Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Chapter 10 on Networks is getting large. I did another 7k-plus today and it now stands at 17,600 even, with one section to go, so it ends up being larger like the economics.

My counter? I don't think I have two more remaining "realignments" left to cover, but only one that combines social and environmental. The more I look at it, the less it feels like two chapters, after I've covered some of the themes already. This has happened in the other books I've written: later chapters die because they've been done already by the time I reach them.

So I finish up Chapter 10 tomorrow and start planing the last realignment chapter, to be written after some upcoming speeches. After that last realignment chapter, then just one more substantive chapter to go, and I wrap this up with a conclusion and preface.

The total manuscript stands at approximately 150,000, minus the intros to the parts that I doubt I'll keep. I forecast the first draft of substantive chapters clocking in at about 175,000. The Part 1 on grand strategy is about 15,000. Part II on American history weighs about 60,000. Part III on realignments should end up being about 80,000. And Part IV, which is again about grand strategy and looking ahead, should clock in about 20,000 total. That makes 175,000, not including any preface. Expecting Mark to whack a good fourth and make me add some, I still expect the complete body to weigh in at roughly 150,000 once edited the first go-around. That would make this the same size as the other two. If Neil's looking to make this one shorter, then we might accomplish that by merging some stuff and dropping a chapter or two.