Types of Writing: Length Based Works
You are probably familiar with most of these, but did you know there are different types of writing projects based on length? The most common ones are the novel, novella, or short story. I’ve seen these terms used interchangeably depending on the estimated length of a work but there is something important to realize. While length is a determining factor and is a rule that these separate pieces must abide by, that is the smallest factor when it comes to what makes them different. There are certain mechanics, structures, and more that need to be considered.
For example, a common misconception is that short stories are just stories that are short. I’ve seen advice such as, “If you are not ready to write a novel, write a short story! These are shorter and are much easier ways to practice your writing.” –that is by far one of the worst pieces of writing advice I have seen on the internet.
Of course, you can practice writing smaller pieces as you build up to bigger projects, but the intent, purpose, and goal of a short story is a completely different ball game when compared to a novel.
Terminology
Here are some terms I will be using throughout this piece. I have simple definitions here in case you need them!
Narrative Arch: The arch of a story is the entire story’s progression from beginning to end. It includes the beginning/ establishing the story, the rise of action, and the conclusion. It is the path your reader takes from beginning to end.
Tension: This is any moment in a story when there feels like the character is in trouble or danger. It can be as simple as them worried because they cheated on a test and don’t want to be found out to a character hiding in the woods as something terrifying comes their way. Tension is key to keep a reading wanting to know more.
Rise of Action: The rise of action is kind of the build up of tension in a story. Every story has a climax, the high point and usually the most exciting or surprising. As the story works up to that point and the tension gets higher and higher, that is called the rise of action.
Stakes: Have you ever been asked, “what’s at stake?” This usually means, if something goes wrong, what are you losing? If you enter the lottery and are nervously waiting for the results, your money is at stake. If you are on an adventure to save your town from a dragon, your neighbors’ lives are at stake if you fail or lose in some way. A character always has wants. Every scenario in a story must have stakes to drive that character on and to build tension. If there are no stakes in the story, there is no pressure on the character to complete their goals and the story may feel less driven, purposeful, or exciting.
Novels
Novels are probably the form everyone is the most familiar with. According to the top four publishing companies in the United States (Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group) novels are usually 90,000 to 120,000 words. (There are tons of exceptions but let’s stick to these numbers for this example!)
A novel usually presents multiple characters and one or two main plots. Novels can be split up into multiple sections and chapters and can range from 200 to 500 or some monstrous works that are 800 pages plus. What makes a novel so enjoyable is how much can happen in one book. In comparison to the other forms we will discuss, its important to recognize how a book may have one or two main plots and numerous sub-plots.
Novellas
Novellas are shorter than novellas and usually feature one main story line with one or two sub plots. The main difference between a novella and novel is the length. The intension here, when you are writing a novella, is to not approach this like a full-length book. You will have less room to grow your story so your word-usage matters even more as you have a limited field in which you can tell your story. Now, that is not a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind if you love tons of sub-plots and side characters. To a point, this is not the format for that.
Novellas can range from 10,000 to 40,000 words. Many novellas I have read were between 100 to 200 pages. A good example is The Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind, a fantasy writer of the Sword of Truth series. His usual novels (The Sword of Truth or Stone of Tears) are hefty books with many characters, subplots, and chapters. The Debt of Bones was perfect as a novella because it featured a single story arch with no sub-plots. It's like a one-shot story.
The Short Story
The short story has a different approach and style from writing a novel. The length comes to play because it does influence the weight of your choices. The information you chose to include must be essential to the plot, there is no room for extras. A short story is usually a single story arch that follows a character and a challenge. This can be a moment in the character’s life or an observation of their experience. These usually have a message behind them that the character’s struggles and revelations reveal. These stories are tightly-knit and full of meaning. Check out Good Men are Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor or short stories by Colson Whitehead! These can be 1,500 to 7,500 words long.
More Short Story Recommendations:
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek” by Ambrose Bierce
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
“The Half-Skinned Steer” by Annie Proulx
“The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
“Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville
“Chest of Drawers” by Ramona Ausubel
Pen America Best Debut Short Stories 2017 Edited by Yuka Igarashi
Extended Short Story
The extended short story is an interesting beast. These can be anywhere from 30 to 70 pages and take the short story a step farther. Short stories usually have a small cast, and one rise of action. The extended short story can double this, as well as layer on the complexity at the same time. The best example, in my opinion, is the book The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin. You can have one rise of action that dissolves into a new second problem and lengthens the story as the stakes are raised even higher and more characters are involved as they either play an active role in the story or provide advice and choices to the main character.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s important to understand the differences between these different length works. After you understand these basics, I highly recommend reading different kinds of works such as a short story or novella and then analyzing how the story progresses, how the tension rises, and how many story arcs and sub-plots there are. All this can show you the differences between these works as well as their strengths in storytelling. Happy reading!