I've always said I don’t like the write X words per day method of writing because writing is fun, not something I have to make myself do. And here I've been writing to a word count for months and months.
Since I was a naysayer, let's talk about the downsides. Writing to a word count definitely makes writing feel like work. The things I'm writing with a word count aren't things I look forward to working on. Because I'm treating them like work, I only do what I have to - which means I stop when I hit my word count, even if I have the time to write more. And because they're the things I'm "supposed" to do, I end up not doing much of anything else because I'm not allowing myself to work on other things until I hit my word count. This isn't to say I don't do other things, but I don't do anything else productive because I'm "supposed" to be using my productive time/energy for the word count items.
But it's not all bad. Writing to a word count does keep me on track with (a) writing a significant amount every day and (b) finishing projects. I think the style of writing is different too. The stuff I'm writing to a word count seems more complete, I suppose - and that's with only reading over the few sentences before where I am to orient myself. An interesting example: I wrote the parts I loved of "You Can't Kiss A Movie" before I even signed up for big bang, and then I wrote the rest of it a couple hundred words a day. When I was done with my draft, I went back and read through the whole thing and was pleasantly surprised by how well it hung together as a story. I'm now somewhat excited by the prospect of reading through my novel when I finish it to see how well it hangs together.
This weekend, I wrote a bit in response to an![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
anon_lovefest prompt from last week. It was so much fun. I wasn't writing to a word count (and I hadn't even written my word count for the day yet); I just wrote a couple of scenes that were in my head. But now I keep reading it with a more critical eye. There are places where it could be expanded. I could fill in all the parts in the middle between the first scene and the last scene. It could be more of a "real story" (whatever that actually means). But then I think that it doesn't have to be. Part of what makes fandom fun is that we can write things that are just the few key scenes we want to write and have them be understandable and readable and enjoyable. Is my five-scene, thousand-word fic that has only a modicum of plot good enough to post? What about my two thousand-word space AU with a mostly handwaved plot that's really just an excuse for one moment at the beginning and the last scene? What makes something a "real story" - and when we're talking fandom, does it really matter or does the sharing of the image trump the need to write a "real story"?
Since I was a naysayer, let's talk about the downsides. Writing to a word count definitely makes writing feel like work. The things I'm writing with a word count aren't things I look forward to working on. Because I'm treating them like work, I only do what I have to - which means I stop when I hit my word count, even if I have the time to write more. And because they're the things I'm "supposed" to do, I end up not doing much of anything else because I'm not allowing myself to work on other things until I hit my word count. This isn't to say I don't do other things, but I don't do anything else productive because I'm "supposed" to be using my productive time/energy for the word count items.
But it's not all bad. Writing to a word count does keep me on track with (a) writing a significant amount every day and (b) finishing projects. I think the style of writing is different too. The stuff I'm writing to a word count seems more complete, I suppose - and that's with only reading over the few sentences before where I am to orient myself. An interesting example: I wrote the parts I loved of "You Can't Kiss A Movie" before I even signed up for big bang, and then I wrote the rest of it a couple hundred words a day. When I was done with my draft, I went back and read through the whole thing and was pleasantly surprised by how well it hung together as a story. I'm now somewhat excited by the prospect of reading through my novel when I finish it to see how well it hangs together.
This weekend, I wrote a bit in response to an
anon_lovefest prompt from last week. It was so much fun. I wasn't writing to a word count (and I hadn't even written my word count for the day yet); I just wrote a couple of scenes that were in my head. But now I keep reading it with a more critical eye. There are places where it could be expanded. I could fill in all the parts in the middle between the first scene and the last scene. It could be more of a "real story" (whatever that actually means). But then I think that it doesn't have to be. Part of what makes fandom fun is that we can write things that are just the few key scenes we want to write and have them be understandable and readable and enjoyable. Is my five-scene, thousand-word fic that has only a modicum of plot good enough to post? What about my two thousand-word space AU with a mostly handwaved plot that's really just an excuse for one moment at the beginning and the last scene? What makes something a "real story" - and when we're talking fandom, does it really matter or does the sharing of the image trump the need to write a "real story"?