Words, numbers, confusion

Well, here I am, confused about the length of my novel. I have been aiming for 50,000 words, because it feels good and tight, and because if my memory serves, there are three kind of print runs, 50,000, 90,000 and over. So much for my memory. New conflicting info now; some say publishers are looking for between 40 and 60,000 this year, others that there's no point stopping before 75,000.

Why is this important? Why is it so hard for me just to go with the flow? Cos in the past, editors have given me a specific commission including word count to reach, so I just write and keep writing. Then I go over it and hack it into tiny squeaking pieces. They know what they want*, and that's just fine with me.

This is different. Damned if I know how to do this for my own material, loved by me and unsolicited by the world.

More coffee. It isn't helping, it just gets me away from this screen for a while.

* In exactly the same way Tigger knows what he likes for breakfast.