So...I've been fumbling around with the same characters for about three years now, and I've wound up with a handful of short stories, one novella, and a near-complete (but short!) first draft of a novel involving them. Originally, the short stories and novella were in a collection with other unrelated stories, a book I'm really proud of, but the novel has felt lacking for a while, and I got the idea to merge all the material into one book and expand things--something that my mentor has really pushed for, an idea I've resisted until now because I love the flow of the short story collection. However, I've had a two-month dry spell thanks to a very overwhelming full-time teaching gig, and I started rethinking both books in part just because I need a way back in. I think, with some work, the merged stories could make for a really fun and cohesive book, but I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of material I have, adjusting the timelines to make things fit together, adding new material, etc. I think part of the problem is that I don't have complete faith that this is the best route to take, and part of the problem is that I see myself as a writer of short fiction who suddenly has a chaotic 75,000 word manuscript, which feels like way too much to handle. I have confidence that it could work as a longer book with multiple points-of-view, but I'm stuck with where to begin, it's just so huge to me.
Also: an agent whose representation I'm seeking loved the short story collection and asked me to write a novel to pair with it, which is how the original novel emerged. I asked her how she'd feel about me dismantling the story collection to expand the novel, but I haven't heard back yet. Though I don't want to be swayed by industry expectations, I want to ask, what do you think is more marketable? A short story collection and a short novel (perhaps 55k) or one novel in the 80-90k range? All literary fiction. What should I do? I almost finished the novel but hit a dead end with it, and adding in the other POV character invigorated me a little bit...but I still can't really write forward, and I think it's because I'm overwhelmed and lack confidence. I don't know how to get back on track. Would really appreciate advice!
Also: an agent whose representation I'm seeking loved the short story collection and asked me to write a novel to pair with it, which is how the original novel emerged. I asked her how she'd feel about me dismantling the story collection to expand the novel, but I haven't heard back yet. Though I don't want to be swayed by industry expectations, I want to ask, what do you think is more marketable? A short story collection and a short novel (perhaps 55k) or one novel in the 80-90k range? All literary fiction. What should I do? I almost finished the novel but hit a dead end with it, and adding in the other POV character invigorated me a little bit...but I still can't really write forward, and I think it's because I'm overwhelmed and lack confidence. I don't know how to get back on track. Would really appreciate advice!
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