30000 — In Words

When embarking on a large writing project—whether it’s a novella, a dissertation, a business plan, or a technical manual—one of the first questions writers ask is, "What does 30,000 words actually look like?"

| Work | Approximate Word Count | | :--- | :--- | | The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | 47,000 words | | Animal Farm by George Orwell | 30,000 words | | The Pearl by John Steinbeck | ~25,000 words | | Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck | ~30,000 words | | A typical Master’s dissertation (UK) | 15,000 – 25,000 words | | A PhD literature review chapter | 8,000 – 12,000 words | | A NaNoWriMo novel (minimum) | 50,000 words | 30000 in words

Open a blank document, type your first 500 words, and watch the word counter climb. You only need to do that 60 more times to reach 30,000. When embarking on a large writing project—whether it’s