How do you decide whether to write a novel, or a novella?
I started a novella. I was dead set on it being a novella.
I finished it at 28,000 words.
Then I read it.
And then I realized… it's not really a novella.
The end was rushed and didn't gel with the rest of the story. Or with me.
I hated it.
The trouble is, I hadn't planned on it being any longer. I went back and ripped out at least half of the story.
Right now, that very story is 40,000 words long, I am nearing the end, but it could end up at 50,000 words. Almost double the wordcount I'd planned for.
That's still not really a full length novel (they tend to be above 60,000 words) and those 40k for me are… quite short.
So how do you decide what to write? Short, or long? When do you decide?
For me, it's not a decision. It's a development. I might set out to write short, but with every revision it gets longer.
Some writers can stick to their initial planned wordcount, I don't seem to be one of them. Mine fluctuate, though not usually quite as wildly as the current WIP.
Still, there are things you can consider beforehand. Pointers which may help determine whether the story idea is better suited to a novella, or a novel.
Timing is one.
If your story takes place and is resolved in one afternoon, then chances are it's not suitable for a novel. If it stretches out over several months, a novella may not do it justice.
Characters is another.
If your story involves very few characters, then most likely it's better to tell it as a novella. However, if your cast of characters (both main and secondary) is reminiscent of a football team — it's probably better suited to a novel.
Plot and subplots are also a concern.
If there is no subplot, and the main plot is straightforward, it'll probably be great for a novella. But if there are a million little twists and turns, you will likely not be able to do it justice in a shorter wordcount and it needs to be a novel.
I'm a panster, I write without having a massive plot beforehand, I often don't even know how it ends. That doesn't help when you write a short story and you can find yourself in a quandary when it comes to figuring out what you're actually writing.
So what's your take on this?
Do you plan ahead? Plot every detail?
Or write by the seat of your pants and figure it out as you go along?
26
Feb
…or whatever Speedy Gonzales used to say.
A few months ago, one of my critique partners asked the question "How fast do you write?"
She was new with us at the time, but the post raised some interesting questions. (And answers.)
The initial question was raised because, instead of churning out her "usual" 8000 words a day, she struggled to put 3-400 on the page.
It spooked her. She was used to write fast, write hard and get tons of words on the pages.
When my muse is kicking me hard, I can write fast and furious. I can churn out page after page, and every word flows and has meaning. Undisturbed, and given enough time, I can put 5-10k on the pages per day, easy. (I don't get distracted when it goes like this. You can try to distract me, but it won't work. I won't hear you when I'm in "The Zone".)
I love it when it happens like that.
I'm one of the lucky ones who has an understanding man in her life, who leaves her to it when the muse goes on a rampage in her brain.
But I can't do it every day. Not because the words aren't there, not because there isn't enough time — but because if I did this every day, I would be physically and mentally drained.
It's not sustainable over a long period of time. You'd simply burn out.
And then there are the days where my muse laughs at me and takes a vacation. On those days I struggle to put ten words on a page, let alone ten thousand. It's the days when nothing works, when everything you write sucks and you're better off starting over.
I have more of those days than I care to admit.
Way more than I have 10k days.
I thought it was interesting, because the responses were very similar.
Most of us try to write consistently, every day, at least a few words.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it sucks.
There is no formula of how much you should write a day. There can't be, because we are all individuals. You have to find your own rhythm, something that works for you.
Harper put it nicely:
I see it like this: those uber productive times, when I'm chugging away at lightening speed, I'm also using up some creative energy I've stored up. I mean BURN THROUGH the stuff. So I try not to beat myself up when the words only come one sentence at a time. I figure the well is re-filling for the next binge.
Harper calls herself a "quintessential bottle-rocket" — and I know exactly where she comes from, because… I'm similar.
My response was this:
My way of writing:
Explode words onto the page — or explode.
It's that simple.
What wants out, must out. Or else.
Or else is not pretty.
It would either involve some poor CSI picking my brains off the wall next to my desk, wondering why there was a sudden meltdown and having a hell of a time determining cause of death — or a padded cell.
I don't like either scenario, so I make sure I have pen and paper with me at any time.
It hits you… when it hits you. There are no hard and fast rules for how fast you write, it either happens or it doesn't. Sometimes those spurts come one day after another — and then nothing for months.
Don't panic when things slow down. They will, it happens to everyone. Nothing wrong, just your brain taking a break from a lightning strike.
The important thing is to keep a set amount written per day, whether it's good or bad. One word or ten thousand.
Don't sweat it.
Being prolific isn't all it's cracked up to be. Just because you crank out a novel in a month doesn't mean it's any good.
Quality is better than quantity.
It really doesn't matter how much, or how fast you write — as long as you write.
12
Jul
Or get challenged by a friend.
It doesn’t matter what form the challenge takes. It could be wordcount. It could be a scene. It could be dialogue. It could be character description.
You name it, you can make a contest out of it.
I’m doing the "Write A Book With Me" over at Holly Lisle’s Pocket Ful Of Words, right now.
It’s nice to see progress, it’s nice to compare progress.
It’s not a race of who does the fastest, greatest, most, or best. For me, I just like to keep up. Get a pat on the back sometimes. Pat others on the back.
If you are in a critique group, or write with a partner, why not set yourself a challenge (or a goal) every month?
How about posting a scenario, and everyone writes their version of a scene?
How about posting a keyword, and have everyone write an argument revolving around the key word?
How about posting six character flaws, and have everyone make them part of the hero, somehow? (Showing, not telling, and picking a specific flaw rather than all six.)
How about posting a specific location, and have everyone describe it?
Or you could just go and post your daily wordcount and share the ups and downs. 
(That’s what we’re doing at Passionate Critters at the moment.)
Go for it. Practice makes perfect.
6
Jul
I’m working on the next novel, while I peddle the completed one.
No matter how disheartening the rejections are, it will not deter me from putting fingers to keyboard.
I write in my head all the time. There isn’t a time when I don’t hatch a story, dabble with scenarios, dialogue or scenery. I can’t not write. Even if no paper is to hand, my mind works in overdrive.
I recently met Katherine Howe, and she referred to it as "Telling myself a story."
I think that’s a good way of putting it. It’s what I do. It’s what a lot of writers do. (By no means all, but probably most.)
After that, you just put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, whichever you chose.) and write it down.
Easy!
What could possibly stop you?
Life. People. Everything.
Everything can get in the way of penning that great story you’ve been telling yourself.
So what can you do?
You can set yourself low goals, achievable goals.
Holly Lisle (http://www.hollylisle.com) has a little challenge going at the moment. You set your own goal, you get AFK days… stuff like that.
There used to be "Sven" (70 Days of Sweat) but I have no idea what happened with that. It’s kinda dead, over there.
If that kind of thing gets you plugging away — go for it.
Do what you can.
50, 100 or 1000 words a day – whatever you can add, it all makes that wordcount grow. Don’t beat yourself up over writing slowly. Not everyone has the time (or the willpower!) to write 5000 words a day.
So the moral of the story is…
Keep at it, and you’ll get there.