Is it a short story or a novel?

[BlueTexas]

Perhaps this is a often answered question, but I'll ask anyway. I"m just about to finish a short story. Problem is, I let my husband (who hates to be asked to read stuff becauses it's usually non-fic) read it, and without knowing it was a short story, he wanted to read more of it. As in, isn't this going to be a novel? But I want to know what else happens?

I had planned it to be a short story, and don't know if there's enough there to stretch it without losing the story. I know this is my husband I asked, but he's not the usually family who reads something and loves it because I wrote it. If something sucks, he says so. Often, lol. He reads mostly Clancy novels, and well, that's miles away in subject from what I write.

So how do you know if you have enough story, if what you've written should stay short or grow longer? Do you write it out and see, or stick with the plan? Is he just saying that because all he reads are novels and he expects more?

Frankly, the thought of writing a novel intimidates me. Fiction is new to me, and much harder than I anticipated. I've only sold non-fic in the past. I'm starting with short stories because I can see the end and map it out. Don't know if I can map out 60,000 words or so and keep it cohesive yet.

[Virtuoso]

It seems to me, that a short story and a novel are different--in conception. A satisfactory short story can hardly be 'drug out' to make a satisfactory novel; similarly, a satisfactory novel cannot be compressed without losing something... Now, does your husband's desire to 'read more' mean that he wishes you would expand the substance already comprised in the story,--creating a novel that has little more to it than the original story--or does he mean that you should continue to develop the plot, characters...etc.,--creating a novel of which, essentially, the original short story is the first chapter?

I think, from your further remarks (esp. "So how do you know if you have enough story?") that you consider my former interpretation correct.

But if this is so, and you mean to try and stretch the story you already have, so that its only real difference is in the quantity of words--don't do it.

But, on the other hand, if you mean to further develop the substance of the story into a novel, I see no difficulty. Only I fail to understand why you worry about "losing the story"--unless you mean the pointed impact of the short-story.

Also, before you make any plans to elongate your work, decide whether your husband's desire for more came from a genuine feeling for the abruptness of your conclusion--whether he felt you left him hanging--or whether, being a Tom Clancy nut, he thinks that, having found a few good characters and a workable plot, you should stretch the thing out until the public rebels.

Remember, the differences between a short-story and a novel go beyond length.

[Inspired]

I was just working on a short story this past fall. I wrote and rewrote and kept having problems keeping it short. I finally got it done (it was an assignment for a writing course) but still felt like it should be more. There was a lot of story around it that just didn't get told properly (I thought.) But, since I'm still learning, and the assignment was due - I sent it. My instructor (as well as others who've read it) said it should be developed into a novel. It was so nice to know that my gut feeling was right. My story outgrew the short story model. It just didn't want to be contained.

Do you have that feeling about your story? Is it outgrowing its form? Are there many ways to go? More character development? More plot? Does it compel you to write more?

If not, then leave it. There's nothing wrong with a story that leave a reader wanting more. How many times do you think that when you finish a book? Yet, most books really don't need to be developed into series. They are a short time in a character's life. It's not necessary to know everything about every moment of that character. Leave the audience wanting more.

Then write another story about something else equally compelling.

(I know - it's not that easy. But, you get the idea.)

[maestrowork]

Do you have enough subplot to support a full length novel?

[Denis Castellan]

Do you have enough subplot to support a full length novel?If there is too much main plot for a short story and if developing the existing subplot still won't make it a "long enough story", can't some fresh subplot just be intertwined with it to expand the whole thing to novel-length ?

[Nateskate]

I recently did the same thing with a novella (I think that's what they call it when you are between 15,000-20,000 words.) I realized the market was so limited for this sized story, that I decided to change it.

Generally speaking, you'd have to use your current story as an outline, and introduce a few more characters. Once you introduce two or three characters into the story, more ideas tend to flow.

When I say outline, that doesn't mean you can't keep it mostly as is. You are building around your core.

Tips: Slice and dice. If you look at your story as segments, introduce one new character withing the first 1/4 of the book. You can use them in a variety of ways. a) Misdirection- are they a bad guy or good guy. You don't even need to know this answer right away. Leave it flexible, because you might want to change the answer to this question. b) Temptation. They might lure your protagonist off track, and throw a wrench into things. Aunt Emmy will remove your protagonist from her inheritance if she decides to marry this guy from the other side of town. 3) A subplot. Give your protagonist a friend or relative. In fact, its better if no one else knew about them. They were a "hidden family secret". or in Fantasy, add a new evil. All along you spoke of Sauron and Saruman, but now there's a Shelob. It adds another entire chapter.

Think of adding a second new character in the second 4th of the book. What you'll find is that if you give texture to each of these characters, they in and of themselves will take on a life, and bring in other characters. This way you can have a subplot. It could be a murder mystery, and you are wondering if the protagonist's sister winds up marrying the milkman. It just becomes this secondary point of interest to everyone involved. They have nothing to do with the murder or solving the murder, but if you made them interesting enough, it becomes like a segment of a T.V show, where in the E.R, you wonder if the patient lives or dies, but you also wonder if the Intern and the nurse really love each other.

[BlueTexas]

Wow. There's so much good insight here I hardly know where to begin.

I think my husband was wanting more plot and character development. Also, I think Virtuoso's point about Clancy rings true.

Now, after reading all this good advice, I'm going to try it both ways. I'm going to finish the missing scene from the short, and see how it reads.

But, there are enough unanswered/unadressed questions in the story I think I could expand it beyond the short story model I had in mind. As I was writing it, I kept having to drag myself back to the original idea, without expanding it. That was tough.

My fear was ending up with a novel length story that only had enough plot for a short story.

As it is now, there's not enough subplot for a novel. But, there could be, and you guys hae given me some great ideas on how to do it.

Thanks!!

[Jamesaritchie]

Perhaps this is a often answered question, but I'll ask anyway. I"m just about to finish a short story. Problem is, I let my husband (who hates to be asked to read stuff becauses it's usually non-fic) read it, and without knowing it was a short story, he wanted to read more of it. As in, isn't this going to be a novel? But I want to know what else happens?

I had planned it to be a short story, and don't know if there's enough there to stretch it without losing the story. I know this is my husband I asked, but he's not the usually family who reads something and loves it because I wrote it. If something sucks, he says so. Often, lol. He reads mostly Clancy novels, and well, that's miles away in subject from what I write.

So how do you know if you have enough story, if what you've written should stay short or grow longer? Do you write it out and see, or stick with the plan? Is he just saying that because all he reads are novels and he expects more?

Frankly, the thought of writing a novel intimidates me. Fiction is new to me, and much harder than I anticipated. I've only sold non-fic in the past. I'm starting with short stories because I can see the end and map it out. Don't know if I can map out 60,000 words or so and keep it cohesive yet.

I've never been a big believer in subplots. I think good subplots ar e either there or they aren't, and should come out simply in the course of writing a story.

It is, I think, pretty easy to tell whether or not something is a short story. Does it have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfying ending? If it has these elements, it's a short story.

You can't stretch a short story into a novel. The two are very different things. It would be like stretching a VW Beetle into a bus. You don't get a bus, you just get a Beetle that's longer, and thinner, than it should be.

To turn a short story into a novel, you have to abandon the short story and write a novel that has the same plot.

In my opinion, a story of any length should always leave a reader wanting more. It means they liked it.

[BlueTexas]

I added the missing scene to the short story, finishing it tonight. I read it, and it's a short story. Without doubt. It's at 3700 words, and it's not going to grow into a novel.

Now the main character, she may end up in a novel, but it looks like by finishing my project I could have answered my own question.

Thanks, everyone, for all the insight.