This may sound really stupid... (wordcount question)

maddicharmed · Oct 3, 2009

Okay, I understand that this may sound really stupid but it has been bugging me for the past couple of days. With your word count, do you could the chapter heading? Like "Chapter One" and "Chapter Two". Or do you just count the story and not the chapter headings.

*slaps self*

Feel free to answer and then give me a good wack around the head lol.

alleycat · Oct 3, 2009

Nah, we don't whack people for asking questions (generally). It's more fun to whack people for other reasons! ;-)

No, don't count the chapter headings, although I can't imagine why it would make that much difference to you.

Darzian · Oct 3, 2009

If you have 10 chapters, that makes it twenty words (unless you title your chapters with phrases eg. "The Other Minister"). It's not going to make much difference in your final word count, which will be in the thousands.

Am I getting this question correctly?

ThePaperGypsy · Oct 3, 2009

I usually just count them anyway instead of trying to maneuver the word document where it only counts inside the chapters. Say, if I have thirteen chapters, I just multiply that by two and take it from the word count. Viola.

aadams73 · Oct 3, 2009

Come here and let me slap you.

It doesn't matter. Seriously. A few words does not matter. Or a few hundred at that.

Jersey Chick · Oct 3, 2009

I used to subtract them all out - then I realized that those words would neither make nor break my publishing chances. So I stopped.

Don't worry about it.

bonitakale · Oct 4, 2009

Technically, they don't count. But when you're rounding off to the nearest thousand, even 38 chapters with ten-word titles wouldn't make that much difference. Just round down instead of up.

In a beginning chapter book, yes, you'd want to subtract them, especially if you're trying to keep under a low word limit.

This may sound really stupid... (wordcount question)

maddicharmed

I'm not the writer I used to be.

alleycat

Still around

Darzian

To-to-to-ron-to

ThePaperGypsy

Won't be on much till December. :(

aadams73

A Work in Progress

Jersey Chick

Up all night to get Loki

bonitakale