Writer's Myth #1 - The Number of Words

Writers Myth 1.png

One of the most common myths I hear is that a book must be a certain number of words— not too many and not too little.

Let me tell you, that is an arbitrary rule.

Here's a principle you should follow: 

 

The whole purpose of writing is to
convey your message or story.

 

If you do it in a 100 words, great. If it takes 10,000, fine.

What's important is that your audience understands what you have written.

Some publishers or editors will tell you that a book should not be too big, but what about that classic Gone with the Wind with over 400,000 words?

Others will say that a book can't be too short either, then how to you explain the success of Fight Club with less than 50,000 words?

So throw away this myth and just write, say what you want to say, no more, no less. 

The only real purpose of counting words is to measure your daily or weekly production as a writer, if you must. I have personally never done so. I measure my production on the number of chapters I complete.

And as a self-publisher of 7 books, I don't need to adhere to someone else's idea of "ideal word count."

And never let anyone tell you that you need to write more or less. It's a myth.

Feel free to ask questions.

Hit the heart button if you liked it and leave a comment.