69000 / 80000 words. 86% done!

Just hit 69,000 words on the first draft of my Mages and Werewolves story. And yes, before you ask the Scrivener file is actually still titled Mages & Werewolves, oh my! because I’m still not 100% satisfied with my other working title (Bone and Blood, which my writing partner has pointed out could imply vampires, not something I want to really imply with this story!)

I’m still pretty blown away by this word count. I know in the grand scope of writing it’s actually not very impressive but for myself, it’s pretty damn monumental. Prior to this story, the longest thing I’d ever written and come close to finishing hit 21,000 before going on hiatus.

My original goal for this first draft was 65k; that obviously didn’t happen. I’m now looking at about 80k with the idea that at least 10,000 words will probably get cut in the first revision. I know the weakness with my writing style on this story has been unnecessarily wordy action descriptions and I definitely want to trim some of that out before I send the story off to beta. Overall, and at the end of the day, as long as the final draft is 60k I’ll be happy. I think that’s an admirable goal for a debut novel. Not too long or weighty, with hopefully tight enjoyable narrative. If there’s one thing I’ve learned going to Evergreen, it’s that short and good is much more difficult to achieve than long and…less good. 😉

From Bone & Blood

You’ll never find a married witch. Women are just smarter about these things. Occasionally you may run across a warlock trying to make a go of it, but this inevitably ends in disaster. Heavy magic users tend to share a common, and disastrous, personality type: narcissistic, self-absorbed and forgetful. And if you think they make terrible spouses, then the truth is, they make even worse mates. This is something every wolfcub knows, in his gut. 

In his heart.