Questions tagged [novella]

This tag should be used for questions related to works of a length that is longer than what is commonly called a short story and shorter than what is commonly called a novel. There are no definite rules for how many words a novella contains, but in general novellas are assumed to be somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 words in length.

This tag should be used for questions related to works of a length that is longer than what is commonly called a short story and shorter than what is commonly called a novel. There are no definite rules for how many words a novella contains, but novellas are assumed to be somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 words in length.

Your question may for example be about s that are typically used in novellas or s for writing them. Or about topics like questions about the .

When using this tag your question should specify why the length of the work is important. For example if your research shows that the tends to be more difficult for a novella than for a you should state this in the question and explain why this is important in your current situation.

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Should I self-publish my novella on Amazon or try my luck getting publishers?

I have completed my novellas first draft which is 32k words long. For all the reasons, I was doing research as to whether self-publish or try my luck getting a publisher. I should tell you that I am a complete novice at writing fiction books and…
The White Cloud
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Describing a person. What needs to be mentioned?

When describing the physical features of my more important characters, I often don't add much. I of course describe important features, especially if they will be relevant in the story. For example Harry Potter's scar. Part of my problem is my…
Summer
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What is a "light novel" and how does it differ from a novella?

My friend has sent me a work to critique which he hopes to make into a light novel. I've never heard of this type of story before and a quick Google didn't give me much context about how it differs from a traditional western young-adult novella?
Seanny123
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How can I start in media res and provide enough back-story to hook people, all in the first chapter?

My story (novella?) starts in media res, in the middle of the conflict that will set the rest of the story in motion. Currently I am "scene-cutting" between that event and some earlier events that provide context. The current sequence for the…
Monica Cellio
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What's a good market for experimental novellas?

A short story of mine has grown until it's become a bit of a monster - about 15K. I don't know if that makes it a novelette or a novella, but it's certainly too long for most of the journals I would normally consider for submission. A superstitious…
micapam
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How and where do I start writing my novel?

I've been creating stories in my head since I was very young. When I was around 8 I started writing it in a notebook (didn't go anywhere), when I was around 12 I started typing up a story with my brother (got nearly 100 pages) but there was no clear…
BubbleQueen
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Querying a book that already has public exposure on Wattpad. What do agents think of this?

My novella won the 2017 Watty Award and has garnered a lot of reads- currently at 67k reads (if were longer, it'd be double that number, but the reads are counted per chapter- It's only 8 chapters in length). I want to query this novella, but I'm…
Dawn Kelli
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How to find a publisher for a a science fiction novella

I've always tried writing novels, and have just recently discovered how much I actually enjoy writing a novella! I'm getting very close to sending it out to beta readers, and have started looking online for potential publishing companies to whom I…
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Pay rate and terms for writing book series under contract

I have a guy that runs a very successful punk/oi! record label in LA. He has asked me if I'd be interested in writing a series of books for him. 60,000 to 80,000 words per book in the series. I am new to the lengthy writing game... His offer is to…
Jonathan
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Is it possible that my short novel will be boring to my readers because it only has two characters and the location doesn't change?

In my story, there are two characters: a schoolgirl and a strange person with a creepy mask who gives her a tour in an art museum at night. Well, actually there is a third character; the boyfriend of the girl, but he only answers the phone at the…
wyc
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Novellas: How To Engage the Reader in a Character in Under 40,000 Words?

Perhaps one of the more difficult parts of writing is getting the reader invested in the characters. It's really easy to make your character somebody boring and not interesting to follow in novels. It's even more common in novellas. With novellas,…
Sister Student
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Would it be wiser to debut with your side-project with a smaller publisher, over your main-project with a big publisher?

I've been seeing comments on the tightening window/acceptance for debut authors with planned-series since December 2019, especially now with the economy contracting even more due to Covid19 for the whole of 2020. Would it be wise to put my grand…
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Use of past tense in a book about the future

I'm writing a sci-fi novella about a scientist named Steves living in the 24th century. I'm mostly using the typical past tense to narrate the incidents happening to the protagonist. Whenever I'm talking about things in general though, I tend to…
Soha Farhin Pine
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Writing a novel largely composed of question-answer sessions

I am a novice writer, just starting on a mini novel in the Science Fiction genre. The crux of the novel is about 4 or 5 discussions between protagonist and a set of particular individuals with their own motives, and trying to convince them to do…
user1669710
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Market for novellas and/or novelettes

Does anybody know anything about the current market or demand for novellas or novelettes? I'm in the beginning stages of my writing career and it looks like, so far, I struggle with being concise enough for short stories but, also, I have yet to put…
Colin Ennen
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