My story just hit 50,000 words and I feel stuck about what to do next

I was just updating my draft and saw the word count. It's my first time writing anything this long, a fantasy thing set in a city I made up called Veridian. Part of me wants to push to 80k and call it a first draft, but another part thinks I should stop now and start a big edit before I write more filler. What's the better move for a messy first project, finish the draft or fix what you have?

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3 Comments

noahlane7mo ago

Stop now and fix the mess you already made.

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brown.willow7mo ago

Honestly, I have to disagree with @noahlane. Pushing to the end is the right move. You have momentum right now, and 50k is a huge win. If you stop to edit now, you might lose the thread of the story and never pick it back up. Get the whole messy draft down, even if parts feel thin. You can't fix a story that isn't finished. The real shape of it might only show up in those last 30k words.

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lunab977mo ago

But like, is it ever that deep? People act like you'll never write again if you take a breath. Sometimes fixing a huge plot hole early saves you from writing 30k useless words. Both ways can work, depends on the person.

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