The boundaries fluctuate, and everyone can find an example that violates these word ranges; however, in general:
1-500. Flash Fiction
501 - 2,000. Short Shorts
2001 - 20,000. Short Stories
20,001 - 50,000. Novella
50,001 - 100,000. Novel (If you're a first-time novelist, best to be between 60-90K.)
over 100K. Big novel (significant investment by the publisher)
150K+. Epic Novel (Think "Lord of the Rings", "Gone With The Wind")
I've gleaned this from the number of times this question has come up, various articles and conferences, and those self-help books that all writer's love. :-)
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Farmer's Almanac Writing Rules
From the 1975 "Old Farmer's Almanac", some writing rules
1. Remember to never split an infinitive.
2. Try not to think to use too many infinitives when you sit down to write.
3. The passive voice should never be used.
4. Do not put statements in the negative forms.
5. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
6. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
7. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
8. A writer must not shift your point of view.
9. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
10. Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
11. Don't overuse exclamation marks!
12. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.
13. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
14. If any verb is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
15. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors.
16. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
17. Everyone should be careful to use a single pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
18. Always pick on the correct idiom.
19. The adverb always follows the verb.
20. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.
1. Remember to never split an infinitive.
2. Try not to think to use too many infinitives when you sit down to write.
3. The passive voice should never be used.
4. Do not put statements in the negative forms.
5. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
6. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
7. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
8. A writer must not shift your point of view.
9. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
10. Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
11. Don't overuse exclamation marks!
12. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more words, to their antecedents.
13. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
14. If any verb is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
15. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors.
16. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
17. Everyone should be careful to use a single pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
18. Always pick on the correct idiom.
19. The adverb always follows the verb.
20. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.
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