To satisfy my curiosity, is your word count based on what your computer says it is, or is it an estimated count based on a set number of words per page? I've been told many times, that one should use an estimated count of 250 per page if a manuscript is in Times Roman, or 200 per page if in Courier. With that in mind, my first story, BEYOND THE OCEAN'S EDGE, sits at 396 pages or 99,000 words. By using the word count provided by the operating system, it comes out at close to 120,000 words. While I've been told that most in the writing publishing industry use the estimated count, I've also seen cases where agents and others want a more specific count. I'd say that for anyone submitting work, that they should be aware that recepients might want it "the other way," and be prepared to provide the word count method preferred.
And, looking at your current word count, I'd say you have enough to make two decent books. Of course, that would depend upon just how much cutting you do during revision. Currently, my two completed manuscripts total 197,000 words, and I'm only a third to one half way through the original story they are based on. Perhaps I'm writing in the same way that they used two hundred years ago to describe how the English built ships for their navy. It was something to the effect of building a never ending ship, and slicing it off whenever there was enough to be considered a new vessel. (I think there might have also been a "dig" at the design qualities of the ships as well. Sort of a mass-produced commodity, instead of original, extremely well engineered, individual craft.) Any way, it might be that I'm writing and writing on the same basic story, and slicing if off in book length chunks. By the way, I still haven't had a chance to pick up copies of any of your work. I'm sort of "house bound" right now, recovering from some minor surgery. In a few days, I should be up and about, and I'll definitely make it a point to look for one of them. My wife and daughter didn't pick up on it as a hint for my B'day, but there is still Father's Day. Dave
Word Count Method
While I've been told that most in the writing publishing industry use the estimated count, I've also seen cases where agents and others want a more specific count. I'd say that for anyone submitting work, that they should be aware that recepients might want it "the other way," and be prepared to provide the word count method preferred.
And, looking at your current word count, I'd say you have enough to make two decent books. Of course, that would depend upon just how much cutting you do during revision. Currently, my two completed manuscripts total 197,000 words, and I'm only a third to one half way through the original story they are based on. Perhaps I'm writing in the same way that they used two hundred years ago to describe how the English built ships for their navy. It was something to the effect of building a never ending ship, and slicing it off whenever there was enough to be considered a new vessel. (I think there might have also been a "dig" at the design qualities of the ships as well. Sort of a mass-produced commodity, instead of original, extremely well engineered, individual craft.) Any way, it might be that I'm writing and writing on the same basic story, and slicing if off in book length chunks.
By the way, I still haven't had a chance to pick up copies of any of your work. I'm sort of "house bound" right now, recovering from some minor surgery. In a few days, I should be up and about, and I'll definitely make it a point to look for one of them. My wife and daughter didn't pick up on it as a hint for my B'day, but there is still Father's Day.
Dave