How far into your book are you? How long will it be?

[jwdenzel]

The subject says it all.   How far into these novels are each of you?  How long do you think they'll end up being? 

Are your books the first of an intended series? Or just stand-alones?

To answer my own question and kick things off, I'm only about 25,000 words into my book (entitled, for now, The Gates of Heaven).  I have a full outline for it, and my guess is that it will be about 100-150,000 words.  It's a stand-alone, but I suppose if I one day have millions of fans drooling for more I could find some more stories in the same world.  The ending of "Gates" is pretty conclusive though, and I'd never want to drag it it out longer. 

I'm currently writing chapter 10.  So I suppose I have some more stuff I can share with you now, but I fully admit that I'd rather be well ahead of you guys; my fist readers.

J

[Frog]

Oh fun! We should have done this awhile ago. I imagine everyone here likes to talk about their projects....

Well Queen's is long (some 500pgs, 50+ chps, and 150000 words). Probably too long as it has been my perpetual project since the beginning of high school that is constantly evolving. Right now, I am really trying to edit and focus it, oh, and since it is meant to be the beginning of a trilogy, actually finish the other two books which are about halfway and a fourth way through the first draft respectively. And I have ideas for other books/series I hope to write in the same world if I ever get it right.

In my attempts to simplify/focus/connect Queen's, I have just recently considered putting it on the back burner for awhile and seeing if it helps. Wilson and I are now brainstorming ideas for a few other books we would like to write together. It has been a lot of fun and if we actually get to the writing stages, that might be what you see next instead of more Queen's....

[deckacards]

Well...mine is currently untitled and is about 26 - 27,000 words in...I believe I have maybe 7 chapters worth of material...plus 2 prologues...

The structure, at this point, has 3 parts (or Books) to it..each book in the single novel may have its own Prologue for back story tales...but the novel is intended as a stand alone.

I would guess around 40 chapters as a goal...? And my original goal was 100,000 words...but I think that it will be closer to 125 - 150,000 words...? Honestly, it's my first novel...so I have no frame of reference...it could be 300,000 words for all I know...

Much of it is already layed out, but I am currently undergoing a few re-writes of some areas...some of that is due to layout changes...some of it will change the layout itself...

We'll see...

[jwdenzel]

@Frog....

Good for you for being open to fresh ideas.  I struggled and fought with an idea that I had had since I was a teenager, and it just never came together.  I was incredibly attached to it, and to the characters.   Once I let go of it - something I think we all need to do if we're going to be good writers -  I found that fresh ideas came rolling in in its wake.  These new ideas were rooted in a more mature part of me, and the stories ended up feeling more genuine and real.  Not something I was trying to force out of me.

[Frog]

Believe me it has been a struggle. Wilson can tell you that trying to get me to come up with anything but Queen's stuff is like pulling teeth because I am so attached to it. But I think we are making some good progress now and I still think Queen's has some potential, it just needs some time to simmer. At least that is what I would like to think because getting rid of it completely would depress me too much at this point.... 

[Reaves]

I am currently about 50,000 words into Crystalheart, or twenty chapters. Thus far I've declared everything through chapter seventeen to be part one, book one, with two more parts to follow. So, best guess for word total? 150k. My plan is for it to be a trilogy.

And honestly Frog, I'm in the opposite situation as you. I have to do my best to avoid thinking about my other ideas...if I do come up with a good thought I just write it into the "Ideas" document and try to ignore it!

[little wilson]

Hahaha....Yes, I will agree with that statement. We started brainstorming, and I told her some basic ideas that I'd had and she's like "those sound like good ideas, but all I can see is how they would work with Queen's"....or something to that effect. It took actually convincinhg her to put it aside for now, for her to come up with non-Queen related material. And now we've got a LOT of stuff. I LOVE it!

And staying on that one for second, I really like the idea of collaboration. I have problems with motivation, and that's something Jacque (Frog) has NO problems with, and so I'm really hoping that once we get started on this, I can see it through to the end (which is something I've never done before with my writing) with her help. And then I can do the same thing with Crashers.

And now Crashers. I'm currently working on writing an in-depth outline for the whole book (and yes, Jacque I have started that, so HA!). It's the first of a trilogy, and I've got plenty of ideas for the whole thing, but I haven't actually written a whole lot. Right now, I've got into the 4th chapter. But I'm having to re-write what I've already got, to fit in with new ideas....Plus I had some problems with POV lately, but those are all cleared up. For now....Yeah. So, basically, I'm not too far into the writing process of that one, especially since I expect it to be, right now, around 15-18 chapters...or something in that area.

And Reaves, I'm with you on that one...Totally. I've got about 10 different ideas going around in my head, and it's hard to just focus on one...

[wcarter4]

Well, I have several projects some permanently shelved because they suck, others floating around in my head as a series of scenes or in the case of Granite Sunrise a few chapters in the work simultaneously and an ever evolving outline. I don't keep word-counts because I never know how many words a story that changes multiple times will be.

[Necroben]

My book Aspirations was actually a last minuet change in my NaNo story.  I have approx. 30k on the comp and another ~33k on paper.  I could go as much as 250k so far but I've got too many other ideas for now.  So originally, it's supposed to be a stand alone, but there are some other adventures Jason's been having in my head that I'm really excited about recently. (Thanks to all the feed-back I've been getting, Y'all'er great!) I'm kinda stuck in-between them all.  But I have full out-lines for four books right now and six starting paragraphs (darn ADD), all different stories.   
But... I... Must... Fin... ish... This... one... First... ouch.

[Silk]

One thing I feel I should get out there first:

I am a bad example.

I'm currently working on two novels (see? bad example). The first is a sword-and-sworcery gig that thus far clocks in at just under 94,000 words. It's a stand-alone that will probably hit around 150,000 words. (Maybe more, though I don't expect it to go as long as 200.)

My other novel is also a fantasy novel. Well, it's a fantasy novel that might end up being a historical novel instead. (Long story.)  Anyway, it's only just underway, at the 10,000 word mark. I really have no idea yet how long it's going to go, but I'm going to put it at 200,000 just because there's no way it's going to be a short book. It's also a stand-alone, though there I did write a novella that takes place in the same setting, with a couple of the same characters, about two years previous to this novel. The novella stands on its own, however, and the novel will too.

I'm also working on a play, a video game, and a story album, but those're in the beginning stages yet.

[Pipe]

*sighs* I think I have a ways to go with the book - I have a rough scene-outline ready, but as I intend this to be something of a serial, one which is grounded in the Philippine experience of the supernatural and its myths and legends, I really need to bone up on my research. The problem is that while there are a handful of popular myths and mythological creatures. there is as far as I can tell no unified "Filipino" mythology to draw from; instead there are the myths and superstitions of dozens of smaller tribal groups, with a overlap and cross-pollination amongst those geographically adjacent, but each with something unique. So I need to spend a lot of time trying to cast as wide a net as I can overall that, then more time afterward sorting through my "catch" and deciding what to keep and what to throw back into the water.

Since it's a long term thing and I *need* to be writing *something*, my writing right now is concentrated on short fiction - not my forte to say the least - while I try to slowly piece together a worldview for my Philippine Urban Fantasy novel. That being said, I'm hoping not to go over 100K words for it, since I think there's a market here for shorter works, regularly released.

[Karl]

I'm not working on a novel.

That being said, I've written 4 more-or-less complete short movie scripts in a series, with the 5th one in the works. Technically, I wrote 1,2,3 & 5, and now am filling in #4 which I skipped over. And #6 keeps creeping into my brain. Totaly running time, if all were presented back to back (including #4) would be about 4 1/2 hours.

I"m not entirely sure just how long the entire series will be. I'm going to let the stories dictate that.

[jwdenzel]

@ Karl -- are your short movie scripts all in the same series then? 

Interesting.

Can't wait to read them.  I've got at least one of your previous submissions on my list and I'll review in the near future.  I'm still trying to catch up on my back log.

[M]

Ace Tomato Company is intended to be a two book novel.  I am about 50,000 words into it.  My chapters are pretty short, like 6 to 8 pages each.  I'm on about page 230 or so.   My plan is to end book one around 80,000 to 100,000 words (whenever the story ends).  Book two will be a whole new adventure that will tie off all the intended loose ends from the first book.

[Karl]

@ Karl -- are your short movie scripts all in the same series then? 

Yes. The series has an overall story arc, but each script has its own plot and resolution (of sorts).