How many words are enough?

Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

     Let's say that you woke this morning and decided that you are a writer and that you are going to write a book, First, listen carefully as countless future readers have stood in unison and are now clapping! You my friend are on the road to creativity with which no words can describe the ultimate feeling of accomplishment when you have published your work.
     However be forewarned the road you have set off on is littered with broken dreams, shattered egos, and of course bucket loads of stress. Fear not! It is all worth it.
     For today we will assume that you have decided the genre and the storyline of your novel. As we speak you are sitting down at your desk, ink quill in hand with a stack of prestine parchment. To be sure that you are not disturbed you have locked the study door and have an ample supply of refreshments at your disposal.
                              OR ... you have your lap top open and are typing already.
     Question! How many words should your book be? Again we will assume you are writing a novel that any age could read, provided they can, read.
                         Let us just see hat the experts have to say.
                                Expert 1 : 80,000 to 100K
                                Expert 2 : 50,000 to 110K
                                Expert 3 : 90,000 period
                                Expert 4 : 50,000 to short
                                Expert 5 : 60,000 to short
                                Expert 6 : Over 150K to long
     If we were to continue we would find other experts with other numbers all dancing in the same area. The answer then must be somewhere in the middle, at least you would think so, until you add traditional publishing vs indie publishing.
     The pro's and con's of each of these publishing methods is fodder for another blog post. However it is important to note for this discussion the importance of word count.
     In a nut shell traditional publishing wants the novel to be in the area of 100k, less is better but not too much less and more now such a good idea.
     Indie publishing doesn't care about word count, but your readers will.
     Fact, you are the writer. You will determine the correct amount of words that are needed to tell the story. Perhaps it will take more then on book, as an example I am finishing the third book in the E.L.F. Saga and have plans for more.
     What you need to do is write your story, then rewrite it and when you're finished.....baba boom .... it's magic! Then you can worry about all the other things you need to be concerned about regarding your book... but that is a discussion for another post.
     Good luck with your writing!

    

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      Rebirth and Reunion are the first two books of the E.L.F. series that immerses you in the struggle between power, desire and hate that reaches well beyond this world.