Why I like max word count limits and why I always go way over on the rough draft
I’ve written a total of 25 short stories earmarked for competitions. I haven’t entered them all, maybe 15 or so. Five were accepted. All but one – Wet Dreams – had a first draft of at least 5,000 words. Two ended up with over 10,000 words. The process of cutting down from that many words to a set maximum count of 3,500, which may seem daunting, does 2 things.
First, it gets rid of all the unnecessary clutter. I never realized how often I say: really, in fact, I think. It also makes me focus on dialog and how few words are needed to make the point – less is more.
I enjoy the revisions – forcing me to cut down on words. It forces me to make every word count; each remaining word is important. Revising 5,000 plus words to 3,500, with the mandate to keep the integrity of the story – or better yet, improve it – is fun. And after the goal is achieved, that’s when the true writing begins.
Second is atmosphere. Cutting words to fit a specific count (or less) means cutting the brilliant blue of the sky, a cool breeze that washes over you, and the piercing eyes of a villain. But all those things are vital. What is a story if there is no summer breeze, no winter hail, and no rolling hills?
So after reaching the word count, I start the most important edit – fitting back in the atmosphere and emotion lost in the bloodletting. I try and hopefully succeed, to put back the room without air, the beach sand pelting skin like a machine gun, a drink that cooled a soul. Damn, 278 words over again!
It’s a challenge but doing this forces the removal of words and makes the story more efficient, more focused on the goal, and less flowery (boring). And that helps someone like me improve a piece.
My first attempt at a novel ended with almost 300,000 words. Multiple edits and a couple of years later only reduced that story to over 200,000 – far too many for a simple love story. And far too many for a complex love story.
Another benefit of hitting that maximum word count, if the story isn’t accepted for that contest, I can go back and judiciously add back in the words I struggled over deleting. Reading is all about falling into a story, seeing what the character sees, hearing what the character hears, and feeling that same cool breeze on your cheek.
Only once so far has the word count stumped me, and I’m taking advantage of that. I’m turning the writing into a series of shorts where the protagonist, as well as many other characters, appear in each story. So far, I like the results and enjoying the writing. But even with this piece, I’ve put a word count limit on each section. And sure enough, each first draft has far exceeded that. I look forward to painfully cutting each brilliantly written word. Ha!
