I’m a relentless reader! I push forward with a book to the end, sometimes what feels like the bitter end! Okay, maybe I’ve given up on a handful of books that were so dreadful that I couldn’t stick with them. But most books, if not good or great, are tolerable reads. There are the slow starters that take a while to soak into the story. I can handle that one. And then there are the tomes like G. K. Chesterton’s “The Everlasting Man.” It was an assigned reading—a painful, frustrating experience with glimmers of Chesterton’s brilliant observations. How can I criticize his reasoning and arguments that led C. S. Lewis on the journey from an atheist to a Christian? For me, a book doesn’t have to be a page turner. But, it has to have some qualities that keep me engaged, and it’s not always easy to pinpoint those qualities. Sometimes it’s the subject matter or historical facts woven into the plot. Other stories have a remarkable author’s voice or finely drawn characters that keep me engrossed.
With innumerable novels, biographies, autobiographies, there’s more to read than a lifetime affords. You’d think with the aching reality of “too many books, too little time” I’d be more judicious in my reading selections. I guess I can look at learning something even from books I don’t like, as in what not to do!
And now I’m working intermittently on my third novel in a series entitled “The Miriam Chronicles.” I find that reading other works of fiction pull me away from my own writing. I get so invested in other storylines that I neglect my own characters and abandon their development and getting words on the page or screen. My challenge for the remainder of this year is to get back on a regular writing schedule including the three blogs I write monthly! Discipline is not one of my strengths, especially with time management! And if I’m a slow reader, I can be a really slow writer!!
The other discipline I need to keep in mind is story length! Aside from their entertainment and/or educational value, books, novellas, or short stories have anticipated page counts. A novella should average 100 pages. But books, based on the genre, can vary. The key, according to bestselling authors and publishers, is not to disappoint readers by straying from what’s expected to a specific book genre. I’m not sure I fully adhere to that advice, but I’m no expert!
As a relative newcomer to the author world, I learned a few things the hard way, specifically about book length. My first novel, “Unearthing Christmas,” was a very reasonable 172 pages. I’ve had a few fans say they read it in one sitting! My former publisher suggested a series is more successful than a standalone. The idea of writing a series was already in my head before I signed a contract for five novels. The characters introduced in “Unearthing Christmas” jumped for joy when they landed on story pages. And, they weren’t finished with me. They wanted their stories told! So the second book, “The Years In Between” goes into depth on the secondary main character in “Unearthing Christmas.” Her story was quite the ride. By the time I got off the roller coaster, the first draft clocked in at 133,000 words, which double-spaced, is about 522 pages. My publisher, at the time, said revise to 100,000 words or less. For me, it wasn’t the notion of “killing my darlings.” It felt more like “sabotaging the story!” So I carved, reshaped, and cut it down to 111,000 words. Meanwhile, my publisher merged with another publisher who picked up the first book, but not the rest of the series. In April, I self-published the second book, “The Years In Between,” at 404 pages. I classified the second book as historical fiction which is a little more lenient with page length.
But the question remains: Can you stray from the page-length norm, especially for a series? I turned to one of the most popular book series ever written: Harry Potter. The first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is a reasonable 76,944 words, enough to hook the reader in. But the word count grew with every successive installment. When we get to the fifth book, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” we’re at a whopping 257,045 word count! But J. K. Rowling grew a loyal Harry Potter following by then, and word count meant nothing. It was all about the story!
As writers, we know established, highly successful authors are given much more latitude in story length. What publisher would tell Stephen King to watch his word count? But, if you’re seeking a traditional publisher, it’s best to adhere to the genre expectations, especially if you’re new to the author game. Sometimes, less brush strokes on the canvas can make for a more striking image and, in this case, a more powerful story! There’s an online article, “How Many Words in a Book Do You Need by Genre,” by Jan Hernandez that lists word count expectations for each genre. And remember, there’s no limit to imagination, only the words you choose to bring your story to life! Happy writing!!!