So. I’m happily going along, revising SB, reviewing all the feedback I’ve received, when I notice a circle on the word count on a draft. Then a note about word count on another draft. And then, my brain remembers a conversation from one of our peer critique sessions, when a friend remarked that I should check the word count on YA novels. I did that, and yup. I’m about 20,000 words short. 🤦🏻♀️ When I first completed this story, it was close to 28,000 words longer. I didn’t realize in all the shape-shifting the manuscript has done, that it’d lost that much during the process.
But, that’s OK, because there are half a dozen chapters in the last two acts of the story that need to be split into two separate chapters, and then added to. There are also some back-fill details that should be added to the first act, which could be accomplished in one, but probably will best be accomplished in two additional chapters. A couple of chapters need to be filled in because they are more like place holders, and then the ending needs to be filled out more. Writing 20,000 words sounds like a good way to spend the rest of summer. 😬 I’m going to add those 20,000 words while revising (not necessarily editing) the manuscript. I want it completely done by September 1st. SB’s current word count is 37,924 words. I’d also like to finish outlining SoS by September 1st and potentially write a complete first draft of that manuscript during the month of September before getting ready for NaNoWriMo.
What are you working on right now? What’s keeping you motivated lately?
Happy Writing!
Nikole Breault 
I have the same problem, where I never seem to have enough words… We Live in the Dark is around 46K and Victim’s Ball is 52K. Apparently, along with pantser and plotter, there are also put-inners and take-outers, people who underwrite and overwrite… I wish I did more overwriting but alas…
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Oh geez, I’ve never heard of put-inners and take-outers. I wish more of what I overwrote belonged in the story in my revisions, but a lot of it is me trying to figure out what I’m trying to say, and then when I do, I realize a lot of it can be cut to be written more elegantly.
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I am working on about six different picture book manuscripts right now. Not knowing if I won a mentorship is keeping me motivated. I expect I didn’t so I expect I’m going to be quite disappointed tomorrow!!!
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That’s awesome to be working on that much though, regardless of the outcome of the motivator! 😁
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