Defining The Terms for Story Lengths and Why They’re Important
The names of different story lengths can be confusing. What’s the difference between a novel and a novella? What makes a short story longer than flash fiction?
The answers to these questions can be murky. Not everyone holds the same opinion on what each term means. Consider this post a guide, but not a dictionary. These definitions can be referenced whenever you forget them, or need to use them to discuss your writing with others.
What Are The Names of Story Lengths?
These are many terms used to describe the length of a story. We’ll focus on the four most commonly used terms:
Flash Fiction (100-1,500 words)
Short Story (1,000-10,000 words)
Novella (7,000-50,000 words)
Novel (40,000-120,000 words)
And touch on two less commonly used terms:
Mircofiction (100 or less)
Novelette (7,500-20,000)
These terms help describe a story’s length by word count. Occasionally, the definitive word counts can be disputed, as seen in the list above. The word counts these terms define are a quick way to communicate how long your story is to readers, literary magazines, contests, and publishers.
Flash Fiction
Flash fiction is the shortest of the main four terms. The length of flash fiction is often the most debated of the terms. Here are the most common word counts:
100-500 words
100-750 words
100-1,000 words
100-1,500 words
When submitting flash fiction to contests, literary magazines, or publishers, check with the editors to see how they define flash fiction. This can often be found on submission guideline pages, but don’t be afraid to reach out and ask if you can’t find a word count.
Microfiction
Microfiction is a subset of flash fiction, and most likely the least used on this list. Microfiction is considered any story with 100 words or less. These stories can be really challenging to write, but rewarding when done well!
Short Story
The short story is the second shortest of the four main terms. Common definitions of a short story are:
1,000-7,000 words
1,000-10,000 words
1,500-7,000 words
1,500-10,000 words
However, contests, literary magazines, or publishers may state they’re looking for “short stories under 2,000 words” or have similar guidelines. Be sure to remain in any specified word counts for those situations. If you’re writing for yourself, the length of your short story can be whatever you want!
Novella
The Novella is the second longest of the four most common terms. These are often considered a shorter novel. They can be used for creating a short break in a series or grab the attention of readers to your novels. They’re also wonderful as stand alone stories.
The common word counts for a novella are:
7,000-10,000 words
10,000-40,000 words
20,000-50,000 words
The word “novella” often leaves the impression of a cozy, enjoyable read that takes less time to finish than a novel.
Novelette
Consider the novelette a short novella. There are two common definitions of a novelette:
7,000-17,500 words
10,000-20,000 words
Novelettes can be a great way to focus on a character who may not need an entire novel, or to add extra content that may interrupt the current plot if put into the main story.
Novel
This is the longest of the four main terms. The length of a novel will depend on how long the story needs to be, and often genre can influence the word count. However, the most common word count is:
40,000-120,000 words
Some genres require more than 120,000 words. Genre fiction like fantasy, sci-fi, and horror may require more world building or longer plotlines. These stories may need over 200,000 words. If you’re ever worried about needing more than 120,000 words, The Fellowship of the Ring is over 180,000 words long. Take all the space you need!
Other genres like romance and crime fiction typically use 81,000 to 90,000 words. If you’re not sure how many words to use in your novel, you can always reference other novels in your genre.
Why Do Lengths Matter?
The length of your story is important. Not only does it allow you to more easily communicate with your readers, but it can help you when submitting your story to literary magazines, contests, and publishers.
Here are some tips to help you determine what kind of story you should submit:
Read the submission guidelines.
Contact the editor for the word limit.
Reference the word count of other published stories.
Consider the genre of the publication or contest.
Write the story for the word count it needs, don’t box it in.
Stories Come Before Word Counts
When stories are crammed into a word count, the plot, characters, and message can suffer. These stories often show great promise, but need a little more room to shine. Editors are less likely to choose these stories for publication.
The best way to avoid this is write your story first, then look for publications that are accepting your word length. However, if you like to find a publication to submit to first, work within their word limit. If the story grows beyond it, try and submit something else instead.
Editing and re-writing can also help shorten a story. When writing flash fiction or short stories, trimming away unnecessary detail can be extremely helpful. Make every word count. Each word should feel important to tell the story.
Ready to Start Writing?
Equipped with new knowledge on word lengths, you can now join some of StoryForge’s Circles. There are Circles for flash fiction, story stories, and even circles where you can discuss different genres!
Remember that your story is unique and shouldn’t be confined to a word count. If your story needs more than 750 words, it’s ok to move from a flash fiction piece to a short story! Follow your instincts and then worry about what your word count should be.