Writing: Short Stories, Writing Novels

 Once more from Writer's Digest: Short Story vs. Novel: Techniques of Story Writing

I kept trying to write short stories even though I do not think it is a natural fit for me, and no editor seems I have found the big leap from short story to novel form to be primarily about maintaining the tension over 60,000 words or more. Many authors will talk about the dreaded sagging, soggy middle: that second third of the book that, without careful attention, can drag, putting the brakes on the story. This is where thoughtful structuring is essential in novel-length works. Deliberately following a model such as the three-act structure is a good way to avoid tension-draining pitfalls. all that impressed, either.

However, this bit of advice I am taking to heart:

When it comes to the short story, I have found the old adage of “start late, get out early” to be particularly resonant. There isn’t the luxury of paragraphs of initial context-setting—the writer doesn’t have the words and the reader doesn’t have the attention. Every word counts.

I read that before plunging into another revision of  "The Psychotic Ape." Maybe it helped, but the word count is 4400, approximately. I will have to see how the world likes the story.

When I get back to revising my novels, I hope to remember this:

I have found the big leap from short story to novel form to be primarily about maintaining the tension over 60,000 words or more. Many authors will talk about the dreaded sagging, soggy middle: that second third of the book that, without careful attention, can drag, putting the brakes on the story. This is where thoughtful structuring is essential in novel-length works. Deliberately following a model such as the three-act structure is a good way to avoid tension-draining pitfalls.

sch 5/15