Monday, May 4, 2020 –
When I started writing my daily thoughts, I honestly did not think it would go this long. Just over 22,370 words later, I am still writing my vastly un-read, totally incoherent ramblings.
Again…over 22K words! Averaging 250 words per page for a 6×9 paperback, I have written around 88 pages. Hey! That is pretty good. By comparison, my undergraduate thesis on voting rights and the history of voting in the state of Texas was somewhere around 50 pages. And yes, I wrote a truly boring thesis on voting. I am THAT nerdy!
To be clear, nothing I have said in this blog is profound or note-worthy, but it has helped me cope with the daily struggle of seeing truly nutty things online and processing basic emotions. A coupleof people have asked if I would turn this into a book. About what!? It is not like I have any clear direction.
However, I did look up some basic stats on book-writing. You know, just to see where I stand in the grand scheme of not being an author, or even a decent writer. Also, I am a total nerd and was curious how seven looooonnng weeks of daily writing stacked up against actual printed works.
Here are the basic word counts for different types of books, according to the Self-Publishing School, which has a legit looking infographic, so they **must** be right (posted below):
- Memoir – 45,000 to 80,000 words
- Self-help book – 30,000 – 70,000 words
- Middle-grade book – 20,000 – 55,000 words
- Young adult book – 60,000 – 90,000 words
- Contemporary novel – 60,000 – 90,000 words
- Mystery novel – 40,000 – 80,000 words
- Horror novel – 40,000 – 80,000 words
- Fantasy novel – 50,000 – 150,000 words
- Sci-fi novel – 50,000 – 150,000 words
- Romance novel – 50,000 – 90,000 words
- Dystopian novel – 60,000 -120,000 words
The average novel (AKA fiction) has about 80,000 words. If this keeps going, and it looks like the governor of Virginia is in it for the long-haul, I might hit that target if I really buckle down and write some exasperatingly long, rambling posts.
Pre-teen books (AKA “middle-grade”) on the high-end of the scale average 55,000 words. So, I am about halfway there. I suppose if I found a truly bored teen who in no way cared about the lack of plot or cohesion, then I could roll this to print in another seven-ish weeks. Even better, on the low end they are only 20,000 words, so I have totally nailed it! Go me!
So, here’s to seven long weeks and 22,370ish blathering words. Cheers!
Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us!
