Novel Length Help!

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PhoenixSaga

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I am new so please excuse the naivity, however, I really would like to know the average word length of a novel. I am currently 20,000 into my first time ever first draft and I am getting close to a climax in the storyline that is leading towards the end. If I keep the way I am going I am probably going to end up at 30,000. I am afraid that it is too short and I will need to expand. I have seen other writers that post the word length in their signature and it has 70,000-80,000 words some even 100,000. I have 80,000 in my signature but I think that may be a bit exaggerated at this point. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks so much!!
 

Writer2011

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What kind of novel is it exactly? The reason why I ask is because if you go to say Harlequin or Liquid Silver Express (to name a few) they have writing guidlines... 80,000 is acceptable (at least as far as I know)... a 100,000 is quite lengthy... But if you're going for a full-fleged novel then yes that's fine...
 

Moon Daughter

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If you feel like you're about to basically write the ending, then perhaps add in more twist, turns, and drama. Perhaps put in a new beginning? It could give readers a chance to get to know the MC (main character) better. If that fails, you could always make it into a novella instead of a full pledged novel.
 

Writer2011

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I would have to agree with Moon Daughter...Novella's are, well to me rather interesting... it not only breaks up the story but keeps the readers wantiing more... :)

But you could make it longer if you wish too... add things, whichever you feel is best.
 

Moon Daughter

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Hmm...or maybe it could be a novella series? Ha, sorry...I'm on pain killers and my brain won't shut up.
 

Writer2011

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Seriously though... make it how you want it...if you want it to be several stories, then go for it...but you should have an idea of where you want the story to go...if not it's cool too :) But you'll figure it out.
 

Moon Daughter

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Don't feel bad Moon Daughter...i'm taking pain killers too.. :) Good stuff by the way.

I apologize in advance for being off topic, but who says you can't have a little chitchat, too? :)

But anyways, what kind are you taking (if I may ask)? I've got oxycodone, which I guess are basically percs. Ha, I'm not a druggy or anything. I just had surgery so I kind of need them for awhile.

If my post is inappropriate, feel free to delete it, or I'll erase the context if someone requests it.
 

blacbird

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1. Go to bookstore or library.
2. Select average-length book.
3. Count words on 3-4 pages.
4. Multiply average words per page by number of pages.

Result = number of words for average-length book.

Most novels intended for adult readership will run 80,000-100,000 words, though there is some variability up or down depending on genre.

caw
 

lfraser

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If there are about 500 words to a page, many novel run well over the 250,000 mark -- especially in fantasy, it seems -- so there is a wide variation in what can be considered novel length. 30,000 words seems pretty short, though.
 

ErylRavenwell

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Add a new twist, plot or char. Take a pause and assess what you've got so far, finally implement the change. Don't hurry anything. Flexibility is key.
 
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Tracy

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30,000 is a novella, and there isn't a huge market for it.

Absolutely!

I would suggest you check out books which are in the same genre as yours, and count the number of words using the formula above, and see how many words they have - that's what you need to aim for.

Another option is to look at novels in the same genre, check out who published them, and go onto those publishers' websites. They should normally have a link of 'submission guidelines' and you might find their preferred word length in there (depending on whether they're a specialist publisher or not).
 

Linda Adams

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Most novels should run a mininium of 90K, and I've seen agents who say they'll reject something 30K-40K. That being said, I do have a tendancy to run short and end up adding. My last one was 15K too short, and I had to come up with ways to add it. My very first one was like yours. So this might help:

Think about how to restructure the storyline to bring in more developments, complications, and subplots that will both expand and enhance the story.

If you're one of those people who uses narrative to punctuate dialogue (there are people who write a lot of dialogue, then use the narrative to identify who said what--and don't use it for much else), then work on your narrative skills. Describe mood, setting, the character's emotions, whatever helps advance your story.

If you've left any unanswered questions because they were hard to do, go back and work through answering them. For example, in one romance novel, a woman really wanted a particular job at a particular company. The unanswered question the writer ignored was why that job. It was never explained. Something like that could really add a great deal to your story (and add pages).

Look for scenes where you can expand on them. More excitement, more tension, more something.

If your main character doesn't have a buddy, give her one. It's a lot easier to write scenes if your main character has someone to talk to.
 

Jamesaritchie

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Length

First, what genre does the novel fall into?

Go to the websites of publishers who publish books of the kind you're writing, or check out such publishers in market guides like Writer's Market, and look for guidelines.

What matters is the length publishers ask for with a specific type of book, and it really helps to learn this before you start writing. Getting published is tough enough without writing to a length publishers do not want.

The average published novel is 100,000 words, but average doesn't count for much. You need to know what publishers want with the specific type of novel you're writing. For a first novel, this can be anywhere from 55,000 to 120,000 words, depending on genre and sub-genre.
 

giftedrhonda

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30k is fine for middle-grade stuff (for tween-aged readers). Or, it's great for a novella length. Other than that, it's too short for most any genre...
 

Prawn

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With my novels, I am for 85K, and then tend to add a bit during revision. 30 seems like a short story or novella. It may be the perfect length for the story you are telling. You need to ask yourself if you are concerned that there is probably not a market for it.

P
 

Jack Nog

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I actually got the guidelines from Wikipedia

WHOA - Don't everyone yell at once. This information is actually pretty close to decent.

Flash fiction: A work of fewer than 2,000 words. (1,000 by some definitions)
Short story: A work of at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words.
Novelette: A work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words.
Novella: A work of at least 17,500 words but under 60,000 words.
Novel: A work of 60,000 words or more.
Epic: A work of 200,000 words or more
 

Jamesaritchie

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Length

I actually got the guidelines from Wikipedia

WHOA - Don't everyone yell at once. This information is actually pretty close to decent.

Flash fiction: A work of fewer than 2,000 words. (1,000 by some definitions)
Short story: A work of at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words.
Novelette: A work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words.
Novella: A work of at least 17,500 words but under 60,000 words.
Novel: A work of 60,000 words or more.
Epic: A work of 200,000 words or more

Wikipedia almost always screw up writing definitions. With most genres, a novella stops at 30K and a novel is anything over 30K. SF/fantasy defines a novella as 17,500--40,000 words, and a novel as anything over 40K. In any case, many, many novels are considerably shorter than 60K.

But it's the "epic" tag that bugs me. A novel does not stop, nor does an "epic" begin, at 200K. Ever read a Stephen King, or Tom Clancy novel that's way over 200K? They still say "novel" on the cover, and nowhere is the word "epic" mentioned. In reality, epic is a style, not a length. Most often, "epic" just means "Damn, this thing is long."

Some places call anything over 200K a "saga," which is equally nuts.

40K, 50K, 100K, or 500K, it's still a novel. The only question is whether it's at a length a particular publish wants for a particular line of books.
 

PeeDee

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Silly, James. Wikipedia doesn't make mistakes. Honestly, what's wrong with you? You'll be mistrusting the news media next.

There's ntohing else I can add here that hasn't been said better, except that if your novel comes in at 30,000 you can always make it longer. Can't figure out how to add acharacter? Blow something up instead. Set something on fire. Have a baby. Do all three at once.

Or, just let it sit for a little bit and come back to it. I bet you can come up with new ideas to take 30,000 and make it bigger.

Or smaller, perhaps. Consider bumping it down in length too (again, after a break to put some distance there). You could turn it into a long short story, for which there is a market.
 

herdon

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Personally, I think adding 30-60k words to a 30k word story is a recipe for disaster. You are going to run a big risk of those extra words seeming as if they were just tacked on and those extra words are going to end up as most of your novel. This doesn't mean it can't be done, and a lot depends on the specifics of what you have written, but I would worry about adding that much to a story you feel is complete.

You can always find a publisher that will take that length. I know some e-publishers take novellas as well as novels.

But, personally, if I had a 30k story and I wanted to turn it into something in the 60-90k range I would rewrite it from scratch.
 

PeeDee

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It's not a recipe for disaster, if you do it properly. It's just the opposite of when you make editorial cuts to your story. Do you re-write from scratch just because you have to cut a thousand words?

But the key words are if you do it properly. Meaning if you add fluff for the sake of fluff, it'll fall apart. If you think on it and find more story to tell, then it works fine.

There are a few e-publishers that take novellas, but I could throw a rock and not have to worry about hitting any other publisher or magazine who takes novellas, especially if you're not a successfully established author.
 

Jersey Chick

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I don't know what genre you're writing, but you might want to see if there are any subplots you can flesh out, or add one to give it a little more depth. In romance, for example, category length is about 50k to 60k, but there are only a few publishers who handle it, and as a result, only few agents as well. Most romance single titles, short and long, run from a min. of about 65k to 100k, but that also varies from house to house.

I don't know what other genre guidelines are, though. Out of my arena :)
 
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