Length of aMoL

[Luckers]

Brandon Sanderson said that he wrote 10,000 words recently, and said that allowed him to increase the completion level by 3%. If that is an accurate guess, then we can estimate the total length of aMoL--specifically, around 333,000 words. Thats, roughly speaking, around 1,200 pages in paperback size--it changes depending on font-size.

 

I thought it was kind of a fun thought, and figured i'd share it.

[Bob T Dwarf]

And he now estimates that he is 18% through the first draft.

 

So, using a March 28 date as being when he completed his read-through and began writing, that's 18% in 55 days.  Or about 0.33% per day.

 

Another 250 days or so and the first draft should be complete.  Figure Feb. 1, 2009.

[Luckers]

Keep in mind that editing can take almost as long as writing--and Sanderson seems a very pedantic editor.

 

 

[JenLenaMom]

except isn't his deadline near Dec of this year?

[Bob T Dwarf]

He only needs to up his output from 1,000 to 1,500 words per day over the summer in order to meet a Dec. 31 deadline.  90 X 500 = 45,000 additional words by the fall school term. ( or an additional 135,000 words over the summer.  Guesstimating his total output so far as 54 - 55,000 words, that makes a mid-September total at 190,000 words or 57% of Luckers' 333,000 grand total )

 

I'd guesstimate that editing will be an ongoing and near simultaneous process.  If he periodically ships Harriet completed pages via FTP, she can send him back corrections and suggestions as he goes.

 

I'd guess another 6 months beyond completion of the first draft to submission of the final draft.

 

Give TOR another 90 days to do their thing, and we might reasonably expect to see it on shelves in October of 2009.

[wvlr]

I thought that Brandon S. stated that RJ had a significant amount of writing already done, but it was for the ending.    BS does not include that in his % calculations and is mostly writing from where KoD left off.

 

So when he gets closer to the end he should be adding significant "batches" of RJs work into the calculations.

 

Or am I wrong/mis-remember?

[Bob T Dwarf]

Supposedly Jordan had written bits and pieces of most of the remaining story.  Some chapter/storylines being little more than outlines, and others, like the ending, being much more complete.

 

How much of any of that is included in his progress bar is unknown.

[cloglord]

And while Sanderson might do a lot of editing, I would think that with Harriet on board to do the editing, it might not follow Sanderson's typical editing profile...I guess I'll probably just wait and see.  I would love to have the prolouge ASAP though...

[aevogt]

I can see the headline now.

 

Lunatics jailed

 

AP - A group of deceased writer James Oliver Rigney's ardent fans were arrested early this morning attempting to flee Utah with the unpublished prologue of Jordan's unfinished work, A Memory of Light.  The manuscript was removed from the office safe of writer Brandon Sanderson and replaced with a small figurine resembling a woman clothed in her own hair. 

When asked for comment on whether the perpetrators were armed at the time of their capture, the Colorado state troopers who made the collar were unwilling to comment but reliable sources say all were lightly armed with dull swords and jammed into the the back of a 1972 Volkswagon Cirroco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Majsju]

Brandon Sanderson said that he wrote 10,000 words recently, and said that allowed him to increase the completion level by 3%. If that is an accurate guess, then we can estimate the total length of aMoL--specifically, around 333,000 words. Thats, roughly speaking, around 1,200 pages in paperback size--it changes depending on font-size.

 

I thought it was kind of a fun thought, and figured i'd share it.

 

Hmm, you must be thinking of a very large font size. When Brandon first talked about the length, he said that he was going to aim for 300000 words, and that would place AMOL smack in the middle lengthwise. 333000 should not make that much of a difference.

 

[Corbett]

Last i heard Sanderson sy he was basing his percentages of a 400k word plan.

[Luckers]

Hmm, you must be thinking of a very large font size. When Brandon first talked about the length, he said that he was going to aim for 300000 words, and that would place AMOL smack in the middle lengthwise. 333000 should not make that much of a difference.

 

You'd be amazed. I have two books sitting in my bookcase one of which is 163,000 words and 615 pages, the other is 167,000 words and is 543 but looking at the font you would not think that they are different. The estimation i gave is based on the Orbit estimation for courier new 11pt for a type c paperback (small size), which is what they request manuscripts be handed in as.

[CUBAREY]

I believe that Brandon has stated that he will hand over a complete first draft to Harriot for Editing. He will not give her the draft piecemeal. Brandon is writing about 3%-5% per week. I also believe he has mentioned that the parts he has so far completed are those that Jordan had the sketchiest notes.  Some parts like the last few chapters Jordan almost completed and will only take minor editing by Brandon to finish. Brandon also seems quite sure that he can meet the December deadline. Figure a couple of months editing by Harriot and a further rewrite by Brandon and book could be in Tor's hands by late summer 2009. Of course whether tour will publish it quickly or wait for the November-Dece4mber Holiday season is something else to consider.

[Corbett]

I am hopeing that Tor belives that it has made us wait long enough and that they will give it to uss as soon as possible. I personally dont think releasing it in the holiday season would affect the intial hype that it will draw. Of course i am not a marketing executive who make powerful decisions and loves to torture. I am a simple man with hopes and dreams of A Memory of light magically being on shelves tomorrow.

[Luckers]

I'm personally hoping for an early prologue as with the other books--maybe even by october.

[cloglord]

I'll second that.

[Leopoled Boothe]

Brandon Sanderson said that he wrote 10,000 words recently, and said that allowed him to increase the completion level by 3%. If that is an accurate guess, then we can estimate the total length of aMoL--specifically, around 333,000 words. Thats, roughly speaking, around 1,200 pages in paperback size--it changes depending on font-size.

I thought it was kind of a fun thought, and figured i'd share it.

 

Actually, Brandon said that he was basing the progress bar on 400,000 words.  He said that the book may turn out to be shorter or longer than this but 400,000 was his estimate.

 

except isn't his deadline near Dec of this year?

 

That's true but I'm sure that Brandon is just like the rest of us in that when working on a project he starts slow and then speeds up the process as the deadline draws closeer. 

 

[Luckers]

Actually, Brandon said that he was basing the progress bar on 400,000 words.  He said that the book may turn out to be shorter or longer than this but 400,000 was his estimateexcept isn't his deadline near Dec of this year?.

 

Actually, Brandon said exactly what i said he said.

 

 

[Razor]

Quote from BS blog.

 

My goal is to get two or three percent each week done on the rough draft.  Some weeks may go faster, others slower, depending on how much of Mr. Jordan's original material I have for a given week's work.  Remember that the progress bar is based on 400k at the end (which is only a guess) and so 1% is equal to 4k writing on the rough draft.

[Razor]

Completion bar is at 19% so roughly 76,000 words.

[Leopoled Boothe]

Actually, Brandon said that he was basing the progress bar on 400,000 words.  He said that the book may turn out to be shorter or longer than this but 400,000 was his estimateexcept isn't his deadline near Dec of this year?.

 

Actually, Brandon said exactly what i said he said.

 

 

 

Easy killer, no need to get defensive I'm only reporting what I read on Sanderson's blog.  Its not like I called you "champ." (LOL).  Actually you are right, I found the following on Brandon's blog:

 

I really need to get some annotations posted this week.  Sorry for all of you waiting!  They're coming.  As a consolation, you can see that my primary goal of getting 10k of AMoL was accomplished last week, and I was able to add 3% to the counter.

 

However, it seems I am right as well because I also found this: (thank you Razor)

 

My goal is to get two or three percent each week done on the rough draft.  Some weeks may go faster, others slower, depending on how much of Mr. Jordan's original material I have for a given week's work.  Remember that the progress bar is based on 400k at the end (which is only a guess) and so 1% is equal to 4k writing on the rough draft. ht as well because I also found this:

 

So it would seem that we have two conflicting peices of informatin. Or do we?

 

Well, three percent of 4K is 12,000.  So lets say Brandon were 15% complete with 2000 words writen beyond that (62,000 words).  He then writes an additional 10,000 words bringing him to the required 12,000 words thus alowing him progress 3% to 18%.  Remember that Brandon's progress bar only reports whole number and not decimals so just because the bar read 15% that didn't mean he had exactly 60,000 words writen.  He could have been anywhere between 60,000 and 64,000 words (the number required for 16%). I think this is the most likely explaination for the conflicting comments.

 

 

 

[Corbett]

Seeing the postings on this topic has given me an apiphany. The progress bar is going to slowly drive all insane driving us from waiting and trying to evaluate how far along the book is. This insanitywill drive us to break the world thus ending whichever age we are currently in and drive the wheel closer to the age in which the dragon is reborn and TG is fought and we will be sittin up in heaven (if you belive in that) and we can watch it and we will finally know what happened.

[Thorum]

and how would you include both Heaven and Wheel in the same universe?

[Luckers]

Easy killer, no need to get defensive I'm only reporting what I read on Sanderson's blog.  Its not like I called you "champ." (LOL).  Actually you are right, I found the following on Brandon's blog:

 

I wasn't upset... i probably would've pulled the 'champage' if i were... i was just saying, he said exactly what i said he said. Couldn't really dance around that much.

[RAND AL THOR]

Speaking from a writer's point of view: the calculations done on this thread so  far make sense theoretically- but practically it will all be LIKELY quite different. BS is writing at least one other book as well (I think) and how much attention he gives to THAT book may vary over the next few months, and so how much attention he pays to WOT will also fluctuate. Authors are knows to cut down or step up several thousand words during editing etc... and this book will likely undergo more editing than the rest because I'm sure that Harriet will try to alter certain parts to make it seem more in tune with RJ's work. I look forward to reading a book in the WOT series written in a different style though.

 

Someone drop a lightning bolt on Nynaeve's head and destroy all the hair pores.

 

And about the prologue: I would LOVE it as soon as possible- but I'll die after I finish it. After tasting the book via the prologue, I'm not sure I can stand to wait to swallow it whole!!!!!!