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word count etiquette



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Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:03 am
brassnbridle says...



I haven't been on in a while and just want to know how things usually roll before I post any of my writing. I have a fantasy novel I'm editing and I'd like to post excerpts for review and critique; what's the standard or average word count for a submission? Is there a generally acceptable benchmark? I just need some frame of reference, otherwise I fear mine will be too long :D
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.~Toni Morrison

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Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:08 am
Iggy says...



There is no mandatory word/character count! You can make it as long or as short as you please. However, your readers might make a comment about it. For instance, if your chapter is too short, they might suggest you add in some details or imagery or what-have-you. If it's too long, they will suggest you cut it or break it up.

It's really up to you to determine the length! I do suggest you refrain from making chapters extremely long, like say, over 15k characters or 5k words. That can be very intimidating and might scare your readers off. ;)
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Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:16 am
brassnbridle says...



Thanks! That's what I needed to know
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.~Toni Morrison

It is written in m life-blood, such as that is, thick or thin; I can do no other~ Tolkien
  





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Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:22 am
Rosendorn says...



The rule of thumb I follow is post segments that are between 1,500 and 2,000 words, never going over 2,500-3,000. That's when it starts to get really long and overwhelming to really give a good review for.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:40 am
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crossroads says...



If you have a finished or mostly finished novel, by the way, do stop by at The Novel Workshop, and consider posting it whole there. You can definitely post it both that way and chapter by chapter, if you wish ;)

Also, making your chapters shorter (or rather, posting one chapter in two or more parts), can help you as well as your reviewers; they can focus on shorter pieces better, and hence add more details in the reviews, which can (as we know) help your writing tremendously.
• previously ChildOfNowhere
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literary fantasy with a fairytale flavour
  








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