This class is simple math. We’re just applying yesterday’s lesson to your novel.
That’s it.
Pull out your phones and access your calculator.
Enter the expected word count for your genre (85,000 in most cases, 50,000 for YA, 110,000 for fantasy or sci-fi)
Divide by four.
That’s the length of Act I and Act III
Take the same number and multiply by 2.
That’s the length of Act II.
As you write the novel, you’ll find that wordiness will interfere.
“Takes too long to get started” means you placed your inciting incident far too late. It needs to be firmly at the 10% mark at the latest. That’s completed by word 8,500 (most genres), 5,000 (YA) or 11,000 (sci-fi, fantasy).
“Too drawn out” means one of two fatal errors – you didn’t place the break between Act I and Act II at 21,250 (most genres) 12,500 (ya) or 27,500 (fantasy and sci fi).
Or you didn’t place the break between Act II and Act III at 63,000 or so (most genres), 32,500 (YA) or 78,000 (fantasy, sci fi).
A complaint of “boring” in Act III or “takes forever to end” means you didn’t build the climax high enough, or started it after the crucial 90% mark (78,000 words, 45,000 words or 99,000 words respectively).
It’s very mathematical.
Very precise.
Some call it “too formulaic”.
I call it guidelines. Stay within the guidelines, you can’t go wrong. Break the rules and write a disappointing novel.
