Skip to main content

Writers, Don’t Be a Slave to Word Count: Let the Story Speak for Itself


As writers, we’ve all asked ourselves that nagging question: “Is my book long enough? Too short? How long should it be?” It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers, obsessing over whether our work fits neatly into arbitrary word count guidelines. But here’s the truth: Word count should never dictate the quality of your story. The heart of storytelling lies in the narrative itself, not in how many pages it spans.

The Pressure of Word Count

From NaNoWriMo goals to publishing industry standards, writers face constant reminders about “acceptable” word counts. A novel must be 80,000-100,000 words. A novella shouldn’t exceed 40,000. Short stories have their own limits. These guidelines are helpful, but they can also be stifling. We begin to pad scenes unnecessarily or trim meaningful moments just to conform to these benchmarks.

I’ve been there. I’ve wrestled with my manuscript, forcing it to stretch or condense to meet expectations. And you know what happened? The authenticity of the story suffered. Readers don’t connect with a bloated word count; they connect with genuine, purposeful storytelling.

The Real Question: Does the Story Feel Complete?

Instead of asking, “Is this long enough?” try asking, “Does this feel complete?” Every story has its own natural rhythm and length. Some tales are sweeping epics requiring thousands of words to unfold, while others are compact and powerful in their brevity.

A shorter story is not inherently lesser, nor is a longer one automatically more profound. What matters is whether you’ve taken your characters on a meaningful journey. Did you explore the themes you set out to address? Did you create an emotional impact? If the answer is yes, then your story is exactly as long as it needs to be.

The Pitfalls of Padding

Padding your book with unnecessary content can derail readers. Adding scenes that don’t advance the plot or repeating ideas in different ways to stretch the length will only dilute the impact of your story. Readers are savvy. They notice when a story meanders. If they lose interest, it’s not because the book wasn’t long enough—it’s because the story lost its focus.

Trust the Reader, Trust Yourself

If someone finds value in your story, they won’t care how many words it took to tell it. Whether it’s a 300-page novel or a 30-page novella, readers will remember the emotions it stirred and the ideas it inspired. Trust yourself to tell the story that needs to be told, without second-guessing its length.

It’s liberating to let go of word count expectations. Free yourself from the constraints of “Is it long enough?” and embrace the question “Is it enough?” That’s where your best writing will shine.

Final Thoughts

Don’t be a slave to word count. Let the story guide you, and trust your instincts as a storyteller. Write with purpose, edit with intention, and believe that readers will appreciate the integrity of your work—whether it’s 50,000 words or 150,000. Stories are about connection, not numbers.

So, writers, take a deep breath. Step away from the word count tracker and focus on the narrative. The length will take care of itself.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I?  Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind.  The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again.  With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling.  The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Glamorous Life of a Writer (Or, Mostly Just Staring at a Screen)

There’s a persistent rumor floating around that writers live thrilling, adventure-filled lives. Perhaps it’s all the dramatic author portraits on book jackets—moody, windswept, staring off into the distance as if contemplating the fate of the world. Perhaps it’s the movies, where writers are always dashing off to Paris to write the next great novel in a charming café (suspiciously never interrupted by spotty Wi-Fi or overpriced croissants). I hate to break it to you, but real writing? Not quite so cinematic. In reality, my writing days mostly involve staring intensely at my screen, willing the words to appear through sheer force of will. Occasionally, I engage in deep philosophical debates with myself—such as whether my protagonist should turn left or right down a hallway (the fate of the fictional world depends on it). And let’s not forget the highly intellectual process of naming characters, which can take hours because somehow every single name I think of is either the name of ...
Post a Comment
Read more