Arrrhh!
This is what is running through my head as i am editing and reshaping my first chapter for submitting for the competition.
I knew as i was writing my WIP i would have to edit and rework it but i was hoping to not have to until i'd finished and now i am doing it before i'm finished.
Am i doing it too soon, or will it make it stronger now?
Anyway, i'm cutting out quite a lot from the beginning as it has way too much of that dreaded backstory! Inevitable when you are working with characters who have a past, and a newbie writer :)
Now i'm trying to filter it in so it is more 'present' and makes sense while keeping the tension, and hopefully readable.
What do you think the word count should be for the first chapter? The conditions for the comp said no more than 10,000 but i think this is too many words for a first chapter personally, so do i do half this or do the whole lot???
Arrrhh!!!
That 10K limit is for the first chapter, second chapter and pivotal moment combined. M&B recommend that the PM not exceed 1000 words so for the first two chapters you've got 9K to work with :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should've also mentioned that M&B said the word limit is really to stop people from uploading whole chapters, so you don't have to have exactly 10K, it's fine to be under that.
ReplyDeleteWhatever works for your story.
Oooh first two chapters, well that's promising K :) and I'm trying to send the chapter back with the track changes but it keeps getting returned, I think your e-mail server must be down :( I'll try tomorrow morn
ReplyDeletewow Lacey, thanks for that! Where did you get that info from? I guess i'll have to read the fine print more closely!!
ReplyDeleteSorry Kerrin I should have posted a link! Originally it came from elsewhere but its all in one place at NV now: http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/News/3-Word-Count-Clarification
ReplyDelete