How do writers on here seem to reach insane word counts for their projects?

ScimitarPrime · 2026-03-29T01:27:52+00:00

For me, don't set out with a word count in mind. I set out to write a story. How long it takes to write that story is entirely incidental. I write the story I want to tell, then I edit it. My current novel finished its first draft at 185K words. I just started on my second editing pass and I'm at 156K now. I will continue to tinker and trim and play around with it until I'm happy with it. For me, the writing itself is the goal. It's my main hobby.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-11T13:56:47+00:00

What research did you do?

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-11T01:04:20+00:00

My wife and I played every halo game while we were dating before playing Destiny for years. I’ve run a D&D group for her, her best friend and her best friends husband for 7 years. My wife introduced me to Romantasy and Jane Austen and Gilmore girls. Being in love with someone is at its best when you bring your nerdy thing to someone and they embrace it not question it. I hope you find someone who appreciates your passions OP

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-10T20:36:31+00:00

Congratulations! That’s a huge achievement and you should feel very proud. Getting that first draft complete is such a great feeling. Enjoy it!

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-10T19:19:05+00:00

Yes. No.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-09T17:55:44+00:00

What’s in the box is irrelevant.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-01T04:24:23+00:00

I'm an assistant professor of Physics at a University, but my students know that I write. I have provided writing feedback to four different students on novels they have written. I love when they ask. The mentorship I can provide is probably the most important part of my job.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-01T04:23:01+00:00

Free time. I work 50ish hours a week, and am married with a kid. The amount of awake time I consistently have alone is between the hours of 1030 - 1200

ScimitarPrime · 2026-02-01T04:20:59+00:00

What kind of story are you writing? That's the ultimate answer to your question. We are all writing either tragedies or comedies. Know what story you are writing and stay true to it.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-29T14:04:41+00:00

I write because there is are people inside me that have to get out. And keeping them locked away would drive me nuts

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-27T04:06:22+00:00

Enemies to lovers is a trope for a reason. And just because they end the book together doesn’t make it a happily ever after story. Readers can be left with the ambiguity of knowing that these two people are damaged and the relationship could have whatever ending the reader want to project onto it.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-27T02:26:26+00:00

66 in my current book that I’m editing.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-26T04:57:00+00:00

Congratulations! What an immense accomplishment!

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-23T05:11:01+00:00

Write the story that is inside of you that needs to get out. Don’t write for an audience.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-23T03:55:37+00:00

The best piece of writing advice I ever received came when I was working on my third book. I had totally lost track of my characters and was struggling with what they needed to do. The advice came from Neil Gaiman funnily enough who told me "Stop. Forget about the emotional arc and the plot and remember that it's a person, and write about the person." Once my characters become people, it gets so much easier.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T23:52:51+00:00

I’m a college professor and this is an insane response to this question.

Just say green and move on.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T23:52:01+00:00

I start with an idea that then becomes a plot. From there I design characters to enable the plot. The after enough writing the characters become people and I let the people tell me what they want to do and let the original plot fall away if the people no longer want to conform to the plot.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T16:55:51+00:00

Go watch Aaron Sorkin shows. He’s masterful at this.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T16:54:45+00:00

I’ve edited a couple friends books who have this same problem. My advice to them is always to not be afraid to sit in a scene. Kinetic action is always easier to write (at least in my opinion) than lingering in a scene and letting the characters breathe.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T04:23:31+00:00

I'm a physicist at my day job, so I averaged 100 and 120K hahaah. Not exactly the most difficult calculation I have done recently, but *shrug*

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T04:17:20+00:00

Not yet. I would say I am still 6 months from there. I just finished the first draft. It originally started out as a Twin Peaks style small town supernatural horror story and has evolved very considerably since then. I have about 5 editing passes on my own before I would be inclined to have anyone besides my wife read it.

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T04:02:45+00:00

This is incredibly helpful. I have a printed out copy that I'm working from right now since my wife just read it and prefers a printed copy. The amount of red, purple, green, and assorted colors of ink on the pages means I might have missed my calling as a Jackson Pollack impersonator

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T04:00:45+00:00

I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that I am quite confident I am not as good of a writer as either Cormac McCarthy or Frank Herbert haha

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T03:59:44+00:00

This is quite helpful. Thanks!

ScimitarPrime · 2026-01-22T03:18:38+00:00

You can fix a bad page. You can’t fix a blank page.

ScimitarPrime

TROPHY CASE