I need help with my story!?

Question

I'm writing a fantasy novel but I'm afraid it might be too short. Each chapter is about 1000-2000 words long. I'm guessing my novel will reached 40,000 words maximum.Is that too short?(My story is aiming towards teenagers)

Also, what are the rules for using quotes, you know like when people talk?If you guys have websites or explanations could I have it?Thanks

Answer 1

how many pages is that? not every one counts words... you indent every time, and put quotation marks. "like this,"i said. or "like this!" i shouted. there can only be one period in the sentence and if you want to put words between:  "well you do it," i whispered," like this."

hope that helped

by the way a good teen book is around 200- 600 pages long. in my opinion, the longer the better.

Answer 2

I agree with hmmmm about the longer the better. Especially if you're on a role. I love talking to authors because I've always wanted to tell them that I want there books to be longer! If you can find a good ending though, you probably should end it, then add a sequel!

Anyway, if you really want help as you write a story, you should check out WEbook.

Also, when your book gets published, I want to be one of the first people to get it! Try me here: thedramaqueenqueensblog.blogspot.com. Sorry, I know it's long.

Okay, I disagree with the teenager's attention span getting shorter and shorter. Yes, that is true for some, but there are others who enjoy picking up and reading a story. And sorry for the pressure to write a long story, I agree with writing what you need to say, no more. I just like reading a good-sized book, not a short story. I am not meaning for this to come off as rude. I could say it so much better in verbal words. So, you've got your help on quotations and I just want to say, "Go for it!"

Answer 3

Okay, look.  If you can't use quotes properly, you should not be writing novels.  But to address your first point- I think 40,000 words is around the accepted amount for a children's book.  Seeing as teen books are getting shorter and shorter (and worse and worse, but I digress) because their attention spans are also shrinking, 40,000 words should probably be fine.

Quotation marks work like so:

"Good morning," she said. (quotes at the beginning and the end, punctuation inside.)

"And she said 'good morning,' " he recalled. (Quotes inside quotes are always single, not double)

"And she said, 'I think she said "good morning," ' " she retold.  (If it's more than two retellings, just alternate between singular and double)

Paraphrased speech should not be in quotation marks (for example, she said that everything would be okay).

In American usage, double quotes are used at the beginning of someone speaking.  In British usage, it is usually a single quotation mark, and the punctuation is outside of the quotation marks.  Don't forget to indent when a character is speaking.

Answer 4

Don't worry about your audience, seriously. Don't. Write as much as you need to write. If you limit yourself, or try to put extra and unnecessaryry things to make your story longer, it won't be enjoyable and it won't flow. So just write whatever you feel needs to be said.

And there aren't exactly rules for quotes because different authors have their own styles. But the traditional way to use quote is as follows.

OK, say we're having a conversation.

"Hey!" called Sarah.

"Hi!" Mandy said back. "What's up?"

Now say that you want to describe the scene a bit more:

"Hey!" called Sarah. She ran down the newly paved sidewalk and stopped by Mandy.

Mandy turned her head. "Hi!" she said back, "What's up?"

Basically, everytime you use dialogue, you skip a line.

you might want to check out this site

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/...

Answer 5

Don't worry about your audience, seriously. Don't. Write as much as you need to write. If you limit yourself, or try to put extra and unnecessaryry things to make your story longer, it won't be enjoyable and it won't flow. So just write whatever you feel needs to be said.

**This is only partially true. If you are a new author, who has never been published, you wil find it next to impossible to sell a 600 page book. That should come later. After you have built a readership and proven yourself a great seller and marketer. You should be shooting for 80,000 -90,000 words for a first book and that is in any genre. Some publishers actually have word count limits.

I would suggest trying to get your chapters between 4000-5000 words.

And there aren't exactly rules for quotes because different authors have their own styles. But the traditional way to use quote is as follows.

**Yes, there are rules.

"Hey!" called Sarah.

**This is not altogether correct. "!" exclamation points should be used sparingly, and they are redundant when using a dialogue tag.

"Hi!" Mandy said back. "What's up?"

**Again overuse of ! with tag.

Now say that you want to describe the scene a bit more:

"Hey!" called Sarah. She ran down the newly paved sidewalk and stopped by Mandy.

Mandy turned her head. "Hi!" she said back, "What's up?"

**Wrong as written, ! and tag. With an ! there should be a period after back because you completed your sentence and started a new one with "What's..." ifyou want it to be one sentence then is should be written "Hi," she said back, "what's up?" There are capitalization rules to consider.

Basically, everytime you use dialogue, you skip a line.

**Definitely wrong. You don't skip a line in your writing, you simply start a new paragraph with each new person speaking or thinking.

Karen Syed, President, Echelon Press Publishing

http://www.karensyed.blogspot.com