NYC Midnight : Creative Writing & Screenwriting Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > GENERAL DISCUSSION > Creative Writing Corner
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Word Count discrepancy between Word and Google Doc
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Word Count discrepancy between Word and Google Doc

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
tiffinyfelix View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jan 2022
Status: Offline
Points: 495
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tiffinyfelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Word Count discrepancy between Word and Google Doc
    Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 12:09am
So, I wrote my story in Google Doc, and then saved it as a word file so I could submit it. It's done and submitted. Yay!

Except I just saw that the word count in the word file is 2502, but the word count in the Google Doc is 2490. Why on Earth would the word counts be different?? Has anyone else run into this? If so, were you disqualified?

I'm feeling a little freaked out.
Back to Top
ZoeLou View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 2809
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ZoeLou Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 12:25am
I do the same thing, and it freaks me out every time! I believe they check both Word and Google Docs and take the lower count of the two, so you should be fine. I've submitted a few stories that were technically over the word count in Word (but not in Docs), and as far as I know I wasn't penalised for it. :)
SSC R1: The Many Faces of Gemini

All my NYCM work: Author Archive
Back to Top
tiffinyfelix View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Regular
NYC Midnight Regular
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jan 2022
Status: Offline
Points: 495
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tiffinyfelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 12:38am
Originally posted by ZoeLou ZoeLou wrote:

I do the same thing, and it freaks me out every time! I believe they check both Word and Google Docs and take the lower count of the two, so you should be fine. I've submitted a few stories that were technically over the word count in Word (but not in Docs), and as far as I know I wasn't penalised for it. :)

Thank you for your reply! I've just been sick about it. I feel a little better! I'll feel all the way better when I have my confirmation email. Hahaha. Thank you, again!
Back to Top
Lottewat View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Addict
NYC Midnight Addict
Avatar

Joined: 16 Jul 2020
Location: NZ
Status: Offline
Points: 685
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lottewat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 12:59am
Word seems to count characters like * as a word, as well as if something is separated by a . or a : (e.g. 9:00am) it seems to count it as multiple words where google docs will count it as one word. Same thing happened to me once when I separated sections of my story with ***. I was under the word count on Google docs, but over in Word.
Back to Top
Mister_Write View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 11 Feb 2020
Status: Offline
Points: 2231
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mister_Write Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 1:33am
Yeah Word counts certain things that Google doesn't, and vice versa. I think Word counts scene breaks. But I think word sometimes underestimates em-dashes (where spaces aren't used). Anyway, I'm 98 percent sure that the rules say they'll take the lower count, so it should be fine Smile
Back to Top
mkharkins View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 26 Jan 2022
Location: Mercer Island
Status: Offline
Points: 17
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mkharkins Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 1:36am
I read in the FAQ's that they calculate both and take the lowest - so, no worries!
Storyteller, author, writer, scribbler, fangirl
Back to Top
CSongs View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Groupie
NYC Midnight Groupie
Avatar

Joined: 12 Jul 2020
Status: Offline
Points: 120
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CSongs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2023 at 9:46am
I'm so relieved to hear this! I panicked when my word count changed after converting my google docs to an new file format, so glad I also posted the google link. Big smile Thanks for asking this!
SS 2023 Group 100 Warden's Call
Back to Top
Jennk View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Black Belt
NYC Midnight Black Belt
Avatar

Joined: 15 Jan 2022
Location: N. California
Status: Offline
Points: 3127
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jennk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Dec 2023 at 4:13pm
Just weighing in on this old thread to say that while the rules say, I believe, that you need to be under on only one, I know someone who was called out by a judge for being over the word count. 

When the author checked again, after seeing the feedback, they reconfirmed that the story was under (by a word or two) on Google docs but over by a few on Word. In other words, this story should have been fine, but who knows if this impacted the judge's scoring.

Given this situation, I will not take a chance in the future. I plan to keep my word count under the limit for both Google docs and Word to be on the safe side.





Edited by Jennk - 30 Dec 2023 at 4:52pm
** On a Forum Break until April **

250 R2: Whispers Under a Lonely Kansas Sky
More: Archive
Back to Top
vnewman8545 View Drop Down
NYC Midnight Newbie
NYC Midnight Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 02 May 2023
Location: Bucksport
Status: Offline
Points: 35
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vnewman8545 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Dec 2023 at 4:50pm
I had the same thing happen to me and wondered what was going on. I am glad to hear that likely they will not dock points. I thought I remembered reading in the rules that they give like a 15-word leeway.
VVV_Writes
Read my Round 1 story titled "Petrified" https://forums.nycmidnight.com/r1-g28-petrified-suspense-thriller_topic55704.html
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.05
Copyright ©2001-2022 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.137 seconds.