New writer: Story length

[Xpoerotica]

Hi - I'm new here. What is a good length for a short story?

In reading I see that the stories vary in length.

I want to hit that sweet spot where it is not too long, so I lose readers, but long enough so that I honor the story.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[lovecraft68]

Don't know if it still holds true, but in the past it was mentioned that 3 lit pages(3750 words per full lit page I think) is a good length for a story. Long enough to be able to flesh out a story and give some character depth, but not so long it can't be enjoyed in a sitting.

But what you will learn here is that every writer has their style and every reader their preference. There are people who think anything more than a page of hard core fucking is too much and others who will read a 20 page story as long as it remains interesting.

So be prepared for a lot of different advice here, and different reactions to your stories themselves. Just know that no matter what you write and how long/short it is, readers into that will find you, especially if you keep posting work.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I agree with LC - 10,000 (3 Lit pages) seems to be a good length for stand-alone stories and chapter lengths in a longer story.

Having said that, I've also done nicely with 20,000 word (6 Lit pages) and 38,000 (10 Lit pages) stand-alone stories, which is more novella, I guess. My latest is just over 100,000 words, so novel length.

The longest single story I've seen was 240,000 words, and who knows how long some of the multi-chapter things are - I've seen several up around 100 chapters (not read them, though).

So, to answer your question another way - as long as it needs to be.

 

[oggbashan]

The simple answer is how long do you need to tell the story.

I write 50-word stories in sets of 15 to meet Literotica's 750 word minimum; I write 50,000 words or longer stories if that is appropriate.

Just write your story.

 

[SimonDoom]

What Lovecraft says. Literotica readers are (to me) surprisingly tolerant of a wide variety of story lengths. According to data recently compiled and shown in another thread (see https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1487508), the average Literotica story is 2.2 pages (1 page = 3750 words, more or less), but average length varies by category. Sci Fi/Fantasy stories average 3.5 pages. Readers of those stories like lots of world building. Some other categories average much less than that.

Some popular authors write only short stories. Other popular authors tend to write longer stories. My stories usually end up 3-5 pages. That just seems to be the right length for me, but it's not for others.

From what I can tell, there is a mild positive correlation between story length and story score. That might be because some readers think only a longer, well-developed story deserves a 5, or it might be that only the readers who like a story are willing to stick it out long enough to vote on it.

But there's no similar correlation I can see between story length and views. Both short stories and long stories can be very popular.

My advice would be to go ahead and write your story without much regard for its length, submit it, and see how it does and how you like it. Then decide what story length seems right to you.

 

[Blind_Justice]

If your writing style and/or subject matter is compelling enough, people will stick with it. Write the best story you can. Imposing limits can stifle your creativity. There's nothing wrong with striking unneeded words from your work while editing, but cutting yourself short while writing? There will be a lot of regrets and moans of "Could I have said that better?" afterwards.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

A good short story is one that is complete.

I have written single lit page stories that were complete and stories that have gone 11 to 20 lit pages that were complete.

I have also read stories that spanned more than 25 lit pages with out a problem. And single lit page stories that were thought provoking.

Of course I do most of my reading, like a lot of people do, on my phone using the lit app. And depending on the font size you chose the word per page can vary, making the length vary. The size I use put the words per page at about 90 words per page. So that puts a 10 page lit story at about 415 pages on the lit app. And a 3 page lit story at 125 pages on the lit app.

Chose your pick.

 

[LaRascasse]

I have personally found 4-6 pages as a good length. Beyond that, I usually start thinking of chapters.

 

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

Nonsense. 5000 is what real pros aim for. Say1 1/2 LIT pages. LOVECRAFT cant write his name in less than 2 full LIT pages. Its true.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I try to follow this advice. “Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Lewis Carroll, 'Alice in Wonderland'

Some can tell a complete story in a page. Others use more. There's no 'ideal' length.

 

[Handley_Page]

It's not so much the Length of the story, more the Satisfaction of the story.
But about 10,000 words is a good start, I think. 3 Pages can make a good tales.

 

[eroticstoryspinner]

As has been said before, the story is as long as it needs to be. Whether you need to break it up in parts or not is a matter of personal choice. That said, some readers are looking for solo sex fodder and will gravitate toward the shorter stories. As a reader, I like more involved multipart stories rather than trying to remember that I left off on page 7 of a 21 page story.

The most important thing is to tell the story. Don't try to shackle your muse.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Don't try to shackle your muse.

Nicely spun, Spinner! Nice phrasing.