Do I write too much?

[TheEldritchGod]

Now, typically a paperback is supposed to be around 100k words. 80k was typical back in my day. However, I just noticed I broke 100k for IWS. Both FTS and HKN both are at 220k-ish.

I'm I writing too much? Like, war and peace pushed 587k, that thing is a goddamn monster. I have now written more than Infinate Jest. When these stories are done this is gonna be huge. Like each one will be pushing 500k, easy.

I know in a forum of, how do I write more, I'm bitching about too much, but I feel the need to get opinions from outside my comfort zone.

I feel like I'm cutting everything I can. I feel like I'm culling everything that is not core to the plot. I feel like I'm cutting too much, because when everything is only plot, it feels wrong. Normal things happen. Slice of life occurs. Yet this interconnected puzzle in my head still needs so much more.

Is this hubris?

I know the answer is, "It is only hubris if you are wrong." But damn, I'm starting to see that these three books, which are all part of the same story is maybe too big. I dunno. You pass a half million and you start to wonder about shit.

Not looking for, "Wow, that's cool."

I'm actually wondering how do you know when you've done too much?

 

[SailusGebel]

No.

 

[DarkeReises]

No.

 

[HelloHound]

personally can't relate (avg 930 words per chapter) but I guess it's too much when it detracts or distracts from the story or when you feel it's too much.
after all, you're the first reader of your work

 

[K5Rakitan]

Just do you.

 

[LilRora]

You can always compare with Azarinth Healer, which ended not long ago at about 3 million words, and you'll end up with a midget barely worth reading.

I personally had a story that I estimated would end in 25-30 chapters and got 36 (about 130k words, I think) done before I finally finished... then decided to write a second part and probably won't get it done in 50 chapters.

It's just how human brains work, I guess. Even when we have neat plot done that has no loose ends, we always come up with ideas to expand the thing and very rarely conclude it would be better if we didn't add anything. Before it's too late, I mean.

As for how do I know when I've done too much... well, first of all, I generally need a lot of time to realize that. I generally get that realization when I notice that what I'm writing has barely any common point with what it was at the beginning.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

personally can't relate (avg 930 words per chapter) but I guess it's too much when it detracts or distracts from the story or when you feel it's too much.
after all, you're the first reader of your work

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Something pounded into my head was, "WHAT CAN YOU CUT OUT OF YOUR STORY?"

Every word you include is a fraction of a second to read. Every fraction adds up. Time is the currency of exchange between an author and a reader. I am asking you for time. I am asking you to SPEND TIME ON ME. So, I go through and I pare it down. Carefully and deliberately ask myself, "What Does This Bring To The Story? Is it redundant? Have I already told this to the reader? Does repeating it serve a purpose? If not, how do I cut it? If it is new, then how can I make it serve a second purpose? Is there a way to have this information have a second meaning? A third meaning? Can I combine it with something else? Will It change when the reader knows the ending and will it be BETTER? Is there a better plot point I can use instead? Can I subvert their expectations and give them something BETTER than they expected and if so, how much can I keep hidden from the reader so they truly can't see it coming, yet will think it was obvious in retrospect?"

Smaller. Tighter. More concentrated. BIG is the enemy. Flowery fluffy filler is a sign of weakness. Hit him hard, let the reader breathe, then hit him again, but short rabbit punches.

I know that quality is what matters, but in the back of my head, I have this Big Is Evil, hang-up. 500k Well Written Words is fine. the 500k isn't the problem.

Except it's a problem.

Part of me wonders, like it or not, is it too much? Then I say, "If it's quality, then it doesn't matter. You can have large quantities of quality. It does happen."

Then I say, "No it doesn't. You arrogant FOOL!"

I dunno. If I didn't have self-doubt, I'd have nothing to keep me up those long overnight shifts I work.

 

[Jet]

You are supposed to divide epics into volumes. It should be fine, so long as your work is written in an easily partible way.
In general, I'd answer Yes. You guys write way too much. But that's apparently normal on the web. I argued with Alice on this topic. But this also depends on who you stack yourself up against. Like compared to Yansusustories, whose the most prolific author on SH as far as I know, you are but a toddler, probably. She can and does write dozens of thousands of words a day for years. Your epic story is minuscule compared to the pushing beyond 10mil Wandering Inn. But all of this is insane compared to normal writers still. It's also hard to judge if any of this is of worth too. Even back in the day, most ppl would become famous after they died. And AI will probably beat us at creative writing any day now. So, uh, in the grand scheme of things... it's as usual, is there a meaning, like who cares?

 

[Paul_Tromba]

No

 

[CapitaoCaverna]

Ah, a problem I really wish I had.

The answer is no, you're not writing too much, you're never writing too much.

Just look at The Wandering Inn, that thing is... yeah.

 

[Deleted member 54065]

Eh, I just write whatever feels right to me since my work is fantasy.

I do proper build ups, explain concepts while avoiding infodumping as much as I can and 'show' ideas and events through characters' dialogues.

I often end up around 60k-70k words per volume on average, with the lowest around 34k and longest 83k. It was supposed to be 110k (the longest) but I decided to chop my 13th volume into two parts, hence the 34k 14th Volume.

Now on to the question, did I write much? As an author, I don't think so as long as every scene (even those seemingly 'mundane' ones) have a purpose in the work.

A reader will be a reader. A skimmer will be a skimmer. A nitpicker will always be a nitpicker, no matter what you do, so like what (mostly) everyone else say in this forum:

"You do you."

 

[Miletil]

Now, typically a paperback is supposed to be around 100k words. 80k was typical back in my day. However, I just noticed I broke 100k for IWS. Both FTS and HKN both are at 220k-ish.

I'm I writing too much? Like, war and peace pushed 587k, that thing is a goddamn monster. I have now written more than Infinate Jest. When these stories are done this is gonna be huge. Like each one will be pushing 500k, easy.

I know in a forum of, how do I write more, I'm bitching about too much, but I feel the need to get opinions from outside my comfort zone.

I feel like I'm cutting everything I can. I feel like I'm culling everything that is not core to the plot. I feel like I'm cutting too much, because when everything is only plot, it feels wrong. Normal things happen. Slice of life occurs. Yet this interconnected puzzle in my head still needs so much more.

Is this hubris?

I know the answer is, "It is only hubris if you are wrong." But damn, I'm starting to see that these three books, which are all part of the same story is maybe too big. I dunno. You pass a half million and you start to wonder about shit.

Not looking for, "Wow, that's cool."

I'm actually wondering how do you know when you've done too much?

No...you aren't righting too much
Hell if those are your numbers then your probably doing pretty great but there are examples of webnovelists who write well over a million for fun

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Don't constrain yourself to arbitrary standards.

 

[Empyrea]

If you think it's all important then keep it. If you think your readers would like less, and you want to write for them, then do a poll and ask them.

 

[Jemini]

Rather than writing too much, I think maybe it might be more an issue of whether or not your plotting is pacing the story well.

I my Key to the Void series, I am writing a single continuous story that is now up to 262K words. However, I have that divided into 3 volumes that are around 80-90K each. I simply parse out the story such that there are good strong points at about that word-count that deal with a single theme within the larger story.

Spoiler: broad-strokes plot outline of Key to the Void

Volume 1, was dealing with a situation in the MC's home village where they're dealing with discrimination and possible death at the hands of the other villagers, and then there's an outside threat of dark elves coming to attack the village. MC has to reveal the exact aspects of themselves that they are in danger of being killed for in order to save the village.

Volume 2, the eyes of the capital have fallen on the village and the MC has to escape and find refuge on the plains. It's largely concerned with the movement through the forest to escape the pursuers, and at one point they capture one of their pursuers and manage to get some information out of him necessary to negotiate a favorable situation where they can leave the kingdom but are going to have the queen's agents watching them.

Volume 3, the MC is training 2 apprentices, and assigns them a training espionage mission of infiltrating a city and gathering information. The first half of the volume slows down the pace and is about culture building, but the MC discovers there are enemies pursuing her and her apprentices to kidnap them and use them to some unknown end. She has to rush to the city to rescue her apprentices, and the 2nd half of the volume is a large roving fight-scene that turns the city into a war-zone full of innocent by-standers.

(I will hold back on how volume 3 ends due to the fact the later chapters have not been publicly released yet, but I will say it sets up for volume 4 which is currently unwritten.)

So, rather than cutting and slimming down, can you maybe parse out and isolate some themes within your story that can allow you to turn it into 2 volumes? Perhaps even 3 volumes if you do the reverse and expand on some of the content you have there in that 220K-ish work of yours.

Edit: Mushoku Tensei has 26 volumes, each at around 80K-ish words. This totals up to just over 2M words for the entire story, making war and peace look like a novella by comparison.

 

[Scaver]

Now, typically a paperback is supposed to be around 100k words. 80k was typical back in my day. However, I just noticed I broke 100k for IWS. Both FTS and HKN both are at 220k-ish.

I'm I writing too much? Like, war and peace pushed 587k, that thing is a goddamn monster. I have now written more than Infinate Jest. When these stories are done this is gonna be huge. Like each one will be pushing 500k, easy.

I know in a forum of, how do I write more, I'm bitching about too much, but I feel the need to get opinions from outside my comfort zone.

I feel like I'm cutting everything I can. I feel like I'm culling everything that is not core to the plot. I feel like I'm cutting too much, because when everything is only plot, it feels wrong. Normal things happen. Slice of life occurs. Yet this interconnected puzzle in my head still needs so much more.

Is this hubris?

I know the answer is, "It is only hubris if you are wrong." But damn, I'm starting to see that these three books, which are all part of the same story is maybe too big. I dunno. You pass a half million and you start to wonder about shit.

Not looking for, "Wow, that's cool."

I'm actually wondering how do you know when you've done too much?

And there is wandering inn standing at 10 million words...

 

[TotallyHuman]

Well, War and Peace you mentioned described an entire war over several years from a perspective of many characters whose fates were tightly interconnected and had so much plot you could cross an ocean with it.
If it managed to fit it all under 600k I have acquired a new appreciation for it.
As for you writing too much - well, if you have less plot than Tolstoy than probably yes, but does it matter?
That's the real question.

 

[MajorKerina]

I actually had an interesting recent epiphany when going through a series of chapters I was very scared about because I made the conscious decision to not spend a lot of time on digressions and distractions even though I could’ve easily filled the chapters with a lot of details. I found the chapters that ran shorter we’re actually quite captivating even though I Fred it that I was gonna have to go back and add stuff to make it a more fulfilling narrative. I found out I didn’t need to do that. Sometimes stories call for a lot of exploration and many words and sometimes you can get away with not many at all. It’s a worthwhile challenge to see how much you can accomplish and as few words as possible although I honestly think there could never be too many words

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

Now, typically a paperback is supposed to be around 100k words. 80k was typical back in my day. However, I just noticed I broke 100k for IWS. Both FTS and HKN both are at 220k-ish.

I'm I writing too much? Like, war and peace pushed 587k, that thing is a goddamn monster. I have now written more than Infinate Jest. When these stories are done this is gonna be huge. Like each one will be pushing 500k, easy.

I know in a forum of, how do I write more, I'm bitching about too much, but I feel the need to get opinions from outside my comfort zone.

I feel like I'm cutting everything I can. I feel like I'm culling everything that is not core to the plot. I feel like I'm cutting too much, because when everything is only plot, it feels wrong. Normal things happen. Slice of life occurs. Yet this interconnected puzzle in my head still needs so much more.

Is this hubris?

I know the answer is, "It is only hubris if you are wrong." But damn, I'm starting to see that these three books, which are all part of the same story is maybe too big. I dunno. You pass a half million and you start to wonder about shit.

Not looking for, "Wow, that's cool."

I'm actually wondering how do you know when you've done too much?

Cut the book in half or thirds if you need to

 

[IdleYoungMaster]

No. Personally, I do not limit myself with the word count. Feel free to write whatever you feel as the best. If changing into several perspectives, adding more details, and doing more worldbuilding is what you feel right, do it. It'll going to be rewarding once you enter the climax of each arc. I once reached a high word count in my first work that I wrote for fun and I could say that I've enjoyed it. There's also the current one that I find fulfilling too. Hence, word counts do not matter much in my opinion. You can do what you want to do.