50,000 words might sound like a lot, but it is actually 20,000 short of the commonly accepted length of a finished novel. I keep 70,000 as my target. It is not the finish line, it is a measure of progress. Should Iolos Fall is over 50,000 words long at the moment, but it feels like it is going to be a lot more than that. The second draft is going well. I am finding new the writing is happening easily. New ideas keep occurring to me. Some of them I know almost immediately are not going to happen. This can be for various reasons, such as I realises that while the idea might seem good it still does not fit what I am trying to do with this story. More than one of these ideas has proven to be just whimsical, more for my own entertainment than a readers. A good amount, however, have made some positive contributions to the book. This is one of the skills of a writer; sorting the wheat from the chaff.
One of the most important considerations for well written story is the plot. The plot is the framework that holds events and developments that progress the story in a logical manner. Personally, I only develop a formal plot after I have started the first draft. This is because I find working with as few restraints as possible helps me develop the story. Only when I have decided that the story is worth developing do I start work on the plot itself. My plots do not tend to be rigid in the first instance, I prefer them to react to new developments and ideas. For example, it occurred to me that two characters who appear to be unconnected should form a connection as it would contribute to the book's conclusion. To do this I have to move some events around so that the chronology of the plot remains consistent. This is not a task that requires major rewriting of two or more parts, but it does require attention to detail. For both characters I have already written pieces that need to be moved on the plot. I have to review them all so that any references made, past, present and future tenses used, are all correct. One of the characters mentions a person in the present tense but when I move this piece to earlier in the plot then that makes no sense. I still want the same character to make the same reference, but they are going to have to do it in a different piece of dialogue. This is only a small piece of rewriting but it is essential if I want the reader to enjoy a seamless progression through the story.
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