Here are certain word lengths that editors prefer to see when you submit your work.
Micro-Fiction 6 to 100 words. An abbreviated story that is extremely difficult to write.
Flash Fiction 100-1,000 words. The challenge of flash fiction is to tell a complete story in which every word is essential. The core of the story. Beginning, middle, and end.
Short Story 1,000-7,500 words. This work of fiction includes a wide range of genres and styles. Short stories are less complex than novels. They usually focus on one incident and have a single plot, a single setting, a small number of characters, and they cover a short period of time. The Saturday Evening Post publishes short stories.
Novelette 7,500-20,000 words. This is a piece of short fiction. Often times this story is too long for a magazine and too short for a novella, so authors will sometimes make three or four and compile them into one novel.
Novella 20,000-50,000 words. This work of fiction has fewer conflicts than a novel, yet more complicated ones than a short story. It has less subplots and less viewpoints from other characters when compared with a novel.
Novel 50,000-110,000 words. Often editors will want at least 70,000-80,000 words. Novels have more of everything, more description, more character development, more plot and more conflict.
Epic 110,000 words and up. This type of fiction has many more characters and subplots. These stories are usually lengthy because they take place over a great period of time or because they have many characters whose stories must be told.
