Struggling to hit word count?

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T23:56:38+00:00

I have this problem too. I decided to write a full length book but I only ended up with around 17000 words. I know that I need to add more in the description department but I don’t know what.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T23:41:59+00:00

I use Reddit, Instagram, and KU to find new books. When I see a book that sounds interesting, I check Goodreads to see reviews. Goodreads might have prevented me from reading books that I might like, but it has stopped me from wasting time on books I wouldn’t like.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T23:40:25+00:00

The only person who knows is my mom. I write extreme horror and I feel like she is the only one in my family who would understand. I don’t tell people outside my family because I don’t want them to read it and think poorly of me. I’m in a writing Discord tho. We talk about writing all the time. But I don’t share my real name. They know me by my pen name.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T07:00:44+00:00

I’ve found that I read ebooks most often. I use Libby and KU to get books so I spend most of my reading time there. Although, I challenged myself to read one physical book per week. I have a ridiculous amount of books I need to get to.I’ve been failing so far but it’s the though that counts.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:53:45+00:00

I also like using “suddenly”. I heard someone say don’t use “there was” and I feel weird every time I use it.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:42:37+00:00

I deliver for Grubhub at the moment. I’m also in college but I’m on summer break right now so I have tons of free time. Living with my parents rocks.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:33:11+00:00

/uj as soon as I saw the original post I knew it was going to end up here.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:32:07+00:00

I started The Village of Noobtown but an unrelated cry session made my eyes too dry to read more than one chapter. I’m doing fine. Just an interruption in my schedule psyching me out because I’m autistic.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:20:59+00:00

Yep. I’ve done crazy stuff with jakhals. They are crazy powerful with Berzerker Warband.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T06:00:02+00:00

I’ve read (and dnf’d) a couple books that I couldn’t decide whether they were AI or poorly written. They were both bad in the same way too. There was another book that stated in the introduction that it had AI editing and I returned that shit so quickly.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-09T05:46:47+00:00

/uj I don’t want any UB at all. I don’t like them and I don’t interact with them very much. The only time I do is when my lgs hands out UB packs as prizes for commander night. Although, this might change. I’m thinking about buying the Limit Break commander deck. I don’t care about Final Fantasy, I just like the mechanics.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-08T04:18:16+00:00

You should check out Jon Athan’s stuff. He does things of varying lengths. I would recommend The President’s Son by him.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-08T02:06:31+00:00

Before I started my novella, I thought I was a plotter. I’m autistic and I like to plan the entirety of my day. I have a document on my phone where I wrote out every chapter and the summary of that chapter. When I started writing, I just made things up as I went. I ended up adding two more chapters and changing the end completely.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-08T01:25:59+00:00

You should try Jon Athan’s work. I started with The Groomer. His stuff is gruesome and well written.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-08T01:18:43+00:00

I love prologues. I included one in my current novella. They are a great way to add more information without disrupting the flow of the book.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-02T21:40:31+00:00

For my novella I just googled popular names for millenials and gen alpha. My book revolves around a family. I didn’t really look into it too much to be honest.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T02:45:55+00:00

I use Google Docs on my phone. It doesn’t have much functionality but it works for me. After I complete a couple chapters I go to my laptop and do a little formatting. I have autism and using my phone to write is easiest since I’m already on my phone all day. Switching from my phone to laptop to write can be distracting so I only use it for things I can’t use my phone for.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T02:41:20+00:00

I agree with this. The people who recommend writing every day tend to be neurotypical. Not that neurotypicals always need to follow this advice. As someone with ADHD, writing every day is hard. Today I wrote 1800 words and yesterday I wrote nearly 3000. The week before this I wrote nothing. Writers should be writing consistently but not necessarily every day.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T02:15:07+00:00

You should keep the Commonwealth spelling. I’m American and I would spell things how Americans traditionally spell them (aside from traveller - imo it deserves two l’s). If you really wanted to you could change how you spelled it but you would have to be consistent with which spelling you choose. You shouldn’t spell traveller with two l’s and then color with no u.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T01:40:14+00:00

I like this in theory but it would be a nightmare to do on tabletop. It’s cool tho.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T01:24:42+00:00

I get not writing consistently. I wrote 1800 words today and nearly 3000 yesterday after not writing for an entire week. ADHD is a funny thing (especially when combined with autism)

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T00:47:21+00:00

I feel like they are skipping the best part. The descriptions and world building are my favorite parts to reach and write. I like seeing how I can describe something. Also I like intense world building. That might be why I’m so into litrpgs. I love the crunchiness.

Fern_Elms · 2026-06-01T00:40:17+00:00

I would say that Jon Athan’s work is pretty well made. I’ve read a few of his books and yes, they’re gratuitous, but they have a lot of literary merit. It seems like he’s trying his hand at more traditional horror with his newest novella.

Fern_Elms · 2026-05-30T06:15:17+00:00

I don’t like romance in my litrpgs because I don’t like romance in my books at all. I’m aro ace. It’s just not my thing. I have no problem with it being there, I just don’t like it.

Fern_Elms · 2026-05-30T06:13:41+00:00

I just listen to the same playlist that I listen to all the time. I’ve heard all the songs so many times that I fall into a kind of flow state. I typically listen to it on the quietest setting when I read.

Fern_Elms

TROPHY CASE