There is not that much difference between writing a short story and writing a novel. For those that have a problem imagining that they will ever be able to pull together a story that is fifty to a hundred thousand words long I can offer some advice.
First the major difference between the novel and the short story is point of view. A short story rarely has more than one point of view on display. The focus is on one character and a single plot point. The novel can be looked at as a series of stories that are sometimes strung together or interconnected. Most novels feature a central character, but the novel usually features secondary characters, both protagonist and antagonist that get to shine in chapters of their own. In my suspense novel Calling Vicki I decided that it would be best to give almost a third of the novel to the antagonist or villain so that the readers, by the climatic chapters of the novel, would be in a state of dread. They would be wonder how Vicki and her loved ones are going to survive yet alone win against such overwhelming odds.
I suppose the key to the novel is that everything is raised to a higher level beginning with character development. The novel allows you as the writer to fill in unlimited back story. In my novel Calling Vicki I get to revisit the most memorable moments in Vicki’s life. The back story that made Vicki into the person she is at the beginning of my novel. The murders of her parents and the attempt to follow somewhat in their footsteps. Being separated from her first love by circumstances beyond her control. All of these things I can cover in a novel with no problem, while in a short story it would have to be summed up in no more than a paragraph.
Secondly the novel is about change, very little is as it was when the novel began while a short is more about a single event. Your characters will grow and change over the length of the novel or you have not done a good job. What happens to them and those around them will alter them in some way. In my novel Calling Vicki the lead character and her closest family member goes through a great deal of change as they maneuver through the dangerous world they have been throw into. If your novel is stuck I suggest that you go back and investigate if your lead character is growing and changing or the same as he or she was at the very beginning of the novel.
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First the major difference between the novel and the short story is point of view. A short story rarely has more than one point of view on display. The focus is on one character and a single plot point. The novel can be looked at as a series of stories that are sometimes strung together or interconnected. Most novels feature a central character, but the novel usually features secondary characters, both protagonist and antagonist that get to shine in chapters of their own. In my suspense novel Calling Vicki I decided that it would be best to give almost a third of the novel to the antagonist or villain so that the readers, by the climatic chapters of the novel, would be in a state of dread. They would be wonder how Vicki and her loved ones are going to survive yet alone win against such overwhelming odds.
I suppose the key to the novel is that everything is raised to a higher level beginning with character development. The novel allows you as the writer to fill in unlimited back story. In my novel Calling Vicki I get to revisit the most memorable moments in Vicki’s life. The back story that made Vicki into the person she is at the beginning of my novel. The murders of her parents and the attempt to follow somewhat in their footsteps. Being separated from her first love by circumstances beyond her control. All of these things I can cover in a novel with no problem, while in a short story it would have to be summed up in no more than a paragraph.
Secondly the novel is about change, very little is as it was when the novel began while a short is more about a single event. Your characters will grow and change over the length of the novel or you have not done a good job. What happens to them and those around them will alter them in some way. In my novel Calling Vicki the lead character and her closest family member goes through a great deal of change as they maneuver through the dangerous world they have been throw into. If your novel is stuck I suggest that you go back and investigate if your lead character is growing and changing or the same as he or she was at the very beginning of the novel.
Thank you for visiting my blog, please take a moment to share this post with a friend and to bookmark this site.
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