On Writing-Part 4
I wondered what to write for my second book until I was struck by an inspiration. The inspiration was enough for the lot and the characters, but not for the structure of the book. 'Vacation' had no chapters, only scene breaks. My second book, I thought, really ought to have chapters. At that point, I began to wonder how many words there should be in a chapter and I went off on some research that may strike some as unusual.
I went through a number of old paperbacks, counting words and pages. I eventually concluded that there were about 1000 words to every three pages of a standard sized paperback. As a rule of thumb, it was something I could work with. I then counted chapter pages and came up with a final figure of about 4000 words per average chapter.
I realize that this exercise may seem strange to others, but I needed some sort of framework to get started. Since that long-ago day, I've written chapters with as few as 3000 words and as many as 5500, but I was just starting out back then.
I finally finished the book and sent it on to the publisher, who accepted it after some minor changes. Then came considerable discussion over the title. We exchanged emails back and forth for about a week, both of us offering suggestions that didn't quite click. Finally, I came up with 'Female Prey'. I did not know at the time, nor could I have predicted, how well that book would do, or that it would lead to further 'Prey' books. I suspect that the cover illustration had something to do with it, which was only fitting since it came from the video that had inspired the story.
I went through a number of old paperbacks, counting words and pages. I eventually concluded that there were about 1000 words to every three pages of a standard sized paperback. As a rule of thumb, it was something I could work with. I then counted chapter pages and came up with a final figure of about 4000 words per average chapter.
I realize that this exercise may seem strange to others, but I needed some sort of framework to get started. Since that long-ago day, I've written chapters with as few as 3000 words and as many as 5500, but I was just starting out back then.
I finally finished the book and sent it on to the publisher, who accepted it after some minor changes. Then came considerable discussion over the title. We exchanged emails back and forth for about a week, both of us offering suggestions that didn't quite click. Finally, I came up with 'Female Prey'. I did not know at the time, nor could I have predicted, how well that book would do, or that it would lead to further 'Prey' books. I suspect that the cover illustration had something to do with it, which was only fitting since it came from the video that had inspired the story.
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