L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami November 6, 2014 - 2:39pm

After finishing my second novella, an expansion from the 10,00 word novelette, I'm wondering. Does a story ever evolve beyond what you intended?

Like for me my Nmyphs Of Winter Fire was going to be a 16,000 word chapter book. But then ended up expanding into 20,000 words. I got the ending I wanted of course (I write Hardian tragedies regarding the mood), but I may need to look at it again to see what's bloating it.

Then Song Of Lost Youth, ended up incompassing two chapter books (each 10,000 words), that ends up becoming a YA for reluctant readers. And now I'm wondering if the dystopia is not dystopian enough, and the I'm not banging anyone over the head enough with the SF elements.

Edit: Actually paired it down to a long novelette. If I had kept the final 5,000 words I would have been left with the MC surviving a sky scraper fall with very little consequence other than a painfull arm. I prefer that he's left completely insane.

Brandon's picture
Brandon from KCMO is reading Made to Break November 6, 2014 - 5:54pm

My second book was supposed to be a novella. It somehow blew up to over 150,000 words.

Josh Zancan's picture
Josh Zancan from Crofton, MD is reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck November 7, 2014 - 8:29am

I sat down a couple weeks ago to write a story that I anticipated to be about novella-length (25,000-30,000 words).  Even that I saw as a lofty goal, and would have been okay with a novelette.  It takes place over four days, and at this point in writing it, I'm at 12,000 words and not even at the end of the first day in the story.  

I find that I think of stories in skeletal form, but as I write, the real meat of the content just sort of flows out.  I find more interesting things that I feel should go in there.  I'm always surprised when I begin to write a planned short scene and it comes out to like, 3 or 4 thousand words.  And then when I go back over it (expecting a lot of fluff), I'm pleasantly surprised at just how much there is to use.

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami November 7, 2014 - 6:12pm

Well that and I'm noticing for some reason I'm finding out more about my characters in the stageplay revision method of novel writing I wouldn't have guessed just by penning the novelette. I guess it's something worth for me to consider.

Managed to cut it down to 12,000 words. Just small enough to serialize in Cricket Teens.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated November 10, 2014 - 7:18am

Do you serialize a lot of stuff on there?

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami November 11, 2014 - 7:17pm

No I'm wanting to. I unfortunately haven't been so lucky. I just take that as saying, hey I need to grow before I get to the big leages.