Novellas

I have read many. What exactly are they? Are they ideas that fizzle out? Are they the “Stay tuned, the rest of the story coming soon?” I wonder.

This week, I downloaded a book that I had in my library for a very long time. I was extremely disappointed when my nooK opened the book it was only 130 pages. “Ugh,” I thought. “I’ll be done with this in an hour, and then what am I going to read?”

However, this one was quite good (where a lot of them are not). My only complaint is that it left me wanting more, as lots of novellas often do. The story moved way too fast, and me being an author myself, I felt that there was way more story to be told. I was compelled to “fill in” the missing parts. The couple in the story went from wanting each other, to having mad crazy relations, to planning a life together all within an hour. Frustration set in and I wonder why people do this.

Personally, I try to give my readers the whole story. Ups, downs and everything between. Giving them time to get to know and love (or hate) my characters.

Needing Nita by Norah Wilson was a fantastic read. She pulled me in from the first page, and like I said, I finished it within an hour or so. And I wanted to know more about Craig and Nita. I would have loved to read about the courtroom flirting. The chase. So, maybe Norah’s novella was to introduce herself to new readers.

Laurel K. Hamilton has a couple of novellas in her Anita Blake series. In Micah, she fills us in on the back story of one of her already well known characters. I appreciated that. After I read it, I had a better understanding of why Micah was the way he was. Yay!

But I still would love to know why people tease us with novellas. Help me out.

Until next time,
Kayresia

Escape

Escape. That is what I do when I write my novels. I’ve always wondered is that what most fiction writers do. Fiction is such an awesome genre. And for those of us with over active imaginations, it is the easiest for us to do.
There are various things in a fiction author’s life that will spark a new idea for a new book. Anything from a car accident, to two people just simply walking and talking. We never know what will spark the sudden urge of creativity; we just know that if there is a possible story to be told, we must tell it.
Sometimes, the flame starts and oh boy! You go on for pages and pages and then, boom! The idea suddenly smokes out. What happens? Did you really have an idea in the first place? Or did you just need an escape from reality for a little while?
I have had several books (three that come to mind) that seemed like a good idea at the time, but when I got to a certain point, I was done. Nothing else would come out. Why is that? Is it writer’s block or did I not really have a good idea in the first place? I wish I knew.
Some write about real life experiences, and attempt to fictionalize it. It doesn’t always work as it is happening. One of the reasons I believe is that you may be too close to the situation to actually make it fiction for you, the writer. Let the situation play out first. Then decide if it will make a good book. Then you can actually separate your real life situation from your fictional characters, and possibly write an excellent novel. We’ve seen it before in lots of books we have personally read, or movies we have gone to see.
So, the key word this week is, Escape. When you write fiction, do your research, and really create a fictional world. You are a part of every character you create, and the main characters of your story, are often times extensions of the real you. But because it is fiction, we can become anyone we want. So escape. Be free.
Until next time,
Kayresia