Novels Are Hard

[rynling]

Based on my previous experiences, I think that, in order to complete a significant writing project, I need:

- the project to be of a manageable length
- the project to occupy a manageable timeframe
- the project to receive a manageable level of feedback
- the project to have distinct and manageable milestones
- the project to have room for me to step away between milestones

Instead of writing a giant epic novel, maybe it would make sense if:

- it were divided into a series of novellas
- of roughly 30k words each
- with roughly ten chapters each
- and roughly 2,500 words per chapter

I know this isn’t the traditional publishing model, but Tor recently started to put out novellas of approximately this length. Many of the ones I’ve read during the past year are quite good, and I’m given to understand (based on professional reviews and sales rankings) that a number of these novellas are doing quite well in both digital and physical editions. What I’m envisioning might be possible, then.

In any case, I think it might be worth talking to an agent, but like………… I’m totally broke, I’m very shy, I only have a tiny following on social media, and I don’t have any useful connections in real life. I would need a lot of help, and I don’t even know where to begin.

Maybe it’s still a bit early for all of that, though. It would probably be best to start with an outline and then go from there.

Comments

[renegadefolkhero]

fwiw I relate muchly to your ADD post and I recently began doing something similar. Dividing novel concepts into novella series, (4/5) chapters each, and really committing to an outline method. I am a pantser at heart but it is clear I need a lot more structure to get anything done. The published ADD/ADHD novelists I know talk about using detailed outlines to stay on target.

Tor's novella revival convinced me that there is a market for my preferred length and I should go for it. So [x]yes to all this.

[runicmagitek]

I remember when I wrote Darkness/Starlight for NaNo, I managed to crank out 100k+ words in a month. So many people in my region during write-ins were amazed and kept asking how I could write so much. In later years, I was always referred to the one who wrote so much in a month, so it's clearly possible.

My secret to writing that much? A bad manic episode. 100% mania. I don't recommend it, actually.

And I've tried to write massive novels since then and it just... yeah, it falls apart. I don't know how people do it either. And things like NaNo are great for establishing a habit of writing daily, but I swear whenever I start putting word count goals on myself, I push to write stuff just to get words, which in turn is more editing on the back-end to smooth things out.

Which is why I'm glad I've stumbled across those more manageable novellas like you described here. They're just... *chef kiss* the best! I can't recommend it enough!

Other things that have helped me:

• Writing in smaller bursts, like 20~ minutes, and if I keep writing? Cool
  
• Having as much outlined as possible so I don't do donuts in a mediocre subplot's parking lot for 10k words
  
• Minimizing distractions, like silencing my phone or killing the internet
  
• Noise-canceling earbuds
  
• 2-5 minutes of breathing exercises before I start writing, because writing shouldn't give me anxiety, but boy, does it ever.
  
• Try to write the same times every day
  
• Jot down somewhere what I want to write/accomplish for the week and then scribble it out when I nailed it. I dunno, scribbling stuff out is really cathartic

No matter the length of your story, I hope you snuggle into something that works well for you! I completely understand the struggle, but there's very much an audience for people who are into that, both with AO3 and more recently published things, like you mentioned with Tor.

And if or whenever you do go this route and publish a thing, I'd love to read it! 💕

[lassarina]

Novellas are great (we've read several from Tor this year for my book club, or we did in the Before Times). I endorse this plan.

In Nora Roberts' novels (the big suspense-type one she releases once a year, not her smaller series), they're often divided into three or four "books" with a reasonably complete arc within each, that link together to form one big story, so that might also be a possibility.

[rynling]

I think that's actually an excellent and reasonable plan, and once again I find myself exactly on the same page.

(This) is a brief outline of the specifics regarding my plans for this project, if you're curious. No need to read it or comment, just saying that yes, that is exactly what I intend to do.

Cthulhu bless Tor, they are doing such good work and looking fabulous doing it. I think it was probably Emily Tesh's Silver in the Wood and Drowned Country that sold me on the concept. When I saw that she thanked "my initial readers on AO3" in her acknowledgments, I felt something very much akin to hope for the future. It was wild.

[lassarina]

hope for the future man I need some of that.