1. MJLowson

    MJLowson New Member

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    Novel How Long are your novels?

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by MJLowson, May 24, 2011.

    Hi everyone,

    just wanted to know how long are the stories that people usually write on here?



    Whats the shortest story you've written?

    Whats the longest story you've ever written?

    On average, how long are your stories?


    I've written a couple of 500 word shorts, that was at school though, when I do storytelling with the class I usually write a 500 word story, like you do when your a kid, beginning, middle, end

    The only novel - feature length story I wrote was around 17,000 words long, doesnt seem like much compared to the one I'm writing at the moment which is 7,500 words through and around a quarter of the way through.
     
  2. Jessica_312

    Jessica_312 New Member

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    The novel I just finished is around 90K words - this is by far the longest story I've written. Before this one, I've mainly just written short stories, or unfinished novels LOL
     
  3. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    First novel - 144,000 words
    Second novel - 87,000 words
    Third novel - 78,000 words
    Fourth novel - 89,000 words (still tweaking)

    Based on lessons I've learned since writing the first one, when I go back someday to rewrite it, I suspect there will be a LOT more cutting. But then, the first draft if it was 420,000 words! So, I'm making progress.
     
  4. spklvr

    spklvr Contributor Contributor

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    My stories usually end up somewhere between 20-40K words. The shortest story I have ever managed to write was about 2K words. One of my few successful attempts at a true short story.

    I'm working on two novels now, about to finish the second draft on one of them and just finished the first draft on the other. The one in the second draft stages is about 80K words, but I'm expecting it to go up about 10K.
    The one I just finished the first draft on is about 60K and will probably stay that way. The first one wasn't completely planned out as I started writing, so it was full of mistakes and plot holes and I had skipped descriptions and sometimes just stopped writing certain scenes if I got bored with them. But with the second one I knew exactly what was going to happen and could just focusing on writing well, so the length will probably not change any.
    Normal novels are about 80K words, but the 60K one is for older children, so it's probably for the best that it doesn't get any longer either.
     
  5. Declan

    Declan New Member

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    I usually get to around 5,000 words and then ditch the story, I have so many littered around me. I have so many ideas that I find it hard to focus on just one.

    Techincally it is not regarded a novel until you reach the 45,000-50,000 word mark. Anything below that is seen as a novella, novelette, or a short story- in order of size.
     
  6. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    Flank Hawk is 128,000 words. With the minor additions and subtractions while working with my editor, the net loss was about 500 words before it was published.

    I've had short stories published that ranged from 61 words all the way up to 8,700 words. I've found that if a story goes over 5000 words it's harder to place, with 4000 to 5000 being the sweet spot.
     
  7. psychotick

    psychotick Contributor Contributor

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    Hi,

    Last fantasy novel was 185,000 words, the short story I put out straight after, 13,000 words, and the novel I'm currently trying to finish, 95,000 so far.

    Cheers.
     
  8. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    The first draft of my only novel is 77,000 words long. For the second draft (which I've only just started), I'll cut about 25,000 to 30,000 words and expand on what's left. I need to ditch a couple of irrelevant subplots and focus on the main story. It will probably finish out at around 80,000 words.

    Most of my stories turn into novelettes or novellas. They work out to between 12,000 and 30,000 words. I've written a few short stories that are around 5,000 words (mostly for writing classes), but I'm not comfortable squeezing things into that small a space. I feel like I'm a Joseph Conrad type of writer - my best stuff, my most natural stuff - is in the middle lengths.
     
  9. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    I usually run out of steam around 200,000 if the project isn't going to go anywhere. :p /addressed to people who abandon things early on :p

    It depends on the genre for me. My rambling fantasy epics get past 100,000 easier than breathing simply because there is so much story to tell. The young adult comedy fantasy series all come in between 50,000-75,000 because short and sweet is preferable.
     
  10. Yoshiko

    Yoshiko Contributor Contributor

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    Of completed stories:

    [you can ignore the dates, they're more to help me distinguish between them]


    01. 2006.10 - 045k. (fantasy)
    02. 2006.11 - 040k. (fantasy)
    03. 2007.01 - 105k. (fantasy)
    04. 2007.11 - 172k. (GLBTQ/YA)
    05. 2008.11 - 057k. (realistic)
    06. 2009.01 - 089k. (psychological horror)
    07. 2009.05 - 065k. (psychological thriller)
    08. 2009.07 - 107k. (political romance)
    09. 2009.08 - 037k. (inspirational romance)
    10. 2009.11 - 083k. (romance suspense)

    Stories 3 and onwards all have GLBTQ romance and/or ero themes.

    My current WIP (started 2010.11/erotica) currently sits at 168,000 words with eight chapters (of fifty) still lift to write.


    My short stories vary.
     
  11. Tesoro

    Tesoro Contributor Contributor

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    my first was 85K but now that im rewriting it it will be longer. the second was 66K (not completed entirely) and the third only 52K.
     
  12. VM80

    VM80 Contributor Contributor

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    Shortest - around 600 words. Surprisingly really enjoyed this 'experiment'.

    Longest - working on now, approx 83,000 words at the moment. Never did I think a few years back I could ever do this...

    :)
     
  13. Ashleigh

    Ashleigh Contributor Contributor

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    I've only completed one novel, and it was a kid's zombie novel at just 62K.

    My shortest short story is about 1.5K, and my longest is about 5-6K I believe.

    Personally, I think the perect short story falls between 2.5K and 3.5K...After that I fear it can get a little stale. Just my opinion, though.
     
  14. Eunoia

    Eunoia Contributor Contributor

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    50 words. That was flash fiction though.

    Unfinished novel but I wrote about 39k I think.

    Usually I write short stories, and they tend to be between 1000 and 3000 words, mostly around the 1500-2000 word count though. Most of my short stories could be expanded and made longer, but I just prefer writing short stories of that length.
     
  15. barnz

    barnz New Member

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    My first novel was around 95,000 words, my second was 57,000 but in rewrite that'll go up a bit. my work in progress now is somwhere around 30000 or so, probably will end up around 80 or 90,000. My other stories have gone from flash fiction of around 100-300 words, novellas around 30,000, but typically my short stories are between 2000 and 5000.
     
  16. aimi_aiko

    aimi_aiko New Member

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    Well, to avoid thinking too hard remembering my past work, I'll just say that I extend my writing as long as I seem fit for the storyline. I continue writing unless I know that the story is finished. Though the shortest I've ever written anything (regarding class portfolios and projects) have been half a page to a page long.
     
  17. SeverinR

    SeverinR New Member

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    I'm not the only one?

    I have not officially "ditched" any story I have worked on.

    Shortest story?
    500-1000 words I think.
    longest 80k.

    Mine tend to be on the low side rather then to wordy. But I usually edit more in, then out.
    I write bare bones then go back and put the meat on it.
     
  18. katica

    katica New Member

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    Shortest is around 5,000 words.

    Longest is 100K.

    My short stories tend to be around 5,000 - 10,000 words and my novels tend to be 80,000 - 100,000 so far.
     
  19. Infinitytruth

    Infinitytruth New Member

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    Haven't written one yet. I'm working on it though, and I'm planning on making mine around 50,000 words.
     
  20. demented-tiger

    demented-tiger New Member

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    The one I've been working on for almost 10 years: 182,210 words, according to Microsoft word. That does not count material stored in 3 120 sheet, college ruled spiral notebooks (and a forth I am writing right now), edits, and any future re-writes/deletions/insertions I might make to existing texts. A publisher or copy-editor might ask me to cut it into a series if it gets too long; which I think it might.
     
  21. MrNomas

    MrNomas New Member

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    When I started writing back in college I think I rarely broke 1.5k words - probably closer to 1000 words. My novella is around 35k words and the sequel is about 110k. I'm working on a short story right now that is 2.6k.
     

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