While I was on vacation I got an email asking me to do two freelance stories for the local paper (the editor actually tried to call but I was in a no-service area of Montana). Well, one thing led to another and it turned into three stories (all of which I found the subjects to interview and write about). Last year when I wrote for this publication, they asked for two 300-word stories. After trying to write them I asked if I could do more words and they said, "Sure." So they got two approximately 400-word stories. So this year I'm aiming at 400 words. I've already sent off two of them that were 423 and 501 words. So I'm already over the limit pretty significantly in one case (25% over).
But the second draft of the third story is currently at . . .787 words. I can kind of see pulling that back to 731 by taking out one paragraph that isn't desperately essential to the story. But even that I don't want to do. But I'm 97% over the limit! And, frankly, I don't want to make the story shorter because it's such a great story (because of the subject, not my writing). I'm going to, when satisfied with it, email it off and let the chips fall where they may.
So I'm a wee bit nervous.
Oh, and staring this afternoon I have another big story (1,000 words plus) to work on for another publication!
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