The Long and Short of Striving for Simple

It should come as a surprise to no one that my brain is a messy, disorganized place. I do my damnedest to tidy up. It just does not take. File cabinets explode. Accoutrements pile up in a heap. Yes, this photo really did happen and not just in my brain. All the alphabetized things in my best intentions get flung all over in a mental tornado of "Ooo! Look at all the cool stuff!" Complication and intricacy intrigue me. I suffer from the conviction that everything is related and intertwined. This makes me an everything plus the kitchen sink writer.

This is the long way of saying Ye Gods, please don't make me write short.

There's a reason I have only two short stories and one novella to my name. While I have 5 novels - 4 of which belong in series that are 5 or more books long. Long arcs come more naturally to me. I die a little inside each time flash fiction comes around on our topic calendar. Which isn't to say it's not worth doing - it is. Because while I strongly favor long form (novels), I think there's value in getting kicked out of my synaptic rut. Challenge the status quo and step outside the comfort zone. You know. All those pretty sunrise photo inspirational quote memes you scroll past on Facebook. Fact remains, writing short does not come at all naturally and I dread it every. Single. Time.

There is no plot so simple that I cannot complicate it past all reason. My favorite word while plotting is 'AND'.  It is for that reason that it's worth forcing myself into short form from time to time. You bet it pinches. But the practice of reining in my woeful tendency to run off at the computer keyboard and pruning ideas waaaaaaaay back is a good (if ouchie) reminder that sometimes it really is best to keep it simple, stupid. Even if I have to force it.

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.

On Trying to Write Short(er) Again

I'm on my way to New York City today, to read at Lady Jane's Salon, hang with Ron Hogan and Megan Hart, and have lunch with my editor.

As one does.

All of this means that my post is going up a little late. Airplanes and blogging don't always play nicely together.

Our topic this week is why we prefer to write long or short.

I actually like both, which should come as a surprise to no one, since I'm always the fence-sitter in all things. I started out writing short - essays and short stories  - and these days I write long. Sometimes I write *really* long. The Talon of the Hawk came in at over 130,000 words. All of my Twelve Kingdoms and Uncharted Realms books are at least 110,000 words.

Writing short was great for me, especially to begin with. I'm not capable of pre-plotting, so writing short let me write and entire story in one sitting, while I held it and all its threads in my head. I also had little time to fit in writing back in those days, so shorter was better.

***INTERRUPTION***

So, as I sat typing this in the Dallas airport, I got the announcement that my flight to La Guardia was cancelled. Worse, they can't get me there for two days, so I'm just going home again. Nothing like a day jaunt to Dallas for lunch!

What was to be a long trip has become a short one. Sometimes it works out that way.

At any rate, in writing those fantasy novels, I discovered the great joy of writing long. I even think of it as VERY long, because it's a long wending tale across the series at this point.

Conversely, with my new Sorcerous Moons series, I've been trying to write shorter again. The first book, Lonen's War, is about 65,000 words and it's looking like the next two in the series will come out about the same. The thing is, part of why I wanted those to be shorter is that I really wanted to write a long-term, slow-burn romance. In some ways that series of three will be like one 200K book.

Or longer. I might not be able to tell it in three books. We'll see.

I try to be flexible.