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The Creative · № 11

Wrote for a Reader

Made a finished long-form written work, short story, novella, screenplay, essay collection, zine, at least 5,000 words, that a reader outside your family has read start to finish.

The idea

5,000 words for a real reader requires planning. Hand your kid an outline before they start, even one paragraph per section. Writers who pants their way to a long piece quit at 2,000 words because they can't see the path. The outline is the bridge across the part that isn't fun. They can depart from it later. They just can't depart from nothing.

Steps
  1. Outline before drafting. One paragraph per section, minimum.
  2. Write the boring middle first.
  3. Hand it to one specific reader, not "anyone."
  4. Ask what part bored them. Cut that.
What counts

A 5,000+ word work read end to end by someone outside the family. The reader's name and a short reaction is plenty.