All of the "Me" books are novellas. And some readers aren't exactly happy about that. They write to me and say, "This should have been longer," or "I want to know what happens next!" And while I cringe a little at the 2-star reviews that are simply a critique of length (and not story) I still manage to smile and think: good.
Why? No, not because I like to upset my readers. But it's a pretty neat thing when you can write 25,000 words and have it be a story. Have it be something that readers connect with and care about. Write something that makes their reading time fly by. And leaves them wondering and hungry for more.
But here's the real thing.
I decided to write novellas to challenge myself. My first novel, a YA titled Set In Stone (written under my real name), came in at just over 100K words. It is a sweeping story, rich in detail and dialogue. I was--and am--really proud of that story. But I wanted to see if I could write more concisely. If I could maintain the tone and voice of my writing but with far fewer words.
A lot of people encouraged me to try. To focus on dialogue and a simple story thread, to see if I could create characters and a storyline that was still entertaining. So I did.
Not everyone is going to like fluffy, humorous romantic novellas. But I do. And I love to write them. So much so that the next one, Love Me, will be Jill's story (the best friend from Match Me). And the fourth will be Meg's story, the new roommate from Save Me.
At the end of Save Me it says this month Marry Me will be out. Did you ditch that title for the Love Me title instead?? Or will that end being Meg's title?
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan!
ReplyDeleteYES. Jill's story was just about done when I published Save Me and I already had the perfect cover and the perfect title and the perfect ending. And then my characters decided on something else entirely. :) So Jill's story WILL be out (probably next week!) but it will be called Love Me. Thanks for asking!
~ Liz (aka Beth)
Beth-
DeleteAwesome. :) thanks for answering my question. I look forward to reading Jill's story. I'm hoping we actually meet Domenico , fingers crossed. :)
Jen
I love that they are novella's! I also love novels but there are so many people that don't have time for novels. A novella is a wonderful option! It can be read while your kids play at the park, or a lazy Sunday afternoon, if they were audio people could listen to them during their commute! Do you want more - yes and that is what makes them great books!
ReplyDeleteYet another reason novellas are nice -- the time factor! Thanks for pointing that out. As a busy mom myself, I know exactly how limited time for reading can be. :)
ReplyDelete