I’m applying to an Arts school and one of the requirements for the Creative writing program is "2 works of short fiction(short stories). I am confused as to what that means. How short are short stories considered to be?
You’d be surprised to hear that the word count for "short stories" is quite a wide stretch. It can begin from 1,500 words, to a staggering 30,000 words*. Anything beyond 30, 000 is already a novella. Unless of course, your program has specified a specific word count. It cant help to ask.
Personally though, I think a word count from 2000 – 5000 words is the safest. I’ve written one short story thats 5500 words, and an editor told me to trim it down. Because sometimes, readers get a little turned off when they say that the "short" story is 20 pages. XP
Most writing contests usually impose the 1500 – 2000 word count, so i think that’s a good base limit.
Good luck! 
January 25th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
5000 or less words, averge 1000-2500 words.
References :
January 25th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Meggie stole my answer. But yes, exactly. 5000 words maximum. Remember me when you are dictator : )
References :
January 25th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
You’d be surprised to hear that the word count for "short stories" is quite a wide stretch. It can begin from 1,500 words, to a staggering 30,000 words*. Anything beyond 30, 000 is already a novella. Unless of course, your program has specified a specific word count. It cant help to ask.
Personally though, I think a word count from 2000 – 5000 words is the safest. I’ve written one short story thats 5500 words, and an editor told me to trim it down. Because sometimes, readers get a little turned off when they say that the "short" story is 20 pages. XP
Most writing contests usually impose the 1500 – 2000 word count, so i think that’s a good base limit.
Good luck!
References :
*Writer’s Digest Yearbook: Novel Writing. October 18, 2009