Monday, October 19, 2009

How Big Is 50,000 Words?


**************National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenges writers to spill out 50,000 words in 30 days. In case you're wondering what 50,000 words looks like, here's a list of novels that are approximately that length. (I took this list from Chris Baty's book, No Plot? No Problem!)

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Catcher in the Rye
by J. D. Salinger

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
by Mark Twain

Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
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The critter in the photo is my most recent laptop companion. I've nicknamed him Chris, after Chris Baty, the guy behind NaNoWriMo. If things get tough during November, novel writing month, I'll pick at his fur instead of tearing my own hair out.
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Now go to http://www.nanowrimo.org/. and sign up.
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See previous posts for more National Novel Writing Month information.

7 comments:

Annie said...

It never fails when I come here, I always end up LAUGHING OUT LOUD!! As for signing up to write the next 50,000 word novel, not right now because I am already known for being crazy and I don't want to get so bad that they admit me!
I hope you can share some of your work in your blog. And also, if you can think about anything else that month, the process you will be going through to produce such an undertaking. If anyone can do it, you can! And I know it may be a challenge at first, but once your thoughts start flowing, it will be a piece of cake! At least you have a sidekick to pull on instead of your own hair! Interested to know if you are doing any prep now?

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

Hellooo Chris Cutie!
My-my... 50,000?! was there really someone who really counted them?! I can't handle that job whatsoever...I think I'll be pulling my hair!
haha...
Great Tuesday Shaddy darling!
xo*

Anonymous said...

What the heck is that thing? Does it bite?

I'm afraid it might hop on your keyboard and start chewing away at your fingertips. I hope you keep it well fed.

I'm flexing the imagination muscle and getting ready for the NaNo challenge. I have also been doing fingertip pushups, eyeball calisthenics and trying out pillows under my fanny.

Cheryl Peters said...

Annie: Actually, other than settling "Chris" next to my computer, I haven't made any other preparations. Regarding quality of writing, I'm aiming for about three inches above gutter level,therefore, planning is out-of-the-question. Honestly, I'm anticipating something comparable to a free-for-all. I'm pumped up by the thought of getting 50,000 words written in 30 days. I'm not concerned with what the words amount to. At this moment, I have no plot. According to Chris Baty, that's no problem. We'll see!!

Lenore: Word processing programs have word-count features. I'll know how many words I've written simply by looking at my word-count figure. Happy day to you, too.

darksculptures: I'm not sure what kind of critter Chris is. I think maybe a beaver but I wouldn't bet on it. I'll find a chunk of wood for him to gnaw on. He hasn't bit me yet, but when I start pulling on his fur I reckon I'll find out about his capacity for harassment. It sounds like you're training well for the big event! From reading your blog, I know you've even got some direction to follow. Me, I'll be flying by the seat of my pants, as usual. I just noticed that November 1st is a Sunday; that's a good thing!

mary.anne.gruen@gmail.com said...

Chris is very cute! I hope you won't have to pick his fur out. LOL

It sounds like you've got your head set in the right direction and you're ready to go!

Cheryl Peters said...

Mary Anne: I agree. I believe I'm as ready as I need to be.

Paul Gresham said...

I've written 50.000 words of a novel but thought that 65.000 was the minimum.
I was wondering how I could get my word count up to 65.000,
thanks for the info.