Words Do Not Fail Me: A Study Of Wordiness In My Blog Posts & Your Comments, Forsooth

/ Ally Bean

I got curious.

I got to a’wondering about two things about this blog’s word counts. I realize that what follows is a somewhat meta post, but it’s winter and I have time to think about word counts.

My two questions are:

  1. How many words have I written in the 962 posts I’ve published here; and
  2. How many words are in the average comment here.

• Answering the first question was easy.

WordPress provides information on word count by post and by year. Looking at the chart featured at the bottom of this post you can see that I’ve written & published a total of 962 posts with a total word count of 282,612 words.

This averages overall to 294 words per post, although last year I got wordier averaging 360 words per post.

A digression… according to this article, A Word Count Guide for 18 Book Genres, Including Novels and Non-Fiction, 80,000 words is the ideal length for a novel. “If you’re working on a novel-length book, aim for 50,000 words at the very least — but it’s better to aim for 90,000. Editorial trimming is inevitable.”

Ergo, keeping the above rule of thumb in mind while applying it to my blog word count [282,612 divided by 90,000] you can see that in essence

I’VE WRITTEN THREE BOOKS.

• Answering the second question took more effort and required a few assumptions.

Because there’s no stinking way I’m going through all the comments on this blog to find the total comment word count, I made a few, shall we say, educated guesses.

Thus I decided that I’d only look at the comment word count on my 2021 blog posts AND that I’d only look at the comments made by the top recent commenters [according to WordPress] because I figure those people are a good representation of all commenters.

The top recent commenters are: Linda, LA, Dan, Nancy, Tara, and Kari. Go visit them and say “hi!”

To wit, there are 38 comments from these individuals with a total of 1616 words. This means that the average comment word count is 43 words.

Do what you will with this statistic; I was unable to find any articles written on the topic of comment word counts, so I don’t know how to interpret this number. Other than to say

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO COMMENTS HERE.

Curiosity satisfied. The end.

Questions Of The Day

When you write do you keep track of your word count as you go along? Are you aiming for a specific number?

Did you know that the word *forsooth* is an archaic or humorous word meaning “indeed”?

Do you have any idea how I made the pretty text box featured near the top of this post? I hit some buttons and it happened, but I’ve no idea what I did.

~ ~ • ~ ~

176 thoughts on “Words Do Not Fail Me: A Study Of Wordiness In My Blog Posts & Your Comments, Forsooth”

  1. Oh, this is cool! My post tend to be longer, and now I’m wondering how many books I’ve written. I’m going to use your method and find out. Thanks for sharing.

    Hey, how many books do you think your blog series will wind up being?

    Liked by 2 people

    • AutumnAshbough, I’ll be interested in seeing how many books you’ve written. I was pleasantly surprised by my output.

      As for a final estimate of how many books there’ll be… no answer. Some weeks I’m ready to end this blog, other weeks I’m happy to be doing it. 🤷‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I don’t keep track, but if I fear a post is getting too long I check the count. I don’t want to exceed 1000 words if possible. I’m happy to be adding to my comment total. Love that word. Let’s see what else I can say to make sure I have 43 words…yes…going to do a column for my blog next friday

    Liked by 2 people

  3. That is a heck of a lot of words, Ally. Can you imagine typewriter ribbon from years past? Interesting about word count. Re: comments: What comes to mind: ‘quality versus quantity.’ ‘Genuine versus rote.’🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Erica/Erika, ha! What a great question. I hated typewriter ribbon, it was my nemesis. I subscribe to the ‘quality over quantity’ idea when it comes to all writing. Keep it snappy, I say to myself when I write.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Congratulations on your longevity, quantity, quality and – most importantly – the joy and happiness every post has given all of us. I also want to give “big up’s” to your commenters for also appreciating your skills, talents and abilities to educate, inform, and amuse. 45 words – we can agree that I’m slightly above average.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Z-D, you’re a hoot and a blessing. YES DEAR, YOU’RE ABOVE AVERAGE. And you are the best blogging support team there is. I wouldn’t be here without you… especially when it comes to checking my math on blog posts.

      Like

  5. Without even looking, I know my blog posts are at least twice as long on average as yours. I kinda want to apologize for that, lol. And my novel clocked in at around 84,000 words, so I’m in the ballpark there.
    (43 words!)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Swinged Cat, there’s nothing wrong with longer blog posts as long as you have something to say, like you do. It’s not as if bloggers get paid by the word– but if we did, trust me, I’d be the wordiest girl in the land.

      That’s cool that your novel was so close to the suggested word count. There must be something to that number.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Thanks for the shout out, Ally. I can’t resist being one of the cool kids.

    I try not to exceed 800 words per post. In weeks when I post more than four times, I aim for shorter posts. Over the years, my average word count is down, but still in the wordy range.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dan, of course you’d be one of the Cool Kids. I wasn’t surprised to see your name on the list of top recent commenters. Thanks for following along here.

      I sometimes write wordier posts, but I’m a ruthless editor. I cut lots of ideas, then save them for another later post. Wordy is good, as you’ve proven.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. I think you have the perfect length blog posts! They are (rather) short and easy to read and often fun. I tend to write longer ones–often 700 words average–because, hey, once I’ve started, I have to keep writing until the typing fingers stop! You are lucky your typing fingers stop before it gets truly wordy.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kathy, I believe there is no right or wrong length to a blog post. You say what you need to say and the wordiness of your post is secondary. I used to occasionally write longer posts, but over the years my natural sloth-y nature has prompted me to use fewer words.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. In regards to your questions: yes, about 600 (but that varies wildly), yes, no. And perhaps some day you can tell me how you managed to keep building an audience. After 8 years, my readership is headed in the opposite direction.

    Like

    • Lies Jack Kerouac told Me, I wish I could tell you how it came to be that I have many bloggy friends and followers and fans, but I don’t have a real answer. MAYBE because years ago I joined all sorts of blogging challenges and met people through them, people who still check-in every so often? MAYBE because I’m random with my topics so I’ve never been stereotyped into a niche? MAYBE because when people get bored, they think of me to fill their minutes? I dunno for sure, but I appreciate how things have turned out.

      Like

  10. Lately, my comments on your blog (and other blogs I frequent) have been wordier than the posts I’ve posted on Spirit Lights The Way . . . EXCEPT that my posts have pictures and each picture is worth a thousand words so in that sense my SLTW posts are long, longer, longest! 😆

    Liked by 2 people

    • Nancy, ha! I adore your reasoning about the true length of your blog posts. Well said. I, of course, did not think about pictures, and the implied word count associated with them, when I wrote this post. Mea culpa

      Liked by 1 person

  12. You did it again … you sent me down a rabbit hole curious about my own stats! 😏

    One of the features of the classic editor that I really miss was the word count at the bottom of the screen. So, in answer to your question about word count – yes! It does matter to me. Occasionally when I’m concerned a post might be getting a bit long, I’ll cut and paste it into Word to get a count. Thank you for the nudge to go looking for my own stats. My target is to keep my posts under 500 words. According to my stats, I’m doing a pretty good job of that (less than 400 average, although not blogging at all also helps 😉).

    … and too bad you don’t remember how you did the text box. It IS very pretty 🙂

    Like

    • Joanne, I liked that easy word count feature in the classic editor, too. Just there, no big deal. You can find your word count in the block editor, but you have to go search for it. [You click on the circle with the lowercase “i” in it that’s at the top of the page you’re writing on. In case you didn’t know…]

      I try to write between 300 to 400 words, but occasionally I go beyond that. For instance this post is 452 words. And yep, I wish I knew how I made that cute text box. Like all things within the block editor, it’s a crap shoot.

      Like

  13. Honestly Ally Bean, you amaze me. Even thinking about how many words I may have written/or are currently writing in this reply makes my head hurt. The only thing I know for sure is that I write very much the way I speak, which may or may not be a good thing.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, you may blame this curiosity on being bored in the winter during a pandemic whilst having nowhere to go. Also, once I read the article I linked to I had to know how many books I’d written. Had to, I tell ‘ya.

      I write very much like I talk, too. I hadn’t thought of that before. I think it’s a good thing that we write like this. To thine own self be true.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. This is great – I love stats and I’m a little obsessed with my blog stats. I haven’t thought about number of words in the comments – I think people have different styles of commenting, but can be equally engaged. Sometimes the quick and clever responses are the most fun. I spend a lot of time looking at the average views per day. Thanks for this and I guess this is turning into a longer comment! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Barbara, I wish I could have found some information on how to analyze the number of words in a comment left on a blog. I’ve no idea if 43 is typical, or weirdly out of line with typical. It doesn’t matter. Like you said, people have different commenting styles– and that’s okay by me.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Wordiness wears people out. (You, kind soul, don’t wear me out!)

    I don’t consider myself wordy in blogging or even in commenting although my last blog posts featuring a guest was right around 1000 words. Generally, I strive for 350-500 words, tops – and intersperse the text with photos. Great topic, Ally, and I do like stats, but not too many all at once. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marian, I hadn’t thought of wordiness like that, but you’re right. I find it tiring if I have to read too much in a blog post– or elsewhere. I try to keep my posts snappy and succinct, so I guess I knew your point intuitively. I try to never go over 500 words and am good at editing myself so that I stay true to my goal.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I so rarely look at any statistics I have no idea. I’d guess my posts range from 400 to 600 words. I don’t have a long attention span so I assume my readers don’t either. I try to keep them shorter than longer. This is cool though. Now you know! Sorta!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. That is a very pretty text box! I think my posts have gotten wordier and much more full of photos than when I first started blogging. I’m sure I’ve written a couple books too. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, I think the text box is lovely, but I’ll be darned if I know how I made it. That’s the problem with the WP block editor, how it works makes no sense to me… so I just hit buttons to see what happens never knowing what’ll happen. This time I got pretty.

      I don’t remember a word counter in Typepad, but If you ever find a way to determine how many words you’ve written I bet you’ll be astounded. And pleased, I’d hope.

      Like

    • Judy, I’m aware of my word count. It’s a throwback to being a graduate student. I feel that the time is right for you to use *forsooth* at least once in a post. I’ve come to accept the block editor, even though I find it baffling. At least it occasionally surprises me in a pleasant way.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Like many of the bloggers who have commented, I try to keep my posts to no more than 500-600 words. If I see a post from another blogger that has heavy copy (especially when they’ve forgotten how to add paragraph breaks or photos), I seldom read it… I just don’t have the time or interest. I have no idea how to make that pretty text box but, forsooth, it’s a beauty!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Janis, I’ve come to do the same thing as you do. If I see a lengthy post devoid of breaks/photos, I pass on reading it. I’ve stopped following some lovely writers who just go on and on; their style is too much for me.

      Forsooth, figuring out how I made that pretty text box is going to be my next challenge. I shall persevere and overcome the evil block editor, my foe.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carol, I think all of us who’ve been at it for a while change our approach to writing our posts. I used to write posts of all lengths, then settled into my current shorter style.

      Yep, how I made that pretty little box remains a mystery. I’ll mess around with it later to see if I can figure out my process.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, you may be a top commenter overall. This sampling was what WP called top recent commenters based on the most recent comments– a stat that is different from the total number of comments any one person has left here. 🙄

      I admit to being bored, bored, bored. We remain at home courtesy of covid-19 so finding things to write about is getting pretty darned slim. Who knows what I’ll dream up next!

      Liked by 1 person

  23. WC? Around 500 or less – if the post turns longer then I decide if it should be a two-parter or just an occasional longer post.
    I’m conscious of WC because I’ve done loads of arts grants that require certain WC or they’ll be disqualified even before being read. I like the challenge to be precise yet eloquent in my writing in general…However lately, I’ve slacked on my posts in terms of both.
    😦
    This comment WC= 74

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, I’m sure that in grant writing every word counts [literally and figuratively]. I do the same thing you do; if a post is too long, I turn it into 2 parts. I also am good at editing what I write. I learned that skill along the way, once I decided I wanted my writing here to be snappy and chatty.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m glad you alerted me to this. I did receive the comment, but it goes into ‘moderation’ mode for me to approve before being pubbed. Sometimes it takes me awhile to review blog comments – which makes it seem as if it’s ‘evaporated’ into the WP ether.
        Some blogs let you know it’s waiting for approval – I guess mine doesn’t? So sorry about the inherent glitch! And thanks again for the heads up – I’m a firm believer in covering as many bases as is possible.
        ps- let me know if you didn’t receive my response to your recent comment

        Liked by 1 person

        • Your blog doesn’t say that comments are being held in moderation. Now that I know that, I won’t worry when my comment disappears.

          I haven’t received any indication through the WP system that you’ve replied to my comment, but going back to your blog I see that you have. The system tells me that you ‘liked’ my comment, though. 🤷‍♀️

          Liked by 1 person

          • Thanks for the input, Ally. I appreciate the knowledge of how my site ‘works’ with other bloggers. I’ve noticed with some blogs when I comment on them, I have to actively check back in on their site to see if they responded to a comment I’ve made – only to find out they’d done so with ‘no indication’ (as you so aptly put it) shown on my WP reader notifications.
            -sigh-

            Liked by 1 person

  24. I aim for 900 to 1,000 words. Sometimes I have to “filibuster” to make my word count and with other topics I have do some heavy editing to bring my count down. I’ve written 1,020 posts and in the early years of my blogging I actually had a few books made up of a year’s worth of what I considered the better posts.

    I love that your blog platform gives you such cool statistic. Bloggers doesn’t show us word counts but write my posts in my Word program and copy and paste over to from there so i always know my word counts. I really don’t care how long comments are but I do love getting them no matter how short or long.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jean, I’m impressed you can write 1,000 words per post. That takes patience to sit down and write at length. I like how you’ve figured out a way to learn your word count, blogger be darned.

      You turned some of your blog posts into books! I’m sure that was an adventure– one that I hope was good for you. Writing a book has never been my goal, but apparently I’ve done that three times over!

      Like

  25. I love this post. Well, I’m pretty sure I love all your posts.
    I try my hardest to not be too ‘wordy’ or I feel like I’m stealing someone’s time. So occasionally while writing something I’ll check my word count and it’s usually never over 500, but I average around 475.
    I do love how WordPress allows us to see the averages, the number of posts, and the number of comments too; just for shits and giggles.
    I’m not sure how you made that cute box up there, but occasionally I’ll hit something on the darn ‘block choices’ and something weird OR wonderful will pop up.
    Forsooth you say? I thought you were sneezing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, thanks for you support. I feel the same way as you do when it comes to the length of blog posts. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time so I try to keep my blog posts succinct. I figure less is more.

      I’m happy to read that you have had surprise experiences with the block editor. I love the little box I made, but I cannot remember the process I went through to get it. At least this time my struggle with the block editor resulted in something wonderful.

      *Forsooth* does have a certain sneeze-y-ness to it. INDEED, it does.

      Like

  26. Wow! Way to accidentally make a pretty word box! Too bad you don’t know how, so you could teach the rest of us!
    I don’t pay too much attention to word count, but, in general, I strive for short and sweet. When I have more to say, posts inevitably get longer, but then I feel sort of guilty. Short attention span these days and all.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Like many here, I try to not be too wordy in my posts as I feel like people lose interest if it is too copy dense. I am super impressed with your accidental box of stats. Yay you!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynn, many commenters have mentioned what you said about not wanting a reader to lose interest. I feel the same way. I like to read and comment on other blogs, but there’s a sweet spot between not saying enough to make sense and too much info. ‘Ya know?

      Liked by 1 person

  29. ISWYDT: You purposely made me get out of the WP Reader and look at your post on your site so I could see the pretty box. Pretty clever, Ally. Forsooth, it’s an awesome looking box!

    I definitely keep an eye on my word count as I’m writing. When I hit 800 or so, I know it’s time to say goodnight (I would have said “Say goodnight, Gracie” but did you know George Burns never actually said that to Gracie? He just said “Say goodnight” and she pretty much responded with “Goodnight” only. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right, so I try really hard to keep it under 1000 words. Which is probably still too many, but I’m awfully wordy. Have you noticed? – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, first I had to find out what ISWYDT means. Therefore you turned the tables on me, didn’t you? Making me go off and do some internet slang research.

      I didn’t know that George didn’t say: “Say goodnight, Gracie” and that’s fascinating. Huh. Now I wonder what other TV show quotes I know— that are wrong. Not the point of your comment, but I too can be wordy. And go off topic. Ha!

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Ally, where did you find the chart? Is it under stats or in the admin. section? I’d like to check my average word counts but I know it’s seldom below 1000 words, and occasionally as high as 3000, and I know this is a turn off for many readers but a magazine article is often 3000 words and we don’t stop reading because it’s too long. It depends on the topic, if I have to research something and I find it interesting, it’s longer but if it’s a discussion topic, it’s better to keep it shorter. I might be afraid to look to see how many words I’ve written here in my 170 some posts.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Joni, I found the chart this way: I went to Stats –> Stats and Insights –> Insights -> [scroll down] Annual site stats –> View all

      I like how you’ve made a comparison to magazine articles. I think of my blog as a newspaper lifestyle column, but never a magazine article. I can see why you write the length of posts that you do. Plus you’re really good at it, so I think you’re onto how to blog Joni-style. I like you topics and research.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Thanks Ally……I checked my stats and not as bad as I thought, about 1000words per post and a total of about 200,000 or 2 books. That’s something to think about…..80,000 words per book. Thanks also for the compliments. I guess we all have our own style of writing…..when I read your first ever post, your unique style was right there too! I honestly never think about words count when I’m reading other people’s stuff, as I read some longer pieces and some shorter daily ones….it’s all good.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’m glad you found your stats and that you’re pleased with what you discovered. Two books is impressive. Not bad, not bad at all.

          This week when I re-read that first post I started laughing: there I was miffed with WP and somewhat unsure of what I was doing. Not much has changed. 🙄

          Liked by 1 person

    • Natalie, every blogger has their own way of expressing themselves. It’s been interesting to see how varied the word counts are. It truly is one of those whatever works, works situations.

      Like

  32. Forsooth’s sake, I’ll be darned. Very interesting Ally Bean. I reckon that were I to look at my own stats, I’d go down the rabbit hole. The new WP editor thingamy does not give me a word count as I write up a blog, whereas the classic did which was useful to me. Having a limit of wordiness in mind concentrates the mind forcefully. Have a lovely weekend.

    Like

    • Susan, you may have the same WP system I do. I can find my word count in the block editor, but you have to go search for it. You click on the circle with the lowercase “i” in it that’s at the top of the page you’re writing on. Inside there is your word count. Why WP has hidden that, I couldn’t say.

      I agree that word count limits keep me focused on getting my point across. I could easily babble forever, but I don’t because I want to be succinct. Happy weekend to you, too.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Well, I learned cool new things today! About your blog, about how many words are in an average book, and how to see my own stats. (Who knew I had 75 followers? Not me!)

    I’ve long admired your brevity. It’s something I work on (believe it or not). My average post clocks in around 1,200 words. 2021 is off to a wordy start, however.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Rita, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I try to add links to posts when I’ve stumbled across interesting information– like the word count in books. I didn’t know any of that.

      Thanks for the compliment. I try to keep it snappy here, yet get a point across. You write well so I’m not surprised your average word count is 1,200 words. One of the best things about personal blogging is that there’s no right or wrong way to write your blog– just your way.

      Like

      • Agreed on the no one right way to blog. I don’t follow a lot of blogs, but the ones I do are all very different. I like them all, and appreciate the variety.

        It takes me back a bit to realize that I’ve got several books’ worth of words in my blog posts. I’m going to have to let that marinate a bit.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’ve always followed a wide variety of blogs, too. I enjoy reading about how people process their lives, and then express their experiences/conclusions in this medium.

          I felt the same way as you do when I realized my blog word count could equate to the length of a book– or three. Who knew?

          Liked by 1 person

  34. For my novel I’m using The Novel Factory and I I’ve how it tracks everything for me, especially since I’m writing a multiple ending book. 😜 and I’m so far at 100K+ words and it needs complete reorganization and lots of massaging. Big cuts, added scenes, edited endings, polishing characters… it’s a fun mess right now but I have a plan. And I’m planning to get it closer to 90K once it’s ready for beta readers.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, I don’t know the first thing about using any online system when writing a book, having never wanted to write one [yet having written three in essence]. That being said, I love what you have to say about The Novel Factory. It sounds like the perfect place for you. Multiple endings for one book? You are ambitious [or crazy]. Carry on, my dear.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. You are succinct in your writing. I am envious. I get excited when I’ve drafted a short post. It is so infrequent. I try to stay at or under 1,000 words. Sometimes I break a story up into 2 posts because of length. I do feel guilty like My readers have other things to do, but some tales cannot be shortened.

    My early posts? I shudder to think back at the wordiness there.

    Like

    • Ernie, I believe that every blogger has his or her style and that’s what makes blogging so interesting. Your stories are one of kind so it makes sense that you need all the words to write them. Besides if wordiness comes naturally to you, you have to go with your strengths!

      Like

  37. Questions 1: no. Question 2: yes. Question 3: forgot what is was. Going back to check. Answer: no. 🙂 How many words is that? As I’ve morphed into a mostly photographic blog, my word count obviously dropped. For years I did a 100 word story each week for Friday Fictioneers and did more writing than I usually do now. But that’s fine.

    I don’t pay attention to too many stats, but one I find interesting is how many followers I have vs. how many people actually surface to “like” and (less) to comment even sometimes. The “Stats and Insights” page has a lot of interesting information as does the “Site Stats” under “WP Admin.” For instance, the most viewed post on my site, “Story of Stalin’s war…Al Stewart’s Roads to Moscow”, has a life of its own and 3,803 views as of today, almost 1,000 more than my “About” page…but only 21 likes. Hmmm, you might have given me the push to do a post of my own, but we’ll see.

    Anyway, that was fun. Happy Friday and have a great weekend.

    janet

    Like

    • Janet, I think all longtime bloggers evolve over the years. How we express ourselves changes. I have more attitude now, for instance. You have fewer words. It’s all good.

      You raise an excellent point about the amazing difference in the numbers of people who follow, people who like, and people who comment. I don’t take any of those stats too seriously but if all the people who claim to follow me were to comment on one blog post, I’d never be able to reply to them all. Yet, that’ll never happen, will it?

      I don’t have to many hits on my About Page, either. You’d think people would check that out before following, but they don’t. I’ve never been able to decide what I think about that.

      Have a great weekend. And thanks for stopping by to comment. It’s always great to hear from you.

      Like

      • Ally, I have about 2,800 views on my about page. In fact, it’s my top post, which is kind of weird. 🙂 But that Al Stewart post has so many more, but hardly any likes, whereas the “About” page has likes and comments. Who knows the ways of visitors to our blogs? 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • My most popular post is one about Pig Phrases. Nobody much cares about she who wrote it, but those darned pigs are a favorite. It all makes me laugh, to be honest. You are so right: “Who knows the ways of visitors to our blogs?”

          Like

  38. I read somewhere that ‘THEY’ say 600 words max on blogs, and most of mine are under 500, so that’s nice. Now and again though, I get into 1000 because subject matter cannot be contained within me anymore. Wordplosions gonna splode.

    I did know that.

    I do not know, but it is a pretty, pretty box 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, I’ve not read that but I’m sure THEY know. I still feel like whatever works for you is the perfect length for your blog post. Of course, I’m not part of THEY. 😉

      Not surprised you knew that.

      The pretty box is a mystery that I intend on solving when I have the inclination to fuss with the block editor, my frenemy. I’ll retrace my steps. Somehow.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Three books! That’s sobering isn’t it? I’m about the laziest blogger imaginable. I don’t keep track of anything. Expect I do try to keep up with my favorite bloggers!

    Like

    • Jan, I was fascinated when I realized I’d written three books. Never my intention, but rather cool to know. I appreciate you keeping up with me. I always like to see your comments.

      Like

    • Markus + Micah, I was amazed by the idea that I’d written three books, but it has been 10 years so maybe that’s not so many. Run out of words? Say it is not so. 😊

      Like

  41. Interesting! Yes, you have many beautiful words. You’re an amazing blogger.

    My upcoming novel is about 93,000 words. I think my first novel was about 110,000 before I cut it down. I haven’t kept track of the length of my blogs.

    Your word box is beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicki, thanks for the compliment. I try to be at my best here on this blog.

      I don’t read books based on their length so the idea of word counts is intriguing, but not a determining factor when I read something. I do like how you know the numbers regarding your novels. I imagine your word count becomes very important during the editing process. 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

      • Publishers and agents pay attention to word count. Unless you’re famous, they aren’t eager to try to sell something that’s too long or too short. As a reader on Kindle, I do check the number pages before I buy. Some authors are selling novellas as books, and I don’t want to be disappointed when it arrives. Also, I’m used to reading books of a normal length, so when a book is abnormally long, I get tired of reading it and want to go on to something else.

        Liked by 1 person

        • What you say makes sense. I don’t like my Kindle so I rarely attempt to read anything on it. Therefore when I buy a book I have something in my hands and I’m pretty good at judging how long a book will be before I buy it. Of course, a few years ago I gave myself permission to stop reading any book I didn’t like. At one time I’d have forced myself to read it through, but not any more. Life is too short.

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  42. Interesting that our blog post word counts likely change over time. Mine have definitely gotten shorter (and fewer). I’m not sure if that means laziness…or if I have simply found my balance. Being kind to myself, I prefer the latter interpretation! 😀
    Thought-provoking post!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, I suspect you’ve found your balance. I have, but not before experimenting with lengths of posts– and topics, too. After I read the article about word counts in books, I had to see how those principles applied to my blog. Even at my relatively low word count per blog post, I’ve written multiple books. Kind of cool. I bet you’ve written a book or two, also. 😉

      Like

    • Lynette, I, too, have a degree in English, forsooth. We learn the darnedest things earning them, don’t we? I keep my posts short-ish, but don’t use as many photos as you do so I gotta stick words out there. There’s no right or wrong about blog post word counts, only what works for each person. Still, interesting to muse upon word count.

      Liked by 1 person

  44. If it were not for the bell curve and all that, I’d have failed Statistics and Measurements class in college. My professor used the textbook THAT SHE WROTE. Which is to say…I kinda glazed over during much of this post. Too mathy.

    But for those to whom Numbers are a source of Joy And Delight–yay…?!

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, I had stats in college, too. Fortunately my prof did not write the book, you poor dear. If nothing else, this post confirms that we longtime bloggers have written books-worth of posts; that’s the takeaway, the numbers are just bling. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  45. First of all I didn’t know these kind of stats were somewhere in WordPress! I’ll have to go look. Second, and maybe it should be first…you get an average of 95 likes per post now days!! That is amazing! You should be very proud of how your blog has grown.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dawn, once you start looking around your WP account, you’ll see all sorts of stats + lists with info on them.

      I’m as amazed as anyone that I get that many ‘likes’ on a post. I’m proud and humbled and baffled and amused and pleased and grateful about how this blog has grown. This is way beyond anything I ever dreamed of. 😳

      Liked by 1 person

  46. So, there must not be so much going on during your winter! I had no idea the statistics were available, but i might take a peek. My main commenters have changed through the years. Have yours?

    Liked by 1 person

    • KDKH, the stats are scattered around somewhere in your WP account. I knew they existed but I don’t hang on numbers. However after I read the article about word counts in books, I got curious.

      Yes, my main commenters have changed over the years, both in the sense of different people and in the sense of more writer-ly people now. In many cases someone who is interested one year is gone the next. Sometimes even without warning, just ghosted on me. That makes me sad.

      Like

  47. I had no idea out lil’ chats would have me in the top five! WOOT!

    As for the pretty box, if you hover over or try to edit that block, it will tell you what block it is. I LOVE BLOCKS AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS! 🙂

    I haven’t checked stats, word counts, etc. I did the word count thing a few years ago and annoyed myself because I wrote more on the blog than in my creative writing. So I just don’t look anymore. ha

    Liked by 1 person

    • Tara, WP wouldn’t lie about who my most recent commenters are, so congrats for making the list. I’ll try your suggestion with the pretty little box. I was trying to make the font change colors and then *whammo* I had cuteness, with the font still black.

      I only checked the stats because of the article I read on the word counts in books. I don’t pay much attention to numbers associated with this blog, although I do check to see how many people stop by each day. What that info does for me I couldn’t tell you.

      Liked by 1 person

  48. Very interesting that your short blog post about word counts has morphed into this huge comment sectio which is way longer than the post!
    I rarely keep track. When I am finished the subject I quit writing. My fictional story I put into 3 parts as it was long. But now, like most people, I am curious and shall go do some long awaiting behind the scenes blog stuff. You always keep it interesting

    Liked by 1 person

    • bernieLynne, you’re right. The comments have morphed into something much longer than my post. I do like comments, they keep it fresh.

      Come to think of it I don’t know that I keep track of my word count anymore, having done this for a while. I just kind of intuitively know when it’s time to shut up. Bet you’ll find some interesting insights when you check your stats. I did.

      Like

  49. 1. No, I never pay any attention to word counts.
    2. Yes, I knew forsooth! Though my iPad wants to change it to ‘for tooth’ which is dumb.
    3. Wow on the box! Very cool.

    Liked by 1 person

    • J, you’re old school blogging. I love it, of course. Just say your piece and get out, huh?

      Forsooth is not, nor ever will be, for tooth. Bad iPad.

      Thank you, yes the box is cool, but accidental. I need to apply myself to figuring out what I did.

      Like

  50. I do not know how to keep track of word counts on my blog posts. I am quite wordy so this is probably a rabbit hole I do not want to go down. BUT, I know my book word count! It was at 50,000 but, as of right now, sits at 45,000.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Amanda, I bet you’re right about why WP offers this information. I write this personal blog without worrying about how many words I put out here, although discovering I’d written 3 books was interesting. Especially considering I write shorter posts than most bloggers. Who knew?

      Liked by 1 person

  52. Three books, forsooth! Numbers make my head spin but your statistics and conclusions reached are fascinating. No, I don’t keep track of my word count or aim for a specific number, but recently I have been taking note of how many pictures I post and try to keep the number below 20 as an exercise in restraint. I had to laugh about your text box — stuff like that happens to me all the time and I have no idea how to do it again…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Barbara, I was pleased and amazed to learn I’d written three books. I don’t hang on word count numbers but sometimes they are entertaining. I love your awareness of how many pics you post. I’ve never paid much attention to how many photos I put out there and if there’s a number I favor. 🤔

      The pretty text box is just the best little ole thing, but I’ll be darned if I know what I did. When I have some time I plan on figuring out the secret to making it. I shall prevail.

      Like

  53. I have not (yet) check the word count of my posts, but now that you’ve mentioned, that will be going on my list of things to do when I’ve retired 😉 I do love how you converted all those words into three books! Woot! I guess that’s why some writers stop blogging … they want all those words for their novels and creative nonfiction and poetry. Eh, for now, I’m just happy to write whenever 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, good observation about why some bloggers stop writing blogs. I bet you’re right that they want to write books– and we all have only so many words in us.

      I’ve never wanted to write a book, so putting my words here works for me. But I was amazed when I realized I’d written what amounts to three books. And imo the best part of writing a blog instead of a book is that I get to interact with my readers in the moment, instead of later after I’ve forgotten what I wrote. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      • I totally agree with you about the joys of writing a blog, Ally. I am so looking forward to being more active on my blog and others because I enjoy the interactions. I have one novel that I’ve promised myself I would finish. I used to dream of being a bestselling author. But I’m not a hustler. Friends of mine who have been successful as independent artists have only done so because they are passionate about their work and they hustle. It’s a 24/7 gig, and I don’t know that I have that kind of passion and focus in me. I’m confident I’ll publish that one novel, but if I had to choose being blogging and writing books, I’d probably stick with blogging 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • Marie, I’ve noticed what you say about the book publishing industry, too. There’s more to writing a book than just writing it, you have to hustle all the time if you want your book to be a big seller. I prefer the low-key world of blogging. I enjoy interacting in the moment with my readers. I look forward to a more *bloggy* you once you get to that point. 😊

          Liked by 1 person

  54. hi ally –
    this was fun and regarding the word count for my own posts – i do nkt aim for a certain amount –
    although sometimes i have some more than 1,000 words and know it is long – but really
    depends on my post aim and theme
    –
    and the amount of three novels for you! whew – maybe it is time to get a book going!?

    Liked by 1 person

  55. Wow, wow, wow … look at all the stats you have Ally and I was excited today when I got a “your stats are booming” message and I figured it was since a fellow blogger, who only posts once a month, caught up in Reader and left me multiple comments. That is quite a feat for Zena as she is blind and uses a machine to read and write posts. Zena caught up today! Then again, my stats might reflect any of your 2,428 followers that you sent my way. 🙂

    I don’t know how you keep up with this many followers – I struggle to keep up and have considerably less followers and only maybe 15 that I interact with on a regular basis – one of them being you, as you so aptly and kindly pointed out. Thanks for the shout-out for my blog. I appreciate it. I am chatty and after my initial post about entering the Blogosphere in February 2013, my posts were one long paragraph and usually no pictures so my blog has morphed a lot. I’d hate to see my word count, though I could do it through Word as I write my posts in Word first and transfer them to WP.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I have days like Zena where I catch up on reading/commenting on all the blogs, too. I want to be current with everyone but I can’t any longer so I read blogs in batches now. Like you said, I have many followers, some of whom have been around for a while, and I NEED to know what’s up with them so I show up when I can.

      You’ve changed your blogging style quite a bit since you began. I cannot imagine reading one long paragraph written by anyone, so adding the photos was smart. I found my stats within WP, btw. They’re always there, I just rarely look at them.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I looked around the WP stats when I first had followers here on WordPress which was some 4 1/2 years after I started blogging. I was fascinated how WP shows what countries are reading your posts with the map.. Before that it was e-mail subscribers only that were commenting. It would be difficult for you to keep up Ally, so your method works well. I had a Medicare initial consult tonight – I was on the phone almost two hours and my brain feels like jelly, but that was two hours away from catching up here tonight and puts me even more behind. I was in a blogging group for Patch.com and the woman who was overseeing us suggested I change my style. I also used one-word titles at that time. She said “too much gray matter, make longer titles and use pictures!” I kind of liked the short titles and put some thought into condensing my blog post into one word.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I can imagine how fried your brain is after talking about Medicare for two hours. I’m not looking forward to learning about it. As for your blog, I find anything that I do online I do in my own way. Not that I don’t like suggestions and I have followed some of them, but overall I figure that it’s best to be yourself.

          Liked by 1 person

          • That’s what I think about my blog too Ally. I liked doing three posts a week, but likely won’t do that now until I’m retired, unless it’s a special occasion. I am glad I have a Medicare navigator because it was way too much information to absorb at one time. This broker is a retired teacher and told me he has visual aids, and, if not for COVID, we’d have the meeting in person as it is easier to explain the various plans … we’re not done, I need to get my card so we can finish and the apply so I have to go on the site now.

            Liked by 1 person

  56. Word Count is one of those stats I wish WP clearly displayed. On my old blog, I considered determining the total number. But with over 2300 posts, I figured I had better use of my time. Now that I’m on the block editor, I have no clue if that stat is even available.

    In terms of length of posts, I draft in Google Docs – so I have an idea of length by the position on the paper.

    Meanwhile – hey neighbor – and I like your description of a “quirky suburb” …. so I have a guess, but will keep it to myself. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  57. I don’t often keep track of my word count, but do try not to make them overly long. Except for the reading posts. By their nature, they tend to be long. I was fascinated by the idea of figuring out how many books worth I might have written with my words on the blog. It turns out that it would have been around four!! I don’t think I knew what the term “forsooth” meant or if I ever did, I’d forgotten. I love learning new things though!! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Amy, many commenters said the same thing in that they don’t keep track of word counts specifically but have a feel for how long a post should be. Once I read the article I linked to I HAD to find out how many books I’d written. It’s such an intriguing way of thinking about a blog. You’ve written four books! Aren’t you the one, forsooth?

      Liked by 1 person

  58. Pingback: Words Do Not Fail Me: A Study Of Wordiness In My Blog Posts & Your Comments, Forsooth – https://joollychic.wordpress.com

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