So... I know some people aren't going to understand this, but I'm rather happy I've finally figured this out and I need to share. (I'll post a story update below so that the whole blog isn't a complete waste). I've been driving myself up the wall trying to figure out a discrepancy in word count between Scrivener and a compiled document when loaded in MS Word or Libre Writer. Scrivener, is a word processor geared toward writers and is probably the best the purchase I've ever made. It let's you organize your story into sub-documents which can be dragged and dropped anywhere you like. There are a lot of other features that are helpful, but for me that's the biggie.

Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. Scrivener doesn't have a traditional format, but a file folder which contains a number of rtf files and other documents which contain structure and formating data. Anyway, in order to view a document in word a file must be 'compiled' into a doc file. I have what's called a 'placeholder tag' a sort of code which in this instance automatically inserts the current scrivener word count into the word document. Unfortunately, for quite some time, that word count has been different from the word count that Scrivener shows me. I know that different word processors use different rules for coming up with word counts, but in this instance the word count should have been the same as what Scrivener showed since the number is generated by Scrivener.

I finally figured out what was causing this! Scrivener allows you to chose a number of different of options when compiling a document and I had it inserting text-separators between different sub-documents. These separators weren't words per se, but they did contain a bit of html which in turn contained letters and scrivener was counting those letters as words which was throwing off the the compiled word count. It wasn't counting the letters inside of the text-separators in the pre-compiled document because they were only inserted after the document had been compiled.

So in order to fix this I removed the text-seperators and replaced them with a much simpler one which would not throw off the count.

Okay, now that long ramble is over I'll move on to the story update...

I finally topped 60,000 words on Battle for Earth. I'll actually be considering the completed story to be one full-length novel, but for posting purposes I'll be dividing it up into three parts which will then be posted as serials (or at least that's the option I'm most leaning toward at the moment). I've also decided to go with a more traditional chapter format for the story so that when I create the ebook you'll be able to read it just like any other novel. Originally, the first part was going to be called Battle for Earth:Coalescence, but I've since renamed it to Battle for Earth:Resistance and given part two the subtitle Coalescence instead. I've yet to find a proper name for the third part. I have a temporary title at the moment, but I know it won't stick so I'm not even going to bother mentioning it here.

This story is a departure from my previous works in that its a science-fiction story, I've also gone with a more straight forward first-person narration narrated by a the protagonist (no journal format, and no shifting narrators). I didn't focus much on the science, as usual my goal is to write plot and character driven stories. I didn't want the plot to get clogged up with what I felt would be distracting science talk.

The story is set in a dystopian future Earth where after losing a war, humanity has been enslaved by a soldier race of aliens known as the Qharr. Jellfree Briggs is the head cook in the compound where he serves, but he soon finds himself headed into trouble when, the Overseer, a high-ranking Qharr official arrives for a visit. I won't go into much more detail, but let's say poor Jellfree is going to have his life thrown through the loop as he finds himself transforming into a woman and involved in events which will forever change life on Earth.

Anyway, that about sums it up. I hope everyone is having a delightfully demented day.

It's about time for me to make like a tree and leaf. :P

Cheers,

D.A.W.