Earlier this week, I was catching up on my Writer’s Digest and read a really good article with ten tips when you are writing a novel and get stuck in the middle. The article was well written and had some great advice. However, I was struck by the realization that not one of the tips applied to me.

For a moment, I set down my Kindle (yes, I read it electronically) and stared at the wall. I’ve written over 40 novels and not once did I get stuck in the middle. In fact, I have never written a novel from first “page” straight through to the last “page.” I also don’t think of my manuscript in terms of pages…but words.

I’ve always claimed that any writer who thinks of their manuscript in terms of “pages” is a newbie. Seasoned writers go by word count. After all, if I want to beef up the size of my work, I can simply increase the font size of my text and VOILA! Suddenly I have a 1000 page epic novel.