length of stories and attention span

[sanchopanza]

what sort of length story do people read. i mean stories can be too long to put up with and they can be too short. i'm writing a story now that is 3,478 words and i think it's too short - there are only a few more scenes to go so it will be about 5,000 words - too long? i just want to know typical length

 

[Alex De Kok]

Write what's right for you.

That said, my last three submissions - two for the Nude Day contest and a sequel to an earlier story - were 5072, 4962 and 5636. They come out at around 2 Lit pages, which a lot of readers seem comfortable with.

Typical? No idea . . .

Alex

 

[otherdarkmeat]

It depends on the story itself. Some stories are meant to be short and sweet. Others you might wish could go on for hundreds of pages.

But in practice around 5,000 words is a good average.

-Mike B.

 

[oggbashan]

I agree with Alex.

Whatever works is the right length.

Mine tend to be too long but I am notorious for being verbose.

For a typical example The Bridesmaids' Revenge is 18,000+ words and is only one episode in a set of stories now totalling over 100,000 words. Would anyone read the whole thing from a screen?

My episode of The Worst Chain Story Ever seems interminable but is actually quite short (for me).

It isn't the length that matters but whether the story works for the reader. If it doesn't, the shortest story is too long.

Og

 

[gauchecritic]

It isn't the length that matters but whether the story works for the reader. If it doesn't, the shortest story is too long.
Og

Have to agree there. Doesn't matter how many you add afterwards a hell of a lot of stories on Lit. are one paragraph long, because that's the point at which they click the back button.

Gauche

 

[sanchopanza]

100,000 words? good god man thats a bloody porno epic! yeah i knew most people would say that whatever length feels right is the right length i just wanted people's experience of the sort of lengths that readers will put up with before looking away. 5,000 i'll take as a good estimation.

 

[LorriLove]

hiya

as others have said up to you honey how long it is, for freeks sake don't cut a story short of finishing it properly for the sake of shortening it, or drag it out too much because you think it's too short.

 

[Guest]

Too short, too long, what's right for you? Fuckall, I thought this was another 'does size matter' thread until I read Lorri's post and then knew I had the wrong matter in hand (so to speak).

Perdita

 

[raphy]

I'm almost the exact polar opposite of Ogg - Because my writing style is so terse and compact, my stories tend to veer towards the too short rather than the too long - I seem to write using the principle 'Why use 5 words when 3 will do'. I come from the William Gibson school of writing where one tends towards the 'efficient'.

Also, I use a lot of fragmented sentences, so I lose a lot of words doing that, for example:

"Why?" she asked, her voice soft and subversive, like a ripple on the ocean.

If I write that, I'm more likely to write it in this way:

"Why?" Her voice; soft, subversive. A ripple on the ocean.

If you extrapolate that over the course of an entire story, you find that you do actually lose a lot of words. That dropped from 14 words to 10, a 20 percent decrease. Over the course of a 5000 word story, that's a loss of 1000 words.

Raph, economically.

 

[Guest]

Raff, so you'd be a perfect candidate to join Snippettsville. Plus my character needs a new poke, uh, bloke.

'dita

 

[raphy]

Hush, like I need even more things to keep up with!

Besides, you owe me a critique, woman!

 

[whispering_surrender]

Good Lord! Size matters?

In that case, I'm in serious trouble... All of mine tend to be in the 1,000 to 2,000 word range. Usually by that point I've said everything I want to say, and trying to make it longer for longer's sake just starts to sound corny.... I would be curious to hear whether people think my writing style comes off as terse.

Whisper

 

[KillerMuffin]

Write the story as it wants to be written. It's done when you're finished with it and not because it's reached 3,000 words. Worry about story length in contests or markets where the define such things for you. Here, Lit doesn't actually care.

Personally, I keep my work to less than three Lit pages. That's less than 18,000 word processor words (I do so believe). I'm usually at 1 and 1/2 Lit pages. The reason is that I think readers are put off when they see the commitment they must make to online reading in order to get through the story. If my story is longer than three Lit pages and has adequate sex (or opportunities to add eroticism), then I chop it into chapters for the reader's convenience. This way the whole story is told and the reader is accomodated.

I have seen people submit upwards of 50 Lit pages. Considering that well over half of all lit-goers are on dial up and most of them are here for a quick cum, I think that's a little too much commitment to ask from a reader in one sitting.

 

[Stefan_J]

I agree with all of you, especially the last poster, Killer Muffin. Let the story write itself and don't worry about little things like length.

Although i'm starting to get worried about one of my stories, i've hit 11,000 words and i'm barely even started, it has this incredibly long build up that really brings on the tension, but i'm sitting here wondering who the hell will be bothered to get through it for the sex when it finally arrives? However, i can't change the story or shorten it, because the idea has written itself and if i cut it to pieces, it wouldn't be the story i wanted to originally write. Who knows right, maybe some poor bastard will think to himself 'the sex is coming, fuck, it's gotta be coming' and read the whole thing. Cheers.

Stefan

 

[Sabledrake]

I made the mistake of posting Infernal as one story instead of breaking it up, and it came to 6 Lit pages. That turned out to be a bit much for most readers at one sitting.

So, write it as long as it wants to be, but post it in convenient easy-to-use 2-3 page sections when possible

Sabledrake

 

[Seattle Zack]

... three Lit pages. That's less than 18,000 word processor words (I do so believe).

I think it's a little less than that, actually, the last story I sent was about 9000 words and came out to about 2 1/2 Lit pages. I would guess something like 3500 words per Lit page, on average.

But you're right, more than three pages is too much for one sitting. When I read stories, I find the best length is about two full pages -- enough to have some real plot and story, but not so much that I get tired of reading it waiting for the sex .....

--Zack

 

[falcon29]

Just write the stories! If they're good, they will be read! Stop worrying so much, Sancho!

 

[Guest]

I'm almost the exact polar opposite of Ogg - Because my writing style is so terse and compact, my stories tend to veer towards the too short rather than the too long - I seem to write using the principle 'Why use 5 words when 3 will do'. I come from the William Gibson school of writing where one tends towards the 'efficient'.

Also, I use a lot of fragmented sentences, so I lose a lot of words doing that, for example:

"Why?" she asked, her voice soft and subversive, like a ripple on the ocean.

If I write that, I'm more likely to write it in this way:

"Why?" Her voice; soft, subversive. A ripple on the ocean.

If you extrapolate that over the course of an entire story, you find that you do actually lose a lot of words. That dropped from 14 words to 10, a 20 percent decrease. Over the course of a 5000 word story, that's a loss of 1000 words.

Raph, economically.

Raphy, I can so identify with you. I also write that way, and often worry if my stories are too short. The longest story I have ever written is 6,000 words long, most are in the 1,500 - 2,500 range. I find myself trying to flesh them out, just to add more words, but it isn't necessary. I wrote them that way, because I think they work that way. I do think I have my own voice, and trying to write differently just wouldn't be me.

However, in my opinion, the principle 'why use 5 words when 3 will do' is one of the fundamental rules of good writing. One's writing style doesn't have to be short and succinct for that rule to apply. It merely means look out for words that don't need to be there. Be on the lookout for adjectives and adverbs that can be replaced with stonger nouns and verbs.

Another important rule to follow, in my opinion, is: vary sentence length. To my eyes there is nothing worse than reading prose in which all the sentences are equal in length. A paragraph containing a couple of fairly long sentences, and ending with a very short (sometimes three words) punchy sentence, can have a massive impact on the reader, and urge them to read on. It matters not if the stories are 10,000 words long, or merely 1,000, it is the way the prose is presented within the story that matters to me. The prose has to be credible, is all.

I believe we are greatly influenced by what we read. It's not even a concious effort to write in the style that I enjoy reading, I just do it naturally. It has gone through my mind: How the fuck am I going to write 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo? It could be just what I need, though. I'll let the words flow, and not worry about how I'm writing it. That will come later, during my rigorous editing process. Knowing me I'll have cut it to 30,000 words by the time I've finished.

Lou

 

[sanchopanza]

i tend to ramble on with my narrative - since i'm only just starting out and have but one finished story i'll use the next few stories just to develop my writing style - narrative, dialogue, sex, and so on.

 

[snooper]

... i'm starting to get worried about one of my stories, i've hit 11,000 words and i'm barely even started ...

SO, you've started your first novel. Maybe when it's finished you'll find you can sell it instead of posting it for free somewhere. Good luck with it anyway.

 

[sanchopanza]

most people only get work published because they already work in the publishing business or have mates who do - its all about who you know, thats why so much crap gets churned out of the publishers these days

 

[Guest]

Snooper: hear, hear! I think that's the point, some stories require a lot more time and development, because they have a long, intricrate plot. The length of a story often has little to do with one's writing style, it is to do with how the plot pans out.

I find thinking about writing a novel a rather daunting process, although I am actually writing one. I look at each chapter as a short story, even though each chapter is linked, and does follow on from the last. At present I have seven chapters written of my novel. Maybe it's a confidence thing, but I don't look at them as chapters of a novel, I look at each of them as a short story. I must explain, they did start out as merely continuing short stories, but I am in the process of making each one flow into the next in a smoother fashion. That's probably why it's taking me so long to submit more of them to Lit.

Lou

 

[English Lady]

Well Mine have got longer. When I first submitted my works they barely covered one lit page,now i'm working up to around 2 lit pages in length and anything longer, i think i'd struggle with,but that is my style.


Reading wise I find anything up to 2 pages a fairly easy read, anything more and it does become a bit more challenging on the eyes BUT if it's a good story i will press on.


Write exactly the amount you feel you need to do your story justice and you'll be right. People will read any amount of pages if it is infact a good story.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

A lot of length has to do with your style. I always go long, usually 3 to 5 lit pages. I do so because thats where the story takes me and I never worry about it until the story is done. The important thing with words is not how many you use, but that you carry the reader into your world and allow them to enjoy it there.

Raphy can take you into his world with a brevity that Ambrose Bierce would envy. I use so many words Dante would cringe Neither of us is correct because there is no correct answer. 1000 words will probably get you high marks from people looking for storke material, but low marks from people wanting a story. Conversly if it goes past 3000 words the stroke fans will kill you while you still may not have enough to please those who want a real story with plot, dteails and strong characterizations.

Writing for pleasure or for a forum that is as open and writer friendly as Lit is very much a matter of "feel". Worry about word count and other things when you are writing for a contest, magazine or publisher. When writing for yourself, let the tale be the final arbiter in how long you go or how short it is.

-Colly

 

[gauchecritic]

past 3000 words... you still may not have enough to please those who want a real story with plot, dteails and strong characterizations.
-Colly

Really really gotta disagree there Colly. The number of words does not immediately reflect whether the story has a plot, detail, characterization or not.

A skilled wordsmith will give you a world in 3000 words. A hack will maybe give you a cardboard cut-out in 10,000.

Gauche