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Have you thought about making
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Obtaining a rough word count from the file size
 | If you have a word processor it is as easy as looking
at the Properties (for Microsoft Word) under File
where you
will find the Statistics tab with a word count. If your work is
divided into separate computer files (and computers handle smaller files
much better than very large ones, say greater than 100 Kilobytes), then add
up the word count of all the chapters. |
| You can use the graph to estimate the number of
words. The 2 lines are for RTF files and Word files. The latter uses a
load of space to store all the extra formatting that the software supports,
so is an approximation. |
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Click on the graphs to
expand the image
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Files up to 100k (left). Up to 500k
(right)
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| You can of course count the words on a sample page and
work out the approximate number of pages (word count divided by words on a
sample page = count). This only works if the typeface and page layout
is the same throughout. |
| If your computer cannot come up with the basic figures
you might have to work it out from the printed page. |
- First find some 'normal' pages (no illustrations, not
too much 'white space' or dialogue).
- Second, count five sample lines from the 'normal'
pages. Then average them.
- Third, count the number of lines.
- Fourth, do a quick multiplication, words per line times
the number of lines, and you have the words from a typical page.
- Finally, multiply this figure by the number of pages.
- Now subtract some words to reflect parts of pages left
blank at the end of any sections or chapters. You might have to repeat
the process above with a non-standard page to help you estimate this
adjustment but it will normally be 5-10%.
- If there are illustrations then subtract the number of
pages to reflect the 'lost' words.
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