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Story Length
Jun. 3rd, 2011 10:25 amMy friend Jeff Duntemann recently released a short (56,000 word) novel called Drumlin Circus. On his blog, he discussed the idea that there is a huge gap in the science fiction market. This gap is the one between the 20,000 word novella and the 80,000 word novel. Jeff solved that gap with his Copperwood Double.
I have to say I'm feeling his pain. My current work-in-progress, The Night Watch, is sitting at 28,000 words. I think I could easily finish it (at least in the sense of plot) with another 28,000 words, yielding Jeff's 56,000 word (or about 150 pages) novel. Basically, I'm at the point where the two main characters have committed to actions that will put them on a collision course. But for those characters, the intervening "action" is boring - they are both prepping ships for combat, and neither character knows about the other's ship. The real action resumes when, a la the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, the two ships square off with each other.
The problem is that 56,000 word novels are too hard to sell. They're too short for commercial publishers, and too long for magazines or even novella anthologies. But damnit, they're exactly the length I tend to write! The Mars Run was never over 65,000 words, and the published version was around 45,000 (187 pages), while Pirates of Mars is sitting on my editor's desk at 77,000 words.
So, in order to meet Rule Number One of writing (Finish the Damn Manuscript!) I'm off to write what will end up being the final third of the book. Hopefully, when I get the middle third sorted out, that won't mandate a huge re-write of the ending.
I have to say I'm feeling his pain. My current work-in-progress, The Night Watch, is sitting at 28,000 words. I think I could easily finish it (at least in the sense of plot) with another 28,000 words, yielding Jeff's 56,000 word (or about 150 pages) novel. Basically, I'm at the point where the two main characters have committed to actions that will put them on a collision course. But for those characters, the intervening "action" is boring - they are both prepping ships for combat, and neither character knows about the other's ship. The real action resumes when, a la the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, the two ships square off with each other.
The problem is that 56,000 word novels are too hard to sell. They're too short for commercial publishers, and too long for magazines or even novella anthologies. But damnit, they're exactly the length I tend to write! The Mars Run was never over 65,000 words, and the published version was around 45,000 (187 pages), while Pirates of Mars is sitting on my editor's desk at 77,000 words.
So, in order to meet Rule Number One of writing (Finish the Damn Manuscript!) I'm off to write what will end up being the final third of the book. Hopefully, when I get the middle third sorted out, that won't mandate a huge re-write of the ending.
