I worry about dumb things

This is an author post in a way, but it’s also a confessional of sorts. My first big issue is chapter length.

I have always tried to get my chapters near ten pages. This is kind of long in the modern era, but I tend to write dialog heavy and there is a lot of white space. I have a chapter that is going to come out at around five pages. It happens, but it still bugs me. I’m sure it doesn’t bug anyone else, but there you have it. I did manage to move on and start the next chapter.

My next issue is length. It looks like Article V is not going to hit 80K words. This also bugs me. I want this to be a proper novel, but am not willing to pad it just to get word count.

What I would have to do is add another puzzle for Destiny and Jace to solve. These puzzles are really cool, and I think readers are going to love them. However, I don’t want readers to do a face-plant and think, “Oh, look, yet another puzzle.” In my mind there is a limit to the cool factor here. I’d rather produce a short novel where everything is wonderful than put readers through all that.

I’m also struggling with tying events together that make sense. They need to go on their last campout of the year, and there is a specific place they need to go. There is some distance involved, but maybe the Columbus Day weekend can give them more time. Maybe it can give this author more time so it all seems logical to my readers. There is a friend’s engagement party to weave in, so I’m up against the Friday night party, then Saturday AM departure with a Monday return. Probably need to consider what time it gets dark, too. The world is still Daylight Savings Time on Columbus Day so that works in my favor.

I’m just about to begin the end game in this story. Fitting these pieces together sometimes takes me days, but I’ve about got it. Wound up writing about four pages today. Not a ton, but it is forward progress.

With the real world Veteran’s Day holiday falling on Tuesday, I burned some leave on Monday. Sundays are all about family and other responsibilities, but there is no reason Monday and Tuesday cannot be productive writing days.

I hope all of you are doing things you love. Drop me a line and let me know just how absurd my worries are.