Slimming Down – From Epic to Novella
Published May 14, 2011 | 
by Mary Simonsen
As someone who has fought the battle of the bulge since I was about 30, a half of a lifetime ago, I was always thrilled when I got on the scale and the number was lower than it was the day before. Apparently, this is something that has been going on in my writing as well.
My first novel, Searching for Pemberley, published in December 2009, weighed in at 129,000 words. My second novel, The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, was a much slimmer 95,000. A Wife for Mr. Darcy (to be released in July, 2011) came in at 90,000 while Mr. Darcy’s Bite (to be released in October, 2011) at 88,000. Anne Elliot: A New Beginning is a very slender 72,000. Like most weight loss programs, I shed the most words early on—between my first and second books, and then the words came off more slowly. For a novel-length story, I have reached a plateau of about 90,000, and I am perfectly fine with that weight, I mean that many words.
But as I continue to write, I find that my favorite length/weight is the novella, that is, a story between 20,000 to 50,000 words. (That’s my definition of a novella.) My two latest contributions to the realm of fiction are For All the Wrong Reasons and Mr. Darcy’s Angel of Mercy. Both weighing in at about 28,000 words. I happen to love this length. Because I’m not one for overly descriptive passages, preferring to leave details of room décor and clothing, even physical attributes, to the imagination of my readers, I can write a fully realized story in the novella format.
Does this mean I will no longer be writing full-length novels? No. In fact, I’ve already finished two novels, and they are in queue to be self-published later this year, and I am working on a third. But I must admit that I like my new slender novella look. I find it very flattering.Do you have a favorite length story? Are you someone who wants a big fat book that will last you for days (that was Lonesome Dove for me) or are you a quick reader who prefers to finish a story in one or two sittings (that’s how I like my mysteries)? I would love to hear from you.
Mary Simonsen
Mary Simonsen is the author of several Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen re-imaginings. She is also the author of two British police procedurals, A Killing in Kensington and Three's a Crowd.
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35 Responses to Slimming Down – From Epic to Novella
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When it comes to me I am all for slimming down and wish it was as easy as snipping off a few sentences from a story! I can guaranteed I would go for the 30,000 word length if that were the case.
When it comes to books I am more of a meat and potatoes reader. But then I have read many novellas that were very satisfying. Best of luck with ours Mary!
I used to think there was a great deal of virtue in writing a thousand words when 100 would do. Now, I find I like writing the novella length. and I hear it's making a come back now that so many people are reading on their phones and smaller gadgets.
Thanks for the post, Mary
Interesting post, Mary! I've heard that, generally speaking, a writer's style becomes more concise as his/her writing develops, so in that sense a lower word count for the same sort of novel is inevitable. And, on that basis, if we all continue writing into old age, we shall end up with very short stories!
My reading time is so fragmented these days that book size doesn't matter – it's all about enjoying the story and remembering what happened when I read a few pages the day before. At the moment I'm thoroughly enjoying Jane Odiwe's Mr Darcy's Secret!
I like both. I like novellas because they get right to the point. However, one of the things I like about a novel is that I get to enjoy the characters longer!! Often times when have finished a book I just thoroughly enjoyed, I feel so sad that I won't be seeing (in my mind) those characters anymore. It is like a friend who moves away.
I loved Lonesome Dove! I'm very interested in this post, Mary, because I am considering writing a novella for my next project. My Jane Austen Summer was around 90,000 words but my new novel I sent to my agent yesterday was a spare 65,000. Interesting post!
i like novella because it trims down on the description of Rooms and figures, but a nice fat novel if keeps you interested i am all for it. I find that some books give so much detail that I skip paragraphs after paragraph then I feel I might of missed something. If the writer can find a nice balance giving enough detail with out tiring me as reader I am quite happy!
ex: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.. way to wordy for me gosh I have the whole series several time with exception to that one book. I can not get through it again with out skipping over a lot of it.
I am one when I pay for a book, i like to read it several time. If I am not going to read it again, it will end up on half dot com.
I know people like long novels so they can experience the characters for a goodly length of time. I think novellas do that same thing, the enjoyment just comes in sections. And for me, writing a novella is more fun–I tend towards what-ifs that are more easily examined in the short form. If I have fun writing, the reader gets more from me than what is turning out to be the agony of writing a novel.
I love to dive into a novel series. I enjoy the big fat classics! There is something quite endearing and special about a novella. (I'm a lot of help, huh?) For me it is about what is going on in my life, how many interuptions I think I will get and where my mood takes me. I just finished Morning Light and Jane Erye is next! (Just watched the new movie in theaters and the mood struck!)
Mary, Thank you for your Mothers Day special! I took full advantage to stock up my kindle!
Well, this is interesting. I think people are leaning towards novellas. What a nice surprise! I am predicting that this will be the wave of the future b/c an author can publish a novella as an e-book and sell it for a reasonable price. I think it is the best of both worlds for author and reader. Thanks everyone.
Becky, Thank you for buying my books. The response to my "sale" has been good. I'm gratified that people are reading my stories.
I like something that I can read in a day or two. I have a hard time (like most of you I'm sure!) putting down a good book. I can be pretty useless and a bit grouchy if I want to read!
I don't need every detail of the room. I don't know about word count but on my kindle I like a book about 3000 to 5000 locations, it's a pretty good everyday book for me! An occasional epic is good.
Blogger lost my comment…I will try again:
I have never liked short stories because there is not any character development, so good ones must either have characters who are well known from other works, or have a zinger of an ending (Ray Bradbury is the king of this sort).
Epic novels, on the other hand, are bulky and unwieldy as well as intimidating to start. I have read a number of James Michener tomes and it is not just reading, it is more like a noble quest and requires the passion and fortitude of a Crusader to plunge in.
The novella can bridge these two extremes very well. I think the novella is becoming popular because: 1) the average book reader (not the fanatics like those who are writing and following this blog!) has much less time to spend reading- they do it on planes and trains or just before they go to sleep, so a novella allows them to get through the story in a reasonable period of time. 2) The advent of electronic publishing has both made it easier to publish and encourages the shorter work as being less time consuming to prepare for publication, as well as less expensive to buy. Writers can also publish works that a paper publisher might consider too short for regular book publication.
So, I guess that I would vote for a novella over a huge tome, but, of course it depends on the story.
I like me a big book that I can snuggle up with for a couple days
I love a big fat book but not if it's just filler words – that drives me crazy. If they have to remind you of every plot point or every character's personality over and over then I think they just ran out of story and are pushing it.
I agree, Karen. The point is that the book length needs to fit the story. A point I made in a historical fiction blog was to do a lot of research, then use you knowledge WISELY. The research is so that the author understands the period and can make it work, but the object is not to put everything you know on the subject into your story!
My books have tended to get shorter over time as well. It's fun to write short story or novella length, trying to pack in as much as possible. I enjoy reading novellas, particularly in our JAFF world where we already have some background on the characters, but in other fields, I tend to prefer to read novels for the development. That said, some novels I've read are really padded out novellas. The important thing is to write the correct length for the story you're telling!
great post Mary!! i like longer books….. i like being able to read it for a lonnng time. it keeps my interest and then its easier to not go through so many books since it takes longer just to read one hahaha i love reading so i usually go through books quick!
I'm not a big fan of the "Gone With the Wind" lengths. I like the length of the books that some all of the AA's write. I do like the novellas when I'm not in the mood for a lot of discriptions on scenes, locations. I enjoyed both, "For All the Wrong Reasons" and "Mr. Darcy's Angel of Mercy". They were both quick and easy reads – just what I wanted. Thanks for all!!
I think that e-publishing will encourage writers to let the story run its natural course and not to add fluff to meet an arbitrary word count.
Billie, I'm so glad you enjoyed my novellas. I enjoyed writing them.
P.S. Thank you everyone for reading my post and taking the time to comment. It is truly appreciated.
LOL, Mary!
. I need to watch myself on both increasing waistlines and wordcounts…
With all the craziness going on with Blogger yesterday, I'm just getting to read posts tonight, but I really appreciated yours. I think I'm most fond of stories at about 90K these days. Long enough to go in depth, but not so overwhelming that I'm not sure I'll finish in a week
Very interesting post, Mary!
I tend to like all lengths, but personally prefer the longer ones, simply because I really like intense character immersion.
And yes, in my extra-JA writing, I've written epic fantasy such as my Lords of Rainbow, and I've written very short stories too, and everything in-between. I think it very much depends on the mood of the moment, and what kind of read we might want, quick or immersive…
It's funny, because the only tendency I have is for length of chapters – about 7 pages of 8 1/2 x 11 document. The number of pages in the book I write varies considerably. As for reading, I enjoy all lengths — as long as it keeps my interest!
Recently I was going to purchase a "novella" online from i-books. It was a piece by JR Ward. Just prior to hitting the buy button I read a few of the comments. It seems her idea of a novella runs about 19 pages. That's not a novella! Thats a Hallmark card.
I like both, it just depends on the story being told. The only bad thing about longer books is that they interfere with my sleep when I refuse to put them down. When I love a book, I get so drawn in. I get tunnel vision and have to finish regardless that I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. It's not unusual for me to read a novel in an evening and I find that the next day I'm more disappointed that the story is over than cranky due to sleep deprivation. I always say I should pace myself and make it last but I rarely do.
With being a full time working mother of 2 girls who are constantly on the go, I don't have the time I would like to devote to reading. So, I' in the 300-400 page book camp. I'm OK with novellas and read quite a bit of novellas and anthologies just because I can read a story for a day or two and feel accomplished my finishing the story. The longer books just take to long to read them. I have started listening to books on tape, to help fill me need to read.
Thanks again, everyone.
Kim, I published a short story on Kindle only, Elinor and Edward's Plans for Lucy Steele, but I printed a paperback for myself It's 56 pages in the 5.25" length. If I left the window open (a big thing in Arizona), it would blow off the coffee table.
My first novel was my shortest, then the next three just got longer and longer. I found the longer it is, the more complicated it is to go back and find things! So I've promised myself that my latest with not be longer than 80,000 words. We'll see.
I don't mind what length the novel or novella is, as long as I'm really into it.
Monica, I'm with you about not being able to sleep with a good book just sitting there. My reading time is in the evening, and I just get absorbed. I'd bring home Harry Potter at midnight, and finish it by breakfast. (I've done that with a few Austen Authors, too!).
Novellas are fun – especially when they are published between releases. I love serial stories, also.
Love this post. I really love novels because I like to get lost in them and with novellas I'm in them and then done and not quite relaxed and de-stressed yet. LOL Although, I have been getting a few more of the novella length because I can read them on my nook at lunch in a couple days without feeling like I'm missing something. If I get into a new full length novel, I'm another one that will read all night if no one interrupts me. =D I'm just thrilled you guys keep writing and giving me some place to escape to!!
It's good to hear that there are new novels that are going to be published. Btw, I'm half-way reading Searching for Pemberley and love it though it's a little too complex for I have to refer back when I couldn't remember some details. But I love it!
I enjoy novels that are about 200+ to 300+ pages but not so thick as The Lord of the Rings cause it might turn me off from reading it in the first place. I haven't try novellas yet but I am open to the idea if it is rally good.
Kind of a thought provoking post. Overall I think that I enjoy a book that is 250-400 pages, esp. if it contains characters I can't get enough of. In the past I have been hesitant to buy novellas because for some reason I feel as if I am not getting as much for the money, at least that is the strange logic in my head.
I have not been to the AuAu site for a few weeks and I find it kind of funny that this post is here. I just bought a kindle yesterday and I planned on my first downloads being your two novellas you listed in this post. I read great reviews for them and decided to give it a go. Since I can't get enough of Lizzy and Darcy, I thought that having a quick read that can easily be re-read could satisfy the P&P addiction.
Thanks for reposting this Mary. I replied to this the first time around and have no idea what I said now. I do know I've loved all your stories regardless of their lengths. You keep writing and I'll keep reading. =D
Mary, novel or novella, I'll gladly read any length of work by you. AS far as what I prefer to write, I would love to be able to write a novella length, but I tend to like writing descriptions of things too much and so always end up with a novel. *sigh*
Best,
Susan
Whatever is floating around in my head is what I write. One has to get rid of the voices!!!