I’ve been a bit delinquent on the writings about writing as of late. So I wanted to turn ten towards the craft itself.
Today’s thoughts focus on the novella as a medium. I truly believe the novella is about to have another heyday. For one, it is a short enough form to be easily absorbed by most casual readers. The all story-no fluff aspect gets readers right into the heart of the moment or the journey taking place for the character, and the characterization is to the point and well articulated. I have two novellas currently languishing in editing. One will require a full rewrite (or need to be put aside forever given where it take place in story lore). The other also has an expiration date of sorts, but is a much better and more down to earth story that I am super proud of. While NDA says I cannot say too much about such things, I will offer that the novella allowed me to focus on a smaller arc of a character and move them through a crisis that was pivotal to how they view themselves. I see that as the point of that form and length. I also feel like the novella is more readily adaptable to visual media. It is short enough to contain a central conflict and sparse enough that a good director can do their thing with it without sacrificing the core elements of the pre-existing tale.
In future posts I will try to delve into the core differences between novels and novellas and how to write them. I didn’t really start thinking about this difference until I was looking into what I wanted to read (re-read) next, and came across some of Joe Hill’s older work. He too loves the form and he is right to say it is a wonderful departure from the gigantor novels. Perhaps my interest in this also comes from being in the midsts of a novel and thinking that I’d love to finish something faster next. That finishing aspect is always in the back of my mind. One thing I need to learn as a writer is to enjoy the journey as much as I enjoy the product thereof.