Well, if one substitutes "words" for music.  I'm trying to write a short story possibly for an upcoming anthology and while the theme of the anthology dovetails beautifully with the story, the limit for submission is 12,000 words… and I'm already at 11,000+ and not anywhere near the ending.  Close to the climax, though.  There are some bits I can chop out of the beginning that won't horribly affect my Deathless Prose, but unless the editors like it enough to include it anyway, it's going to b...