Dilemma is the key word in this blog post.
So far in my writing career I have written mostly short stories and novellas. Is this by choice? Yes.
I like the length and while I do write full length novels, I like the fact that I don't restrict myself.
I have been given bad reviews based on length. This is something that I totally don't get. If you have something against short works, then don't buy them. Obviously you can only do so much with a limited amount of words, yet I do try to get the whole story in there the best I can.
How do you do this, some may ask? I start at the meat of the story. I like lots of conflict, that's what interests a reader. And there is nothing worst than reading something where nothing happens.
This is a partial rant because some tend to think a writer is lazy for writing shorter works. But I will tell you straight up that I put my best into ANYTHING that I write, short or long.
In the end it comes down to me and my readers. But to the people who have a gripe with length, don't buy it. It's simple. It's the same as the people who have issue with sexual content. It really is that simple.
Rant over,
Xondra
Agreed. This is one of the reason I enjoy reading novellas so much. Almost everything that happens is relevant to the story. In a lot of novels that I purchase, not all of them mind you, I find myself skipping through entire chapter because I didn't see how it pertained much to the story except as word count filler. Length is not the be all and end all for a story.
ReplyDeleteI know some people that think if you haven't written a novel, you aren't a real writer. I daydream about shooting them with paintball guns and asking them "Since it wasn't a real bullet, did you still just get shot?" Mwahahaha! Great post Xondra.
ReplyDeleteIf people don't know the length of the piece they're reviewing perhaps they should find out first, to avoid this type of disappointment? It takes different kinds of talent to flesh out an entire story in novella length versus novel length, but a story is still a story, and that's what should be reviewed - not the length. I can understand it if the story isn't developed and the reviewer thinks making it a bit longer would have fixed that issue, but to blast someone in a review solely because the reviewer prefers longer works, that's not fair. Review what you have in front of you, or don't review it at all.
ReplyDeleteYou tell 'em, girl! :o)
ReplyDeleteJC