#WordCount

[writingwithfolklore]

Reaching Your Wordcount Goal

                Have you ever been in a situation where you just can’t seem to get a scene to fill much more than a page or two? Or you’re at 500 words when you want to be at 2500 and it feels impossible to get there? Here’s some common problems that may be holding you back:

1. Your pacing is too fast

Pacing is probably the number one controller of word count. If it’s too fast, amazing scenes that could take up 5000 words are going to be 500. I talk a lot more about controlling pacing here, but essentially, try to use your MCs senses and internal dialogue to create ‘space’ between physical events of the scene. In an action-packed scene that should fly by a little faster, cut these parts out and focus more on the physical action instead.

2. You aren’t utilizing the setting

Similar to pacing, you may be underutilizing the elements of the scene. Make sure you’re incorporating all of the senses—sight, sound, smell, taste if applicable, feeling. Even things such as the vibe or non-physical feeling of a place add something to the setting. Try to think of unique details that make a place more interesting—get specific!

3. You aren’t checking in with your MC

Memories, internal dialogue, ruminating and ideas are all things that bring us closer with the MCs and add to a scene. You can use these moments to develop their character, their dynamics with others, foreshadow or hint towards upcoming plot, or add or strengthen any other elements of the narrative. These check ins ultimately allow you to explore the unique perspective your MC has on a situation, and are a great opportunity for words!

4. Your scene went off a few lines back

Maybe it was a weird turn in dialogue or a missed opportunity, but sometimes just rewriting the scene and actively trying to take it in a different direction can dislodge something that’s sticking the gears. Don’t be afraid to write through different paths and options and find the one that works the best!

                What are some ways you find makes a scene go easier?

[keydekyie]

28,744 words

I guess I should start keeping my word count for book IV

[literaticat]

I’m really really sorry to ask a WC question and I told myself I wouldn’t send this, but… I’m losing sleep over word count woes. I sometimes dream about word count. I’ve read your dracula post, where you write that anything up to 90k in an Upper MG fantasy might be okay. Is this STILL accurate in 2025, particualrly given the slumping MG market/new trend toward shorter titles?

Do you think an 88k Upper MG fantasy will be an instant reject for many agents? My story is tightly paced (I’ve spent months mercilessly line editing/killing my darlings/deleting what scenes I can w/o breaking the story… it was originally 120k). I think the tight pacing will be clear if the agent makes it to the pages/even just the first scene. The query/first 50 pages has been reviewed by an ex-agent turned freelance editor on Reedsy who said the pacing was solid and that the story moves right along (judging by the first 50). But she also said MG should top out at no more than 50k words. There’s just such a huge range/so many mixed opinions. So I’m worried most agents will read “88k” and auto-reject before reading the blurb/pages. Should I put my ‘housekeeping’ paragraph beneath the blurb for this reason? But it won’t make a difference for QM.

Is it ever acceptable to just leave the word count out of the query? But I feel like that might be a worse red flag if it makes them assume its like a 250k doorstopper. But again, if the agent uses QM, it wouldn’t be possible. 

Is it ever aceptable to ‘round’ to say 85k from 88k? How much rounding is acceptable? I’m assuming an agent probably expects some flunctuation if a writer continues revising a manusript after querying. But I also don’t want to straight up lie. I just want them to look at the first page.

I could get the story down to 79-80k by removing a significant sub-plot and I have a version where I did that. But I truly feel it hurts the story, so I don’t necessarily want to send that version. But if it actually would make a difference and increase the already small chance of getting ANY version of my story out into the world, maybe it’s worth it. Would those 8-9k words make a huge difference to the eye of an agent?

(Feel free to toss this if you just can’t with another WC question. I get it. But I felt compelled to type this out. It was oddly therapeutic. Maybe the dreams will stop.)

I was going to roast you mercilessly for asking about word count in the LONGEST QUESTION OF ALL TIME, but then I realized that would be hypocritical since half my answers are the longest answers of all time. Looks like we BOTH have a problem with keeping it concise. ;-)

I hope typing all this got it out of your system.

I do get why authors worry about this. The Word Count guideline is one of the only things that seems firmly within the author's control -- you can't really help it if an agent likes your book, but at least you CAN make sure you've followed every instruction to the letter!

The problem is, I'm afraid there is wayyyyy too much emphasis put on this poor little guideline in author circles. There is ZERO reason you should be stressed out or losing sleep here. Over 3k words? 8k? Come ON. Do you really think an agent really cares about 3k-8k words more or less in a novel-length work? If I'm loving the book and zipping through it, I wouldn't NOTICE 3k or 8k words.

Please snap out of it and listen to me.

I'm going to be super blunt:

NOBODY GIVES A SHIT WHAT YOUR WORD COUNT IS IF YOUR BOOK IS GREAT.

AND IF YOUR BOOK ISN'T GREAT -- IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR WORD COUNT IS.

We don't ask for word count because we care about word count. For the most part, neither editors nor agents really care about word count! Surprise! (The exception being certain publishing imprints that have extremely specific guidelines, such as leveled early readers or certain kinds of educational books or certain kinds of category romance, which you would know if you were writing a book like that, if you don't know, that means you aren't!)

We don't ask about word count because we are looking for a reason to auto-reject. It's not a test. Really!

We just want to make sure your thing is *the length of a book* -- it would be a red flag if your word count was so high or so low that it wasn't within shouting distance of the "normal" range, because that tells the agent that you really don't have a firm grasp on what category you are writing or the realities/norms of publishing.

But the "normal range" is very large. And you are firmly within it. So relax.

As to the other part: FWIW, I don't mention word count in my pitch or put it on the front page of the ms when I am sending to editors. It's actually fine by ME if you don't do either of those things, either, as I can see your word count in the QM form. But other agents might feel strongly about wanting it in the query itself , so... whatever. Just round it and put an "approximately" sign if you are worried about it. After all - it's not going to be the same length when it is published, right? IF anyone asks, which they almost certainly will not (because they don't care), you can just say, hey, always revising, exact word count fluctuates, but it's around this. Which it is.

[ddwcaph-game]

New Wordcount

I've finalized the next update's wordcount!

~ 608,000 total wordcount (including code) ~ 99,000 additional words (including code) ~ New average playthrough of 129,000 words! (up from 115k)

Keep in mind, there isn't actually a new chapter! All 99k of those additional words is spread out on all the existing chapters.

[the960writers]

Recently, our online community has been asking for word count tracker recommendations to help them keep up their daily writing goals. We’ve rounded up a few of them for you in no particular order.

Of course, if you prefer to track your writing sessions the analog way, we have a blog post for that. Coming soon is the sequel to that blog post, but we wanted to get these suggestions out to you first!

[in-our-veins]

You're caught by the Doctor, and he mocks you...

Words: 300.

[memento-morri-writes]

Tossed all my Rook-related creative writing into a Scrivener file, and...

Holy shit. That's more words than I've ever written on any of my novel wips. (Even ATQH, my longest worked-on "real" project, only has just under 25k words, not including rewrites. And that's across 37 docs.)

For transparency, this is made up of 6 prose rewrites of scenes from various actual sessions, 2 scenes that happened between sessions / offscreen, 1 backstory vignette, 1 hypothetical future vignette, and 3 pieces that I prepped ahead of time to read during sessions (a hallucination, an eulogy, and a nightmare). So, 17 docs all told.

[vanosslirious]

Blood In The Water ~ Not According To Plan

POV SMii7y.

Fandom: BBS.

Words: 1.369 | 17.565

Excerpt:

"If we don't die, you owe me dinner," SMii7y said to him, smiling.

Kryoz rolled his eyes. "I'll owe you more than that if this goes well."

Tucker appeared, pressing a hand against the vehicle. "Quit flirting, how are we going to do this? We take the car and leave you two here, and you two stay here, and we just…take the car?"

[sophia-sol]

it's funny, my approach to wordcount milestones in writing! when I'm very close to a nice round number, it really feels like a milestone. like: wow, I'm totally going to hit 1,000 words on this wip tomorrow!

then tomorrow comes and as expected I surpass 1,000 words but I don't pay much notice to it, I'm just cracking on with writing. the celebratory feeling is when the milestone is in sight, not when the milestone is reached. interesting.

[harringrovemicroficandart]

Word count poll

I want to know your opinion about the word count of the challenge. I set 1000 words as a symbolic top but maybe it's too much for this kind of blog? I leave here some options, please let me know every other suggestion!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Okay, Now We're Talking

Remember how I said that when I get to write what I know and am not having to do so much research that I can really knock out some wordcount? Well, I just averaged 1000 words/hour for the last three hours on The Everyday Naturalist. I think it's probably time for some dinner, and then back to writing!

[the-laridian]

Wordcount 15 Feb 2024

TOW Captain: 3013

Today I called out sick with a head cold, so not much else got done. Sleep and hydration.

Total for today: 3013

Total for February: 111,864

Total for 2024: 361,866

[keydekyie]

120,715 words

we are getting somewhere!!!

(last wordcount was January 14th at 118,013 words so this is great progress for me)

[the960writers]

SloMoWriNo

Over on @the-wip-project, @mareebrittenford started slomowrino, a challenge of writing a little every day to write one book (or more) in a year.

For this we're supposed to set a minimum goal and a maximum goal for our daily writing. And I must admit, that stumped me for a moment. Setting a minimum is easy enough, I've done that often enough. But a maximum? I have never set a maximum and for a little while, I kind of resented that idea. I mean, if I can write thousands of words more, why would not want that?

But as she wrote in the post:

The goal here isn’t to wring every drop out of your creative well in a single session, but to create a long term writing practice.

The point is to develop a habit, without burning out. And yes, I can see how a maximum would be a healthy limit. If I think back to the one time when I won nanowrimo, finishing by writing over the 3000 words every day during the last week and how I couldn't write anything for the next half year ��� yes, I get it.

So, this is my engagement post for SloMoWriNo. I'm setting my goals as

200 words minimum

and

2000 words maximum.

Uhm, yeah, that feels about right. I can always rejiggle this when the situation changes but I feel confident I can stay inside these two borders every day.

Interested in this challenge? Come over to the @the-wip-project and check out the intro post. We also have a discord server.