I use WriteItNow software for writing, and exported the novel into Word so it would be easier for my beta readers to send me comments. I polished it in Word and just today put it back in WriteItNow (WIN). WIN has a "readability index" that tells you the number of words in a file, the age range who can understand it, gives it a percentage score showing how easily understood it is, etc. Word totals my novel right now at 114,681 words. WIN totals it at 127,507!!!!! I had to add each chapter's total individually on a calculator with the WIN totals (rushing to do it again. . .yup, those are the totals. ARGH!!!!!!!).
I've read that there are supposed to be 25 lines (double-space) on a manuscript page and that publishers count that as 250 words per page, and count 125 words for a half page or less. But with all the gaps at the top of the pages on each chapter break, that's a lot of extra space, so I don't know that I'm doing the word count right that way either. I don't have the whole thing formatted properly yet (I had some disagreements with both my programs but finally have things moving in the right direction), so I can't give an accurate page count (which is HUGE with it double-spaced!!) With it single-spaced, it was 281 pages, I think.
So how do I find out which word count is right? Do any of you know if either Word or WIN is weird about word counts?? HELP!!! Thanks.
VERY VERY FRUSTRATED HERE!!! (I cut several thousand words from the story to get it down to 114,000 in Word! argh. . .)
Lynda
Posted by Lynda (Member # 3574) on :
I posted this question on another writers' message board and everyone there said it doesn't matter, that I can just give an "estimate" of the word count. WHEW! I was going nuts here with frustration! Still, if anyone can tell me why the counts would be so different, I'd like to know. Thanks!
Lynda
Posted by mikemunsil (Member # 2109) on :
Some programs take X number of characters and count them as a word. Others take all the characters between spaces, etc. It's very subjective.
Here's a link to what I think is a good compromise:
This sentence . . . contains 11 words, in MS Word. Each "." is its own word.
Some word count programs are also confused by extra spaces at the end of a sentence or paragraph.
I made a word-counting program. I verified it for variations; it agrees with Word except in the . . . case I showed above, in which case Word is wrong.
I have the impression that publishers don't actually care how many literal words there are, but how many spaces on a page they take up, but I don't know that formula.
Posted by Lynda (Member # 3574) on :
Thanks a lot for your responses! I found out when I was copying and pasting the chapters into the files in the WIN program, I accidentally had two chapters in one file, which is what caused the problem. WHEW! I had checked and checked and checked, but until I went through and reformatted each chapter (single-space and indenting each paragraph, so it will print out as proper double-space format from WIN), I found it. ARGH!!!!!! I spent about 14 hours on this computer yesterday fighting with these programs. My back is sore today as a result! But it's finally fixed. Thanks for the explanations. I'll stop worrying so much about precise word counts now. . . ;-)
Lynda
Posted by wetwilly (Member # 1818) on :
Holy crap, Lynda, I'm not sure word count is really worth 14 hours of your time.
Posted by Lynda (Member # 3574) on :
It wasn't just the word count, it was reformatting the novel and the synopsis and a bunch of other stuff, but the word count being weird was just the last straw!!! And EVERY BOOK I'VE READ says to be "professional" you have to follow the submission guidelines to the letter!! So I was TRYING to do that! *sigh*
Lynda
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Ah, for the olden days, when word count was approximate, and you had to get it by counting each word on, say, three pages, then divide by three and multiply by the number of pages. And then round to the nearest hundred.
I just the approximate number on the manuscript...I've already run across this problem. I'm relieved Microsoft Works doesn't correct my grammar---or at least isn't automatically set to do it.
(Spell checking continually tells me my own name is spelled wrong---and I'm not going to let some punk spell check program tell me how to spell my own name!)
Posted by Lynda (Member # 3574) on :
Yes, I agree, it's good that Word can't automatically correct my grammar or spelling - it's a pain when it suggests things that are so obviously wrong!
Lynda
Posted by MollieBryn (Member # 3728) on :
Amen, Lynda. Word tried to correct my name for ages until I added it to my dictionary.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
It also tries to correct science fictional words---alien names and languages, or common terms like "spaceport" or "FTL."
Yeah, I could add them all to my personal dictionary...but then I'd be writing another story where they would be wrong...and where would I be then? Delete them? Then when I went back to the original story, wouldn't they come up wrong? Will it even let me delete words?
Posted by autumnmuse (Member # 2136) on :
Robert, actually that's an easy fix. You can always modify your dictionary, which includes deleting entries. So, say you write a strongly SF story one week, then want to write an entirely different story the next time. Chances are you'll be using an entirely different vocabulary of added words anyway, but in case any of them overlap, you can change what words are acceptable or not. To do this, just bring up your spell check window (there may be another way, but I just type a word incorrectly on purpose so I get that window asking if I should change it) and hit the little option button on the lower left corner, from there you can edit your dictionary and add or remove words. I think this only applies to *your* added words, not the entire dictionary, but it should be good enough for what you need.
Posted by Aust Alien (Member # 3493) on :
A simpler way is to use multiple custom dictionaries. Word lets you change dictionaries. I store my name, town name, company names etc in Custom.dic. Then I turn on various other dictionaries for each story. You can select and unselect them at any time. Go to Tools->Options and select the tab-page "Spelling & Grammar". Hit the "Custom Dictionaries" button and select the ones you're needing (either per story, per style, whatever). Remember to mark the story's .dic as your default so that the words you add are added to it. (eg you don't probably want to add 'accellerateron' to your fantasy dictionary). It also lets you Modify the dictionaries if you think you've added the wrong words in.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I did something of that sort in my last computer and Works program, but found it too complex for general use. I was unaware of the possibility of multiple permitted-word lists.
I'll have to look into it. Right now, it seems any ethnically-complex name gets redlined as a misspelling, when more simple Anglo-Saxon or Germanic names get let through---"Canisius" and "Rabinowitz" get treated that way, while "Vaughn" and "Boswell" get through. Also a diminuitive like "Aggie" gets through, while the more formal "Agatha" doesn't. (I may keep none of those names---but right now they're what fell into place, and I'm happy they did---usually at the early draft stage my characters don't even have names at all.)
Posted by Aust Alien (Member # 3493) on :
I worked in a place where the Managing Director (of the state) was surnamed "Horwood". By default, Word changed this to "Horrid" and you wouldn't believe the number of people who just "Accept" "Accept" "OK" "OK".
