Writing Tip #4-Short Story? Novel? How Long Should I Write?

Previously, we talked about the importance of audience and genre. Another thing that first time writers may find easy to glance over is...WORD COUNT.

Word Count

Yes, the total length of your story matters. Now this is for stories aimed at an adult audience. This is scaled down when writing for younger audiences. Let's focus on the adult novels first (and sometimes this can apply to YA). Just for some context here are some basic guidelines for stories based upon length:

• < 1500 words: Flash Fiction 

• 5000-10000 words: Short Story 

• 20000-60000 words: Novella 

• 60000+ are novels, but max length depends on genre 

Generally speaking, if your story is running longer than the recommended word count (as most commonly happens with first time writers), then you will need to do some revision work (more on that later). One thing to note: if you are writing for Sci-Fi or Fantasy, you get a bit more grace. These novels can run between 90-110k due to expectations about world building. Be careful if you push above 110k words though if you are seeking to be traditionally published! Agents are not keen to pick up a first time author who is unproven on a very long novel. Note that YA are typically shorter by about 10k words for all genres.

Now, what if you aren't writing for the adult market, but are aiming instead for Middle Grade (ages 8-12) or YA (ages 13-18)? Or maybe you are crafting a picture books for kids?

• 500-700 words: Picture Books

• 30000-50000 words: Middle Grade

• 50000-75000 words: YA

Note that with both Middle Grade and YA, fantasy again gets a pass for a bit more length due to world building expectations.

Word Count by Genre

 Let's stick with novels for a minute. We already mentioned both fantasy and science fiction can influence word count. What about other genres including nonfiction? Let's take a look:

• 65000-80000 words: Romance (look to the imprint for specific counts)

• 70000-80000 words: Mystery

• 70000-90000 words: Memoir/Biography

• 80000-100,000 words: Literary Fiction

• 90000-100000 words: Thriller

• 90000-120000 words: Science Fiction

• 90000-130000 words: Fantasy

Note that this list is not comprehensive nor are these word counts by any means law. You could write a fantasy novel that is shorter at 80000 words and it would still be appropriate. Generally speaking, any novel that starts to exceed 90000 words (or 100000 for science fiction and fantasy) as a first time author may get you some push-back if you try to publish traditionally. Self-publishing is another story, but even as a self-published author, sticking to these word counts can be a great way to adhere to reader expectations for the genre.

What if My Story is Too Long?

For self-publishing this may not be as applicable, especially if you already have an established audience that knows what to expect. However, in the traditional publishing world, unless you are an established big name author, you may find it difficult to get those longer manuscripts published. For example, you are writing an Alternative Earth fantasy and your final draft comes in at 200k words. WOAH! That's a lot of writing! How can you trim it down?

Revision. Revision. Revision.

Also, get beta readers to help you identify what is working/not working in your writing. In future writing columns, we'll focus on tips for how to improve your writing, but for now, it is likely safe to assume that your writing might just need some work before it's ready. There's always a chance that the 200k word fantasy is in a near perfect form, but more often that not, most of us will need to focus on polishing what is there and eliminating writing mistakes.