As we’ve seen, the genre of a novel can determine its length. Sci-fi novels top out at 377,000 words, while short stories live up to their name, averaging 30,000 words. How many words is a typical novel?A typical novel is around 90,000 words. For reference, the average non-ficti...
When I wrote my first novel, I started to worry that I was off the mark regarding how many words I had to offer. I was scared that agents would reject my book simply because I had got the length wrong. How many words are there in an average novel, how many pages in a book, how...
Understand the niche genre:Fantasy is a broad genre with many sub-genres—epic, urban, dark, to name a few. Zero in on the niche that interests you most. It will give you a sense of direction. Read those books:Don't just stick to the classics. Dive into your specific sub-genre. By...
Fantasy novels are set in magical worlds or in a version of our world where magic exists. These stories often center around a protagonist on a transformative journey. For your fantasy novel idea, consider: a magical setting (either a new world, or version of our own with magical elements)....
Regardless, you need some form of structure to keep from burning out after so many pages. I’m a Pantser with a hint of Outlining thrown in, but I never start writing a novel without an idea where I’m going — or think I’m going. Step 3: Create an unforgettable main character. ...
Every day I talk to writers who don’t know how to write a novel. They worry they don’t have what it takes, and honestly, they’re right to worry. Writing a novel, especially for the first time, is hard work, and the desk drawers and hard drives of many a great writer are fill...
How many words should your first novel be? What should be a picture book word count? What should be a fantasy novel word count? What’s the minimum word count for a novel? What should be the average chapter word count? There are no “rules” as to book length, nor as to chapter le...
“My Word program will simply tell me how many words there are in the document. Since it’s so easy to be entirely accurate, why shouldn’t I be as specific as possible? Or, to put it another way, why would an agent or editor ask for the word count, then expect me to guess?”...
Chapter Number (#):the chapter this change needs to occur in Character(s):the characters relevant to the change (when this isn’t relevant to a character, put some sort of marker like “N/A”) Type:categorize your changes however you want. I like to stick to the major five (Character...
But how many words actually make a novel? And how crucial is it to stick to word count rules? Well, if you're hoping to publish and sell your book, those rules matter quite a bit. In this post, we’ll be diving into the average novel lengths by genre and why they matter. How ...