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mbarkerWriting Excuses 12.36: Structuring a Mid-Length Piece
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/09/03/12-36-structuring-a-mid-length-piece/
Key Points: Novelettes and novellas. In between short stories and novels, how do you structure these? Characters, locations, and plot threads -- too many makes it hard to fit into a short story. But a novella also means fewer plot threads and subplots than a novel. Stick to thematic subplots, not side character subplots. Novellas use some of the same skills that novel writing does. Take one thing from a novel, but don't fill it out with multiple character viewpoints. Focus on one character, with one character arc, overlapped with an external plot. Novellas usually have one viewpoint character. One benefit of the novella compared to the short story is that it's easier to fix things by adding a scene or words, which is hard to do in a short story. It's relatively easy to take one plot thread from a novel and turn it into a novella. Novellas may have a complex plot, but pull back on description, and become less immersive. Or they may have a short story type plot, and more immersion. It's a balancing game -- plot threads, POV characters, and immersion -- which ones do you cut back to fit the story into the available words. Many novels start as novellas or short stories. One approach is to start with a chunk of the longer story, then add more length. Another approach is to start with the whole story in sparse form, and then expand it. Novel readers read for immersion, and assume if you leave something out, you haven't thought about it. Short story readers assume that you leave things out because it's not important. Novella readers enjoy immersion, but they're willing to let you leave things out. This means that as you grow a story from short story to novella to novel, what the readers expect changes. Novellas are in a renaissance, due to ebooks and the changing market. So it's a good time to experiment and learn to write them well.
( Novellas -- not too short, not too long, just right? )
[Brandon] I am going to give you some homework. It's going to be a little different this week because I'm going to target a specific group of people who are like me. Those of you who are listening sometimes get frustrated because you have tons of ideas piling up and not enough time to write them. Now some of you listening are like, "Oh. Luxury! Like, I latch onto one good idea and I spend a long time writing it and then I search for the next one." There are all different types of writers. But I was the type of writer who had so many books he wanted to write that he started to get into trouble, because he would write those books, and then those books implied sequels. The fans wanted sequels and the publisher wanted sequels, and suddenly there are all these novels, and I was leaving so many behind that I couldn't get to. Well, when I started novellas, part of the purpose and training myself was to take some of these really great ideas I had and say, "Let's just do that idea." Rather than expanding that idea into an entire novel, adding a bunch to it, let's just do that idea and write it as its own thing. I have found it hugely liberating as a novelist to have this outlet, to just try out an idea, but to use my same novel writing skills for. So, all of you out there who have these novels planned that you may not ever get to, I want you to take one of them and instead make a novella out of it. At least do the structure. Do the outline, and see if you can practice this form. See if it is something that helps you express yourself as a writer. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/09/03/12-36-structuring-a-mid-length-piece/
Key Points: Novelettes and novellas. In between short stories and novels, how do you structure these? Characters, locations, and plot threads -- too many makes it hard to fit into a short story. But a novella also means fewer plot threads and subplots than a novel. Stick to thematic subplots, not side character subplots. Novellas use some of the same skills that novel writing does. Take one thing from a novel, but don't fill it out with multiple character viewpoints. Focus on one character, with one character arc, overlapped with an external plot. Novellas usually have one viewpoint character. One benefit of the novella compared to the short story is that it's easier to fix things by adding a scene or words, which is hard to do in a short story. It's relatively easy to take one plot thread from a novel and turn it into a novella. Novellas may have a complex plot, but pull back on description, and become less immersive. Or they may have a short story type plot, and more immersion. It's a balancing game -- plot threads, POV characters, and immersion -- which ones do you cut back to fit the story into the available words. Many novels start as novellas or short stories. One approach is to start with a chunk of the longer story, then add more length. Another approach is to start with the whole story in sparse form, and then expand it. Novel readers read for immersion, and assume if you leave something out, you haven't thought about it. Short story readers assume that you leave things out because it's not important. Novella readers enjoy immersion, but they're willing to let you leave things out. This means that as you grow a story from short story to novella to novel, what the readers expect changes. Novellas are in a renaissance, due to ebooks and the changing market. So it's a good time to experiment and learn to write them well.
( Novellas -- not too short, not too long, just right? )
[Brandon] I am going to give you some homework. It's going to be a little different this week because I'm going to target a specific group of people who are like me. Those of you who are listening sometimes get frustrated because you have tons of ideas piling up and not enough time to write them. Now some of you listening are like, "Oh. Luxury! Like, I latch onto one good idea and I spend a long time writing it and then I search for the next one." There are all different types of writers. But I was the type of writer who had so many books he wanted to write that he started to get into trouble, because he would write those books, and then those books implied sequels. The fans wanted sequels and the publisher wanted sequels, and suddenly there are all these novels, and I was leaving so many behind that I couldn't get to. Well, when I started novellas, part of the purpose and training myself was to take some of these really great ideas I had and say, "Let's just do that idea." Rather than expanding that idea into an entire novel, adding a bunch to it, let's just do that idea and write it as its own thing. I have found it hugely liberating as a novelist to have this outlet, to just try out an idea, but to use my same novel writing skills for. So, all of you out there who have these novels planned that you may not ever get to, I want you to take one of them and instead make a novella out of it. At least do the structure. Do the outline, and see if you can practice this form. See if it is something that helps you express yourself as a writer. This has been Writing Excuses. You're out of excuses, now go write.
