I think you start calling it a novel rather than a novella somewhere around 40,000 to 50,000 words

Oh dear. I'm never going to finish this book.

I did some research. Susan's right. 40-50K is the start of a novel. Different publishing houses like different lengths.

It occurs to me that I just don't have that much to say.

Relax. If it isn't a novel, it may be a short story. And novel lengths are not the same as book lengths anyway.

Allyson, you're not writing a novel. You're writing a collection of essays, memoirs, possibly interviews or at least recalled and/or reconstructed conversations, anecdotes, and essays to serve as intros, outros, and connecting links between them. You don't have to do 100,000 words at one go.

And what Betsy said is right, a nonfiction book doesn't have to be as many words as a novel. Plus, you can use photos (of the Variety ad! Of Wash's cockpit! Of Tim's beagles!), which will use up some page space.

It'll be good.

The beagles sure are cutiepuppers. I'm just hugely dumb about this thing.

Betsy, are you going to mainline espresso?

God, no. I never drink coffee.

I'm going to do my best. But I am not going to pull all-nighters, because my writing sucks during all-nighters.

Betsy, I haven't addressed your dilemna because...I have no real frame of reference. I can free write, but it's tripe. I am constitutionally incapable of writing to spec under pressure. I would be horribly miserable, and I can't think of a reason I'd agree to do that to myself, unless it was, um, to save the life of a loved one? Or a puppy?

"Write 4,000 words in 48 hours or the puppy gets it!" Yes, I'd do it then. But not voluntarily. So all I can do is wave pompoms and cheer you on.

I can't write fiction. At all. Betsy is like a superhero.

A superhero who sucks. Superman sprawled flat against the side of a building.