Wednesday, July 24, 2002
It wasn't difficult getting back to work yesterday (Tuesday). I did 1,301 words on Chapter Eleven, which now looks as though it will be finished on Thursday, and another 596 words on "The Drowned Geologist," which I have no choice but to complete by sometime on Saturday.
The rain teased us again.
I realized that there's one of Maureen's questions (see 7/22), implied if not stated, that I didn't answer, regarding the word count for Low Red Moon, and my novels in general. I have no pre-set word limit on novels. My editor would probably be just as happy, probably happier, if I wrote a 1,000-page novel as if I write a 259-page novel (which is what Threshold came to in print). But, at least for the moment, I hold fast to a convinction that most novels should be short (I make allowances for James Joyce and Thomas Pynchon, though most of their novels are short, come to think of it). It is the inherent weakness of the novel form of fiction that it is too long to start with, allowing the writer the opportunity for excess. The longer the novel, the greater the likelihood that the contrivances of literature will become even more transparent than usual. So, with these beliefs in mind, I've set a length for myself, that comes out to about 140,000 words. It's really longer than I'd like my novels to be (70,000, or even 50,000, would be preferable), but the lowest number I think I can get away with right now. That's one reason I keep up with the word count. It's a way of keeping myself in line, reminding myself that certain things have to be done by a certain point in the manuscript, because this puppy wraps at about 140,000 words.
Time to go make words.
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