Question on Length

[Moon Dragon]

*waves hello*

I was directed to literotica by a friend after sharing a story I wrote for personal kicks and it doesn't really seem to quite fit anywhere except, perhaps, in the novellas section. It is hovering just under the 3,000 word mark. My question is: Would this story be long enough to qualify as a novella?

 

[elsol]

Erotic couplings... it's like the default.

I know most of mine end up there.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[Moon Dragon]

Ah yes, that would be the sensable place for it. I guess my mind was too busy thinking of all the wonderful possibilites hiding under some of the headings to notice. I've a bit of work to do polishing it up before I submit it though. And thanks for the advice.

 

[NoJo]

I think a novella would be around 25,000 words plus.

 

[TheEarl]

Welcome to Lit. Hope you enjoy us... I mean the site.

IMHO, no. I don't think 3,000 would qualify as a novella, although as far as I know, they're not that strict over length.

How come you don't think it fits in anywhere else? What kind of couplings or activities are involved?

The Earl

 

[impressive]

Welcome to the AH. I think 3,000 is a wee bit shy of the novella mark.

 

[oggbashan]

I think that 3000 is a short. 30,000 could be a novella but I have put stories that long and longer in the category appropriate to the subject matter.

The problem with putting a story in Novels and Novellas is that it doesn't give the potential reader a hint of the subject matter. If the story includes any Incest it should be in that category. Non-Consent ditto.

Novels and Novellas is a convenient place for multi-chapter works or for NaNoWriMo offerings but it is not a popular choice for readers. If you want views, votes and comments try another category.

Og

 

[Weird Harold]

It is hovering just under the 3,000 word mark. My question is: Would this story be long enough to qualify as a novella?

No.

3,000 words is just under one Lit page and well below a conventional "Short Story" length -- more in the Short-Short Story class for conventional publishing.

If you story doesn't fit neatly into a category and doesn't require the "minimum squick factor" placement for something like incest, non-consent, or a fetish, then Erotic Couplings is the catch-all category.

Perhaps if you post a plot summary we could help pick a catgory for you?

 

[LadyTemptress]

I have been wondering how long is too long for a story? I have one now that is close to 7,000 words. Is that too long to post as a single story?

 

[Weird Harold]

I have been wondering how long is too long for a story? I have one now that is close to 7,000 words. Is that too long to post as a single story?

7,000 words is just two Lit pages -- there are many stories here that are much longer than that posted in one piece.

Too long for a story is determined by the story -- if you're wandering away from the point of your story or dragging it out after you've finished telling it, then it's "too long"

It's very difficult to put too many words into a story, but all too easy to reduce a story to an outline with too few words.

The only requirement regarding story length here at Literotica is that it must be at least 750 words -- that's roughly equal to the minimum HTML overhead to format a story to Lit's standards, BTW. As long as half or more of the page Lit creates for your story is "story" then it's the right length for posting here.

 

[Softouch911]

I have been wondering how long is too long for a story? I have one now that is close to 7,000 words. Is that too long to post as a single story?

Three of mine are in the 15000 -- 20000 range and only come to a few Lit. pages. I've seen some as long as 14 Lit. pages in the short story section.


Of course, it it's dull to read, even 750 may be too long, but I know that wasn't what you meant.



Softouch

 

[LadyTemptress]

Thank you Weird Harold and Softouch that was very helpful. I am trying to stick to the point and not use an abundant amout of adverbs.

*Wonders if her story is dull?*

 

[rgraham666]

I have been wondering how long is too long for a story? I have one now that is close to 7,000 words. Is that too long to post as a single story?

Lady, 7,000 words isn't that long. Except for stuff I throw together for an exercise most of my stuff is in the 10,000 to 15,000 word range. My latest is 21,000 and that's just the first draft. It will be bigger once I'm finished.

If the words are necessary to tell the story, that's enough.

 

[oggbashan]

I think my longest as one episode is 6 or 7 Lit pages.

I am thinking of combining all 12 chapters of my Flawed Red Silk series (NaNoWriMo 2003), that I am currently re-editing, into one with one or two more chapters. That could end up as 60,000 to 70,000 words.

My Silverbridge Chronicles could end up around 250,000 words or 30+ Lit pages. Would anyone read that much from a screen?

My shortest is just over the 750 word minimum.

On-screen stories tend to be shorter than conventional short stories but even so 3,000 is still short.

Og

 

[Moon Dragon]

How come you don't think it fits in anywhere else? What kind of couplings or activities are involved?

Perhaps if you post a plot summary we could help pick a catgory for you?

Well, it is basically about a man and a woman who know each other and it is written from the female's perspective: I do this to you and you do this to me. There is a blindfold and restraints involved but it is far too tame for bondage fans. Nothing that really qualifies as a fetish. There are no describing features involved or names. I tried to write it so that readers would be able to become one of the characters.

 

[TheEarl]

Well, it is basically about a man and a woman who know each other and it is written from the female's perspective: I do this to you and you do this to me. There is a blindfold and restraints involved but it is far too tame for bondage fans. Nothing that really qualifies as a fetish. There are no describing features involved or names. I tried to write it so that readers would be able to become one of the characters.

Erotic Couplings. You might put it in Fetish for the blindfold and restraints, but that reads like Erotic Couplings to me.

Welcome to Lit.

The Earl

 

[Moon Dragon]

Thanks. Now to hope it is accepted.

 

[lil_elvis]

Welcome to Lit, Moondragon.

Let us know when your story is posted.

Remember it's not the length, but how you use your, um, pen.