In an article for Writer’s Digest, Tara Deal shares why writers and readers should try novellas, including four tips for writing them. “Everyone talks about novellas getting a lot of attention these days because everyone’s attention span is shrinking (a novella is somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 words), but short books have always been around, enduring, durable, made of quality materials,” she says.
Think novellas aren’t worth writing? Consider The Awakening, Metamorphosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Stranger, The Pearl, and The Time Machine.
What should you consider when you tackle a novella? Deal suggests:
- Make a Statement From the Start. “You want to make a good first impression, ideally on the first page,” Deal writes. “Your hook doesn’t have to be flashy, but it should be substantial, weighty.” Focus on one or two characters and the essential details.
- Refine Your Vision. “Strip away things from your text, as if you are a devoted minimalist committed to black and white,” Deal says. “You can cut more than you think: description, dialogue, digressions. You need see only a little to imagine the depths. The Torrents of Spring.”
- Maintain a Tight Pace. “Keep checking your novella, rereading as fast as possible, looking for any snags in the fabric,” Deal adds. “Are there any rough edges in your reading like burrs in the desert that make you look up and think of going somewhere else? Or are you lost in a dream?”
- Make a Dramatic Exit. The end of your novella should feel solid and satisfying. “With a novella, you always go straight to the heart of the matter, the marrow, the best parts, presented on a platter.”
