Frequently Asked Questions — The 5 Second Novel
Wherein the Author Speaks to the Burning Questions You Must Have
Q: How can you call these this “5 Second Novels” when this one is really 23 1/2 seconds long?
A: Well, you got me there.
The term “5 Second Novel” seemed catchy, and had just enough hyperbole to be funny. Now, how fast one can be read naturally depends on how many words it actually contains, but also on the person reading it — whether the reader practices some kind of speed reading method, or (on the other hand) must move his or her lips when he or she reads.
What defines the length of these depends on the idea, but the majority of these had an upper limit in that it had to fit in the meme image square in which these things originally evolved. The maximum number of words I could cram into one of those was about 104. I know from experience that in a speaking context I can deliver about 110 words a minute comfortably, so, honestly … it’s all over the place, let’s put it that way.
Your results may vary. Mine do.
Besides, I gave up on the self-imposed 100 word limit after a while, so it will be a rare story that I try to wedge into five seconds anymore.
