you just can't stop.

You should also find your "brand" of writing. For instance I enjoy writing mainstream fiction. Maybe you like writing about magic or maybe historical fiction. Either way you should also enjoy the research for your book. Researching is actually one of my favorite parts of writing a novel, assuming it's something I want to research.

Question: What is your "brand"?

Alysa Tarrant

Plan it Out

So I know that in my last post I said that I write to find out what happens. That's only partially true. I don't fill out a plot chart or anything but I have found it very helpful to just write out bullet points of what is going to happen. This way if you get stuck when you start writing you can look at your bullet points and see that you were going to add a cat in the next scene.

The point is it's going to be easier to sit down and write if you know what you're writing about.

Writing Tip: If you get an idea for a story write it down because it could be the next bestseller.

Alysa Tarrant

The Start of a Book

I decided today was the day that I would start my second novel. This second novel is a sequel to The Opals, my first novel which has yet to be published or even sent to a literary agent.

For the past few weeks ideas had been floating around in my head about what would happen in this second novel. In my first novel I left the end so it was obvious that there would be a second novel, I just wasn't sure what that novel would be. I was hoping that the book would just come dancing into my thoughts and my fingers would just type that 100,000 word best seller onto a document, because writing a book is easy right? Wrong. So, so wrong. The ideas in my head were not a well organized flash mob. These ideas were instead, a group of middle schoolers at a dance, awkwardly swaying to a fro, not even on beat. These middle schoolers had the potential to be this amazing flash mob but they lacked the discipline. Same with ideas. My first writing tip was about sitting down and starting your book. I decided it was time to take my own advice and make those awkward middle schoolers into a professional flash mob that would take the world by storm. So I sat down, opened up a document, typed a few words, and decided to blog about it. 

Sit down and write your book. You don't even have to start at the beginning. If you have a scene in your head write it and go from there!

I'm one of those people that writes to see what happens. I don't even know the end of the story until I've written it, and I'm the one who came up with it. So if you're having trouble just sitting down and writing, plan your novel out. Make a plot chart (Google image it) and go from there. 

Now before I take my own advice and I close everything except my document I'm going to pose you a question, and please my readers which as of write (I'm feeling punny!) now are few but appreciated, answer this question in the comments and I will love you forever. 

Question: How do you write? Are you a planner or do you write to see what happens?

Alysa Tarrant

Sherlock the TV Show

Ever since I started writing as I watch TV shows I have a new appreciation for the writing. Just yesterday I started watching Sherlock, something I wish I had done a long time ago. The show is amazing for anyone who hasn't seen it or thinks they will not like it. The episodes are each about an hour and twenty minutes, so about the length of a short movie.
The way these episodes are written are what really intrigues me. Though I have only seen two episodes so far I can tell that there is an overlaying plot (one that arches over all of the the episodes) as well as a smaller plot in each episode. Now I'm not sure but I would think that all of the episodes would have to be written out in advance, so that this overlaying plot can flow smoothly.
If you have ever seen Sherlock than you know what I mean when I talk about Sherlock deducing things. So far I have seen it the most in Season 1 Episode 1 but just by looking at something he can see pretty much the whole life story of the person or the situation he is looking at. It would be quite an honor to meet Sherlock Holmes but I'm not sure if I'd want him deducing me. :) Either way this brings me back to the writers of the show. They seem to write so as the show goes along it seems like nothing fits together but then towards the end we begin to see how it all works out. Unless you've seen the show you can't understand what I mean but if you're a writer than you definitely want this show on your radar!

Writing Tip: If you're experiencing writer's block write out a few pages of your favorite book.

 

Alysa Tarrant