Word Count Tyranny

[Trollheart]

Kind of expanding on another thread, taking it in a different direction. Do you tend to fall victim to, believe in or be guided by WCT? What I mean by that, as I'm sure you know, is do you keep checking to see if your writing (chapters, stories, novels) has enough, or too many words, and if so, does that then cause you to cut sections or, conversely, have to write more? I know if you're being or hoping to be published word count has to be a factor, as it has an impact on how the book will be sold, or not, or even picked up, but do you ever feel like a voice inside you is telling you "too long: it will never sell" or "not long enough, you need to expand"? Or do you just write and to hell with word count? Just wondering, as, in the other thread, I noted that my chapters tend to be quite long, as do my short stories, but while the latter generally precludes me from say entering them into competitions or submitting them to magazines, I tend to stick with what I have regardless of word count. Mind you, I've never been published, nor probably ever will be, so maybe it's easy for me to say that. In the real world, where editing deadlines and publishers breathing down your neck are the norm, I have no doubt it's a vastly different situation.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

I never waste much time worrying about the chapter length or word count, but I suppose I do keep a weather-eye on it. If I'm writing a short story for a particular market, I can be strict with myself (usually), but I did get a novella out of a 2k short once...

 

[-K2-]

It's in the back of my mind but just like the voices--shut up, it's my turn to talk, you'll get your chance--I don't heed it...somewhat.

I write and write, adding chapter endings and starts where I think they apply (part of which is to generate chapter titles). But past that, I write till it's finished. At that point, during re-reads, I'll check word counts for excessively long chapters (I don't care for them over 3,500) or excessively short (under 1,500), and consider if their beginnings or ends apply more to the preceding/subsequent chapter, making minor adjustments. If they don't, long/short regardless, I leave them be.

Overall length I fret over (once done)...and...if higher than I want or lower, simply keep that in mind freeing me up to expand a bit or lean up others. However, as I read through repeatedly and make changes, that will all change again. So, I don't sweat it too much. Better to have each chapter be complete and not filled with fluff and the story play out fully, rather than a number met.

K2

 

[sule]

I agree with the above posts that word count matters much less than telling the story the way you want it to be told regardless of how many words you use. I personally don't worry about word counts (except to hit word count goals for a day). Of course, I'm also unpublished so weigh everything I say against that. I would suspect that the majority of word count worries stem from the marketability of a work and the expectations of the publisher and the audience in the genre or market it's trying to fit into.

 

[sknox]

I don't worry over word count for fantasy novels; the genre tolerates huge variations in length.

When it comes to short stories, I do try to get them down to magazine length. I consider it a worthwhile exercise in both story crafting and in editing. I believe, though cannot prove, that this helps me with focus and pacing in writing longer works.

 

[Ambrose]

Word-length can be important as ultimately an editor has only so much space to fill with an assortment, in the case of journals or annual, monthly or weekly story collection. In the case of books it translates into how much will a publisher be willing to spend on putting a mss into print, and storing the product for the market. The Accountants have a role in such decisions. My current contract has a word-limit of 110k words, which I have been told is fixed. I have exceeded contract length in all my books with this publisher, but this time I think they mean it.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

I have exceeded contract length in all my books with this publisher, but this time I think they mean it.

I'm sorry. I know that was a serious comment, but I spluttered tea over my nice new keyboard when I read it. I just had visions of a long-suffering editor saying, 'That's it! No more. 110k words, or I'm walking out!'.

 

[Ambrose]

Apologies, Kerrybuchanan. But the editorial reaction may be - sorry, we're not going to take it on. No worries. As it is working out it will get nowhere near 110K. The last one was contracted for 290K, and 350K was sent in. They settled for 330K. some say a 10% overrun is usually allowed, but they trimmed their cost by shriniking the font.

 

[ginny]

Word count should not be a problem unless you contract with someone who has a word count target.
Otherwise it is more important to just write and edit with the idea that you will be cutting anything that you discover is unnecessary.
If you are like me it's a struggle because half my edits end up with a higher word count.

 

[Trollheart]

Thanks guys. Interesting to see most if not all of you have the same philosophy as me; I write what the chapter or story or novel needs, not how long it's supposed to be, or how short I can make it. I have looked in wonder at the lengths of some of my chapters, and then I think, well, is everything there needed? And if it is, then so be it: long chapters. Don't start reading mine if you need to go to the bathroom any time soon, or if your house is burning down around your ears and you just HAVE to finish this chapter!

I guess like many of the rules in writing, word count is there as a tool, aid and suggestion, but not as a draconian measure, a law that has to be adhered to or the Writing Police* will be after you. As in all things, at least concerned with writing, I tend to do what works for me, and not worry too much about what someone might see as breaking the rules. After all, if Terry had had that attitude he would have felt he had to write in chapters, and Stephen King would not have been able to put a virtual epilogue at the beginning of Salem's Lot, now would he?

* Note: Efforts are underway to disband the Writing Police, due to the high incidents of crashes and near misses as a driver, eyes on his notepad, greets the scream "Watch out for that bus!" with "Yeah, just got to really nail down this one character, very central to the plot. Be with you in one OH SHI-!"

 

[Steve Harrison]

I've never worried about words counts, as I prefer writing to maths

I do, however, have a final word count in mind whenever I start a novel; 85,000 for my WIP. I base this on other books in the same or similar genre and prior experience, but it's really just a guide to help me assess at any given time where I am in the story. I'm confident that estimate will result in a final manuscript of between 80,000 and 90,000 words.

 

[sknox]

My first novel was about 150k. For the second one I told myself I'd like to hit around 95k, but it was little more than a wistful wish.

But I came really close (I think it was about 98k). And I did the same with the next one. I can't really explain why I came so close to my target. It's not like I've been real disciplined.

For my current WIP, I'm not thinking about word count at all, but I am wondering if I maybe have two books rather than one. Still very much up in the air on that, but it has nothing to do with word count. It's more about whether a lurking evil in the background is going to stay there or whether dealing with it earns a second book. So, still more about structure than length.

 

[Ambrose]

There is a difference between novels and other writing. My experience is in technical law books. My one novel went as far as it needed. My then agent did try his best, but . . . so I've just put it out myself years later, just to get it out. No idea how it's doing as yet. I have edited collections, and there there was usually a maximum length indicated by the potential publishers.

It is noticeable in UK publishing that first novels tended to be short, and once authors have a track record of sales, the novels get longer. Not sure about the current scene, as I rarely buy nowadays.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I find the accumulating word count of Word really helpful. It allows me to pace my intensive writing sessions.

 

[ginny]

My smith corona was terrible about word count.

 

[Astro Pen]

Due to my natural pacing and intolerance of any form of 'padding' my novels tend to hit 80,000 - 85,000 quite naturally.

On the other hand my short stories tend to be in the 500 to 1500 "flash fiction" range. I know it would be more commercial to turn out 5000 worders but find that length of story almost impossible to construct. It is either write a nice tight little piece or make a full movie.

That 5,000 'inbetweeny' length is elusive. Probably because it needs an odd level of character development that is beyond superficial but not completely rounded.

I like a daily word count, it gives one mini targets. This sort of mental arithmetic, keeping to around a 1000 a day completes a novel draft in about 3 months.

 

[Astro Pen]

My smith corona was terrible about word count.

View attachment 65921

You could default to the older standard measure of how many 'Ribbon passes' you took

 

[Trollheart]

Due to my natural pacing and intolerance of any form of 'padding' my novels tend to hit 80,000 - 85,000 quite naturally.

On the other hand my short stories tend to be in the 500 to 1500 "flash fiction" range. I know it would be more commercial to turn out 5000 worders but find that length of story almost impossible to construct. It is either write a nice tight little piece or make a full movie.

That 5,000 'inbetweeny' length is elusive. Probably because it needs an odd level of character development that is beyond superficial but not completely rounded.

I like a daily word count, it gives one mini targets. This sort of mental arithmetic, keeping to around a 1000 a day completes a novel draft in about 3 months.

Strange, I'm the opposite. I find it all but impossible to write a story in under 1000 words (I've done it, but never been satisfied with it, to the point in fact where I wrote one - for a competition on a forum - to the required I think 900 word length and then rewrote it into a full maybe 30,000 worder. It really ended up being, if I say so, pretty damn good). No, my short stories defy the trades descriptions act. Almost every time. And my novels are gonna end up being full series or else the largest novels in history. Sorry, I should add never-published, of course.

 

[Joshua Jones]

Yeah, I'm sort of the same as everyone else here. I really don't pay attention to word counts as much as character and story arcs and how they resolve. That is, unless whoever is receiving my work has specified the quantity of words permitted, whether it be the challenges here or the foundations and agencies I submit proposals to.

As an aside, I'm looking forward to that 10% buffer! I live in a world where if the limit is, say, 500 words, 501 means rejection of the proposal out of hand, and my city is out a significant quantity... my recent grant proposals are in the $78,000-$350,000 range, so when they say 500 words...

 

[sknox]

I've already said I don't pay much attention to chapter or novel length, but I do want to offer a plug for length limits. Writing to a length does teach one discipline and editing, skills that are not negligible. We write to length limits on blurbs, summaries, proposals. Twitter has a length limit, as do other platforms.

When I taught history, I always had two length limits for term papers, both a minimum and a maximum. I could count on someone protesting just about every semester. But it is a worthwhile skill. I told them that they should be able to take whatever was the thesis for their paper and say it in a few sentences (we authors would call that the elevator pitch), say it in a page or so (proposal or abstract), say it in twenty pages (common length for academic mags, if you're a noob, but also standard length for presentation at a conference), say it in a full book, or say it in however many books you felt it takes.

Being able to tell your story (or make your argument) at only one of those lengths is fine. Being able to do so at some or all of them is better.

I'm not sure I convinced all my audience. <g>