I've learned to never worry about length.
I used to, and I'd sometimes go on tangents, or look for plot complications, to make sure I had sufficient paint to cover the walls. But I've slowly learned that the books almost always end up at the proper size. I suspect my subconscious is constantly making adjustments.
Not worrying about length allows me to go straight for the ending as fast as I can.
"Takeover" has reached 78,000 words, with at least four thousand to go, probably more. I usually add a good 10% in a rewrite, which will almost make the book too long. I really don't want it to pass 90K words for a thriller. But I'm not going to worry about it.
It will end up being as long as it needs to be.
I used to, and I'd sometimes go on tangents, or look for plot complications, to make sure I had sufficient paint to cover the walls. But I've slowly learned that the books almost always end up at the proper size. I suspect my subconscious is constantly making adjustments.
Not worrying about length allows me to go straight for the ending as fast as I can.
"Takeover" has reached 78,000 words, with at least four thousand to go, probably more. I usually add a good 10% in a rewrite, which will almost make the book too long. I really don't want it to pass 90K words for a thriller. But I'm not going to worry about it.
It will end up being as long as it needs to be.