McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Wordcount!
Valkyrina:
I put my current baby as being about 10k, it's a short-story, I intended it to be a short story.
I find if I try to put a story on the computer it dries up and goes quiet on me.
I therefore put this one on the computer pretty soon.
It stayed short.
Compared to other stuff I've done over the years it's the bonsai tree of my imagination: kept small, put in a confining place and not nourished much.
--- Quote from: blgarver on December 10, 2006, 03:53:37 PM ---My other baby I've been trying to write since I was 12, and now that's turned into this big bad monster that constantly hangs over my head, gnawing at me.
--- End quote ---
I started a story when I was 19 just starting uni. I have to write it by hand on paper or my ideas stagnate (anyone else find this?) and this one kept going for almost 4 years. I have no idea what the word count is and as I seem to have lost the thread, when uni burned my brains out, I'ma either have to dedicate some time to regaining it, or shelf it for a few more months/years.
Sharon.
CrazyGerbilLady:
What is the typical word count of a novel? Versus a short story? How do you know when you have a novel in your brain versus a short story?
Josh:
Most things over 10,000 words seem to fall outside the short story range. Most short stories seem to waver around 1-6k, depending on which venue you are submitting it to, though those are certainly not do-or-die numbers. Usually, much less than 1k becomes flash fiction or slice of life, and anything over 10k becomes a novelette. Every magazine or publication has different requirements or measurements, so make sure you research the submission guidelines they provide, because some will not take works over a certain length.
For novels? Hmm..50-80k is a solid range to show you have a "book"...though within science fiction and fantasy it seems that 80-100k+ is in vogue, hence the many 400+ pages books bowing the shelves. Most of what I write falls within the 80-100k+ range, before or after the winnowing of revision.
www.jrvogt.com
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: CrazyGerbilLady on February 05, 2007, 05:09:04 AM ---What is the typical word count of a novel? Versus a short story? How do you know when you have a novel in your brain versus a short story?
--- End quote ---
If I recall correctly, the definitions for the Hugo Awards are that a novel has to be at least 40,000 words, and a short story is under 7,500, with novelette and novella in between and the dividing point there being 17,500 words. I suppose "write the thing and then count the words" is not the most helpful answer in the world, though. I can't think of a genre novel in recent years that's been under 60,000 words.
How many major ideas and scenes do you have ? More than two or three of either and it's unlikely to be a short story.
CrazyGerbilLady:
11 scenes mapped out and I think I'm about 1/3 of the way through my ideas. Definitely not short story. Guess I'll wait and see which of the other categories it falls into. I definitely don't want to pad it unnecessarily just to meet an arbitrary standard. ;)
Thanks from a total newbie!
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