Word Count

[wayne1979]

Hi all,

I am currently in the middle of my first story I'm hoping to get published on lit.

Just a very quick question, What is the average word count for a short story on here. I'm currently on about 1,500 words and am suddenly aware I might be "banging on a bit"

Any comments would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Wayne

 

[Vermilion]

Hi all,

I am currently in the middle of my first story I'm hoping to get published on lit.

Just a very quick question, What is the average word count for a short story on here. I'm currently on about 1,500 words and am suddenly aware I might be "banging on a bit"

Any comments would be greatly appreciated

Thank you


Wayne

No way man - many stories are 2 Lit pages as a minimum and you usually fit about 3,500 to 4000 words per Lit page.

You have many thousands to go yet my friend
x
V

 

[LoquaciousLady]

Just my opinion, but maybe try worrying less about word count and just use revision and editing to make sure you're not "banging on a bit." As a reader I'm a lot more interested in where the story takes me mentally than in how many words it has.

If your mind is wandering as you write, mine will probably wander as I read - until I wander away from the story. But I've been known to read full-size novels on my monitor so "long" doesn't scare me away as long as there's a productive reason for it being long.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't think there's a handle here by anyone on an average word count for stories (and I also don't think that the statement that "most" of the stories here are at least two Lit. pages is anything more than a stab in the dark). 1,500 words is long enough for a story--but, as already noted, the number of words you have isn't a very good gauge to whether or not you've written a story. You've written a story when everything you need in the story is there. this can be 250 words or a couple of hundred thousand words.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

My shortest story is 3,200 words while my longest is a little over 12,000. I think you'll be fine so long as it is a cohesive story, and not just a bunch of rambling and run-on sentences

 

[rgraham666]

My stories have ranged between 800 and 23,000 words. So I'm no help.

As others have said, the focus and continuity of the words is more important than their number. Write what you want. Run it past editors and critique partners to make sure it isn't dull. Then post it.

You'll love getting the feedback.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

The length of a story is the total number of words it needs to be told, but at least 750.

Way too many stories are written to ramble on just to make it three, four or five Lit Pages when one would have done.

 

[oggbashan]

My stories range from 50 words, but I have to submit 15 of them together to make up the 750 word minimum, to 50,000.

The largest in one posting is about 30,000 or 8 Lit pages.

Og

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I saw one that was 32 lit pages (probably around 110,000 words), but it was so stuffed with fetishes that I wasn't into that I had to stop reading during the second page. I really don't find watersports sexy...

 

[wayne1979]

Thank you everyone for your help.

I have tried writing stories before that really seemed to have no depth or real setting of scenes.

This time I am quite happy with what I have written so far, but was suddenly aware that I still have quite a bit more to write.

My mind is at ease about that one, just got to worry whether anyones going to like it now.

Thank you all

Wayne

 

[HappyLlama]

Word, Count:
–verb (used with object)
1. to check over (the separate units or groups of a collection) one by one to determine the total number; add up; enumerate: He counted his tickets and found he had ten.
2. to reckon up; calculate; compute.
3. to list or name the numerals up to: Close your eyes and count ten.
4. to include in a reckoning; take into account: There are five of us here, counting me.
5. to reckon to the credit of another; ascribe; impute.
6. to consider or regard: He counted himself lucky to have survived the crash.
–verb (used without object)
7. to count the items of a collection one by one in order to determine the total: She counted three times before she was satisfied that none was missing.
8. to list or name numerals in order: to count to 100 by fives.
9. to reckon numerically.
10. to have a specified numerical value.
11. to be accounted or worth something: That first try didn't count—I was just practicing.
12. to have merit, importance, value, etc.; deserve consideration: Every bit of help counts.
13. to have worth; amount (usually fol. by for): Intelligence counts for something.
–noun
14. the act of counting; enumeration; reckoning; calculation: A count of hands showed 23 in favor and 16 opposed.
15. the number representing the result of a process of counting; the total number.
16. an accounting.
17. Baseball. the number of balls and strikes, usually designated in that order, that have been called on a batter during a turn at bat: a count of two balls and one strike.
18. Law. a distinct charge or theory of action in a declaration or indictment: He was found guilty on two counts of theft.
19. Textiles.
a. a number representing the size or quality of yarn, esp. the number based on the relation of weight to length of the yarn and indicating its degree of coarseness.
b. the number of warp and filling threads per square inch in woven material, representing the texture of the fabric.
20. Bowling. the number of pins struck down by the first ball rolled by a bowler in the frame following a spare and included in the score for the frame in which the spare was made.
21. Physics.
a. a single ionizing reaction registered by an ionization chamber, as in a Geiger counter.
b. the indication of the total number of ionizing reactions registered by an ionization chamber in a given period of time.
22. Archaic. regard; notice.
23. the count, Boxing. the calling aloud by the referee of the seconds from 1 to 10 while a downed boxer remains off his feet. Completion of the count signifies a knockout, which the referee then declares: A hard right sent the challenger down for the count. Also called the full count.
–adjective
24. noting a number of items determined by an actual count: The box is labeled 50 count.
—Verb phrases
25. count down, to count backward, usually by ones, from a given integer to zero.
26. count in, to include: If you're going to the beach, count me in.
27. count off, (often used imperatively, as in the army) to count aloud by turns, as to arrange positions within a group of persons; divide or become divided into groups: Close up ranks and count off from the left by threes.
28. count on or upon, to depend or rely on: You can always count on him to lend you money.
29. count out,
a. Boxing. to declare (a boxer) a loser because of inability to stand up before the referee has counted 10 seconds.
b. to exclude: When it comes to mountain climbing, count me out.
c. to count and apportion or give out: She counted out four cookies to each child.
d. to disqualify (ballots) illegally in counting, in order to control the election.
—Idiom
30. count coup. coup1 (def. 4).
[Origin: 1275–1325; (v.) ME counten < AF c(o)unter, OF conter < L computāre to compute; (n.) ME counte < AF c(o)unte, OF conte < LL computus calculation, reckoning, n. deriv. of computāre]

 

[BOSTONFICTIONWRITER]

You just know

I just know when the story is done. I don't count the words until I finish the story.

All of my stories are different lengths from 950 words to 70,000 words. You just get a feel for it. Besides, if you've done a good job at developing your characters, if they are three dimensional instead of flat...they will tell you when the story is finished.