The Art of Writing the Novella

I have to admit I haven’t mastered it, but I did want to free associate a bit about writing this art form. And there’s no doubt of it, writing a satisfying novella is a challenging art to master. In a novel you can really stretch out and explore characterization, motivations and nuances. But in a novella, you’ve only got so much room to use. Everything has to be tight; no frilly extras here, no venturing off into the unexplored territory on the horizon.

It has some similarities to writing a screenplay from a novel, although the analogy isn’t entirely spot on. One of the things I find similar is that I think it takes more work on the viewer’s/reader’s part to make leaps and connections. What was eight pages of plot or foreshadowing in a book becomes a line of dialogue or a dark, significant glance in a movie. I know it’s traditional for book lovers to disparage that a movie never matches up to the book–and yes, I’m guilty of this big time–but I have a feeling if I ever attempted to write a screenplay or direct a movie that was originally a book, I might be a bit more compassionate in my judgment.

It strikes me that all the rules that are true for a novel are exponentially true for a novella. Plunge the reader into the action or conflict immediately, for instance. If it’s true for a novel, it’d be best to do the hook in the first paragraph, line or word of the novella. Write tight for a novel becomes, write like you own the last pen on earth and about an ounce of remaining ink for the short.

A good novella is clean and lean.

And then…there’s the BIG issue with characterization. How to show genuine character depth and avoid clichés and stereotypes when one is writing a short? I’m sure there are plenty of authors who, like me, have groaned in misery when they heard the criticism that the characterization was insufficient in their short. There are no limits to the complexities and nuances of human character; but yes, there are limits on my word count. The same sort of struggle occurs in a novella when it comes to building genuine emotional connection between characters.

I think Jaci Burton is quite talented in penning a novella. I’m envious of my friend Lacey Savage’s ability to write a compelling short.

What are some of your favorite novella authors? Any writers have tips on writing a lean, mean short?