The Long and Short of StoryTelling

First, a breakdown of what I have written and if published, by who:

SHORT STORIES:
Two went into publications of the Mansfield OSU Campus, one of which won me the 2006 OSU Florence B. Allen Creative Writing Award.

My first professionally published short was a Seph prequel featuring Nana, was first published in a witch-themed anthology (available HERE ) and was then available via KDP. (It will be again in a day or so; they made me rename it because the Marlboro part of the Marlboros & Magic title isn't allowed though the original publication had no issue, and despite the fact that I found a few other titles using the name which were still available. ??? It has been re-uploaded and re-covered as Smokes & Magic. I'll publicize when it is confirmed as available.)








My second, Comeuppance, was published in Blackguards: Blacklist. (available HERE )



Another short story is going in an anthology my writing group is soon releasing. A half dozen others wait patiently in my 'submit these when they fit' file. I have notes for about a dozen more I want to write...eventually.




NOVELS:

Persephone Alcmedi series #1

Currently, I have six novels published by Simon & Schuster's imprint Pocket Books ( available HERE ), plus one coming in May 2017 from Ragnarok Publications, and another (Seph #7) late this year or early next. I also have four others written and yet unpublished, plus notes for about a ten more to write, plus 2 more Seph novels.









NOVELLAS:
While I have not written any novellas, I have plans for 6-10 tie-ins (see KAK's post yesterday; she mentions such tie-ins) with the Seph universe because I can't see wrapping up all my threads in the novels because the novels need to be about the novel, not wrapping up loose ends...but there are those of you out there who ask about those threads and I cannot leave you hanging. Plus, I'm kicking around a few prequel things because, yanno. They are good stories. Perhaps I shall release a Seph anthology...

When it comes to stories...I love novels. Short stories don't often make it off the TBR pile. Alas, this is an admitted failure of mine and I should not allow this to happen anymore, but then I should read more in general.

What I noticed in writing this post is that I have files/notes for projects that I intend for a certain length. This made me ask myself, HOW DO I KNOW? That's a good question considering that three of the novels I have started out as shorter works. One was intended as a novella and stuff just kept happening to expand the story. Two were short stories (One of which is the novel I have coming out next May) and I needed to know more about the characters.

For me, the answer is, if I'm honest, I DON'T KNOW. But the placement of the file/notes seems to be based on a mix of 1.) what I anticipate it will take to portray the standard three acts, and 2.) my intention/commitment to the piece. Yet once the process commences, all bets are off and I become the messenger (read as: slave) to the story/character.