Expanding Short Stories

         Often a short story will prompt a novel, either because readers want more or because the author sees the possibility of expanding the story to a novel.
         When I wrote my long short story, The Midnight Hours, I wasn't the only one who saw the possibility of extending the story.

To Expand or Not to Expand

         A good story of any kind leaves the reader wanting to know more. However, does a reader wanting to know more mean a novel should be attempted? Not always.

         In order to decide on whether to take a short story and develop it into a book, we have to consider a few points.

The plot: Is the plot of the story able to be expanded without becoming boring and tired? Even with a few sub-plots thrown in, the main plot must be able to carry the reader's interest from beginning to end.

Characters: The characters in the story must be interesting enough and strong enough to last for many chapters, rather than one short story. Also, a short story has few characters. Can more characters be added to the story when it's expanded without weakening the plot?

Purpose of writing: The purpose of a short story and the purpose of a novel are different. The idea of a short story is to present the work in a concise and precise method with all the needed components: plot, characters, setting, dialogue, all cohesively and clearly, understandably. The purpose of a novel is to develop and present a plot and sub-plots in such a way as to keep the action and "story" going for more pages, with the reader still interested. To lengthen a short story to book, a writer must change the purpose of the work and keep the integrity of the writing.

         Can short stories be expanded to novels successfully? Yes, but it take more than adding words. The author must keep the plot intact and the writing interesting.

         My mystery/suspense novel Midnight Hours is scheduled for release the last of June. That story worked to expand into a book.

Works from Writing.Com

Winning entries from the March Short Shots: Official Contest

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By the Fireside  [13+] A startling revelation leads Eddie to wonder about his best friend. by Split Infinitive

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Gone, Fishing  [18+] Out on the pier. by grim

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Family Tradition  [13+] 3rd Place 3/08 Short Shots: Official Contest by Coolhand

Winning stories from "Invalid Item" 

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Invalid Item  [] by A Guest Visitor

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Corn Dollies  [13+] A young girl tries to come to terms with her friend's illness. by Acme

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Their Violent Oath  [13+] Soldier torn between conscientious objection/call to duty. by Secret Santa

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BREAD  [13+] A World War II Orphan returns to her Jewish roots by Joy

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Deep Peace  [E] Story written for the snapshots contest. Five men are fishing on a dock. by Bill Lockhart

Words from Our Readers

StephB
         Great tips, Vivian. So much goes into the art of the short story. One aspect of editing I need to keep sharp on is my mechanics - like you say, Word doesn't catch it all. I usually do an edit specifically for that - and I still miss a few. It's nice if a second set of eyes can help out. Two thumbs up.

         Right now I'm going through a manuscript with the book designer, about the 100th edit, and still finding things to fix.


IGWOOTEN
         Great tips for the short story writer. I especially liked No.1 and No.9. A writers mind never stops working for inspiration. It can be found in a simple setting with a simple phrase. But most of all an author must enjoy what he/she is doing. If it becomes drudgery or just another job then it's time to step back and ask the question "Is this what I really want to do?"
         Keep up the good work!
                              Sincerely,
                              IGW


         You are so correct that authors must enjoy what they are doing. However, parts of writing is a job: revising, proofreading, editing, revising time after time. But that final product, that "baby" is worth all the pain.

Thank you for joining me again this month. Next month I hope to share the results of a major contest I entered.

Vivian ╰☆╮