Questions 28: How Do You Approach Stories of Different Length?

jdsawyer Nanocast February 17, 2016 February 13, 2016

Caine asks:
What are the differences in how you approach a novella, a novelette, or a novel?

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jdsawyer

After a childhood in academia, J. Daniel Sawyer declared his independence by dropping out of high school and setting off on a series of adventures in the bowels of the film industry, the venture capital culture of silicon valley, surfing safaris, bohemians, burners, historians, theologians, adventurers, climbers, drug dealers, gangbangers, and inventors before his past finally caught up to him. Trapped in a world bookended by one wall falling in Berlin and other walls going up around suburbia and along national borders throughout the world, he rediscovered his deep love of history and, with it, and obsession with predicting the future as it grew aggressively out of the past. To date, this obsession has yielded over thirty books and innumerable short stories, the occasional short film, nearly a dozen podcasts stretching over a decade and a half, and a career creating novels and audiobooks exploring the world through the lens of his own peculiar madness, in the depths of his own private forest in a rural exile, where he uses the quiet to write, walk on the beach, and manage a production company that brings innovative stories to the ears of audiences across the world. For news and free stories, sign up for his occasional newsletter. Or find his contact info, podcasts, and more on his home page at http://www.jdsawyer.net

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3 Comments

Can you elaborate on what you mean by “Granular” in fiction?

Caine

February 17, 2016 at 3:57 pm 9 years ago

Reply
How do you control the plot arc so it works in short stories?

jrhandleyblog

February 18, 2016 at 9:36 pm 9 years ago

Reply
1. I think you just need to tighten things up. If you have a smaller word count you need less going on so you need to make everything count.
  
  Caine
  
  February 19, 2016 at 2:46 am 9 years ago
  
  Reply

jdsawyer

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