Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Let's examine Act 2 of the three-act structure through the lens of the original Rocky movie!
Watch the full video here → youtube.com/watch?v=dzi0p25nw2s
Let's examine Act 2 of the three-act structure through the lens of the original Rocky movie!
Watch the full video here → youtube.com/watch?v=dzi0p25nw2s





![Why your manuscript might be too long #writingtips
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Book Title Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator/
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Literary Magazine Directory: https://blog.reedsy.com/literary-magazines/ Why your manuscript might be too long #writingtips](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P_Je3Gam21A/mqdefault.jpg)
![How Memoir Dialogue Actually Gets Written
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Reedsy Learning: https://reedsy.com/learning/
Reedsy Studio [Writing App]: https://reedsy.com/studio
Reedsy Discovery [indie book reviews]: https://reedsy.com/discovery
Live Streams: https://blog.reedsy.com/live/
Bestseller Podcast: https://blog.reedsy.com/podcast/
Prompts & Writing Contest: https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Plot Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/plot-generator/
Character Name Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/character-name-generator/
Pen Name Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/pen-name-generator/
Book Title Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator/
Writing Exercises: https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-exercises/
Writing Contest Directory: https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/
Literary Magazine Directory: https://blog.reedsy.com/literary-magazines/ How Memoir Dialogue Actually Gets Written](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PjyNYUzRBqo/mqdefault.jpg)



![How Long Should a Book Be?
Everybody talks about ensuring that your manuscript falls in line with industry averages, but what ARE those averages? And why does it really matter?
In this video, Reedsy expert Martin Cavannagh reveals the average word counts of popular genres in 2025 and talks about the importance of staying within those boundaries if youre a first-time author.
MORE RESOURCES
Reedsy Studio [Writing App]: https://reedsy.com/studio
How Many Words in a Novel? (Updated for 2025): https://reedsy.com/studio/resources/how-many-words-in-a-novel
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:36 What is the ideal word count for books?
01:58 Editors and agents dont want to hold your hand
02:41 Why word count matters more than you think
04:13 But... what about all those best-selling authors with long books?
04:47 My draft is too long. What should I do?
FIND REEDSY HERE:
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RESOURCES:
Reedsy Learning: https://reedsy.com/learning/
Reedsy Discovery [indie book reviews]: https://reedsy.com/discovery
Live Streams: https://blog.reedsy.com/live/
Bestseller Podcast: https://blog.reedsy.com/podcast/
Prompts & Writing Contest: https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Plot Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/plot-generator/
Character Name Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/character-name-generator/
Pen Name Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/pen-name-generator/
Book Title Generator: https://blog.reedsy.com/book-title-generator/
Writing Exercises: https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-exercises/
Writing Contest Directory: https://blog.reedsy.com/writing-contests/
Literary Magazine Directory: https://blog.reedsy.com/literary-magazines/ How Long Should a Book Be?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QqiHjBTMRk4/mqdefault.jpg)