Size Matters
I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who looks at a book for how thick it is, and if it's too big (especially with teeny print), I'll probably put it back. At the same time, I haven't read many short stories or anthologies either, and I never thought about writing novellas or shorts until recently. My first anthology story comes out this July, a Blaze anthology story titled No Reservations, and I just recently discovered Spice Briefs, which are short shorts offered in e-format only at e-Harlequin (see Megan's cover for a Brief on the sidebar). I love these little reads, usually 50 pages or less(and only .89!+tx). So I decided to try to write one. Just goes to show, never say never. I'm finding I like reading and writing short, a lot, though reading a short form is much easier than writing one, that's for sure.
I'm very sure that I'll never write long erotica, but it's been fun trying to write a short. It was the first time in several years that I had that "OMG, can I let someone read this?" feeling while writing the love scenes, but it's the writing challenge that really has me hooked. I love being able to just revise and polish these 40 pages, trying to get them as perfect as I can, without having to worry about 260 other pages to go. It has to be so tight, so intense because of the length, that you really have to focus.
I *loved* writing my novella for Blaze. That was bliss for me as a writer. Almost zero writing stress, pure fun. I think 100 pages is probably my "optimum length" -- I felt like I had enough space to write a really good story with all the relevant parts, but it didn't get stretched out, long-winded. I would write anthologies constantly if it were possible to make a living at it.
On the other hand, I find it absolutely stifling to think of writing 400+ which has been difficult as I try to find my place among mainstream writing -- do all mainstream books have to be that long? No, of course not. Many mysteries are no longer than 200-250 pages, if that. I also don't like to read long, long books -- as the Harry Potter books got to the point where you needed two hands to lift them off the table, I lost interest. Mike has read some thrillers, one Neal Stephenson book that went 1000+ pages, and while he said it was a fantastic book, I just can't commit to reading anything that long.
Part of it is time. It takes me sometimes a week or more to get through a 400+ page book if I am only reading at night or on the weekend. Part of it is the feeling that many of these books are just longer than they need to be -- seems to me many books I read even in the 100K range could easily have been edited to 75K and the story would have been better -- there are often the points where I feel things are "dragged out." I wonder if pubs think they have to convince readers that they are getting their money's worth by weight rather than content. One of my favorite writers, Charlaine Harris, has written wonderful short books -- her Lily Bart series is fantastic, most books hovering around 200 pages or less. And I think when she writes longer than that, she's not as effective, IMO.
I love writing that is focused and easy to get through, and I was probably one of the few people overjoyed when Harlequin cut their word counts last year. So, how about you? Do you enjoy long, short, or both as a reader and/or writer? I'm not sure there's much you could do to convince me to read anything longer than 300-350 print pages, but feel free to give it a try...
Sam
It is all about variety!
As a reader, I like having a variety of lengths of books, as well as the variation in density!! I don't usually care for anthologies, though. I love the Harlequins for their short, sweet, light reads, but I usually intersperse those with thicker, more in depth novels. Maybe I'm just not satisfied with one style/type? LOL! I've never written more than poems or short stories and that was when I was in school, so I don't know how I'd do trying to write a longer one. I had an instructor critique my stories saying "Obviously, you think your work is better than it really is." So, I wasn't exactly motivated to continue trying. Now, Hubby on the other hand, has a writer inside him waiting to get out. And when he starts writing, he doesn't stop! For him, the longer the better. :-)
I haven't read the latest Neil Stephenson, but I loved Snow Crash. I think it was only 500 pages or so, though. :-)
Happy Wednesday!
Cathy
Hey Cathy
You just reminded me that my love of short forms is probably because my focus as an undergrad was in poetry -- I have volumes of the stuff, some published, and I studied it and wrote it, and never cared for fiction as much back then, though I did write one short story that got some attention from my creative writing profs. Later, my teaching focus became essay and technical writing. Essays are nonfiction short form, of course, and technical writing can be long, but it's normally chunked and made into smaller parts, things represented visually, etc -- and my editing work supported that, I edited for magazines, a long article, a feature, usually no more than 4000 words.
I never imagined writing long fiction, and in all honesty, we'll see what happens. My agent tells me when you find the right ideas and characters, the pages will add up like crazy, but I think my writing overall has always been more focused on shorter forms. When you think about it, it's kind of interesting that I ended up writing for Blaze, which was a long contemp line when I started, and not something like Romance or Desire.
And of course, the second line I've targeted is Supers, also longer, even with the word cuts. Now that I think about that, I have to wonder why. But if those proposals get rejected, I think I may spend much more time focusing on shorter formats...
Sam
Go with what works for you!
Isn't it interesting how our tastes change? And sometimes come back again?
I think it is great that some people write short stories, others write tomes. It makes things interesting. What fun would it be if everyone wrote the same thing? Or everyone liked the same thing? Boooooring! :-)
I tend to prefer shorter but...
I like them all. I do have to say that I tend to alternate most frequently between the single-title length and the Blaze-length. I've read a few very long books and while I enjoyed them, in general it's too much of a commitment (still haven't read any Gabaldon). What I love about the shorter books and stories is their compactness--with so much going on in a day, they're much easier to fit in the spaces :) The longer books just take that much longer to finish, so I tend to prefer to save them for when I have more time to devote to them.
Uh, so I don't think I'm here to do any convincing, Sam ;) Sorry! But keep on writing! :)
LOL Fedora
My SIL is reading Gabaldon, and all I can do is eye that huge book warily...
A book has to have something *really* compelling to keep my attention for that long... Some have done it, but not often..
Sam
Oh, he is complelling!
I have to admit....Jaime is extremely compelling. I was loaned the book by a friend, who told me "Don't start this until you can neglect your home and family for 3 days." She was right!! I'm a bit afraid to start the second one...
Oh yes...Jamie is certainly
Oh yes...Jamie is certainly compelling. Outlander is the sole reason I now take a second look at tall, red-haired men. Her first book was the best of the series, IMO, but I've read them all. Twice. Okay, more than twice.
Does Size Matter?
I think it all depends on the book. Personally, I've found a great security in reading a book I love and knowing that there is still soooo much more to go. It's like having a giant pan full of excellent lasagne. I also love short tight reads. I write tight, so sometimes length is a problem for me, but I prefer to write longer than shorter.
Boy do I hear you about long books with padding. I hate it when I'm going, "All right, I get it--stop explaining and describing. Again..." That will make me put a book down quicker than anything.
Cathy--I can't believe your writing instructor said something so darned mean. Heavens to Betsy...some people!
Mmmm... Lasagna.
Books? were we talking about books? I would rather have the big pan of pasta! LOL
Food always rules. I can't think of many books I would compare to a giant pan of lasagna...
Yes, there's that padding, too much subplot, and also endless endings... the book ends... but then it just keeps going.... Or multiple stories in one book. I can do that sometimes, but generally I prefer something very focused on one or two main characters...
Ditto on Cathy's writing instructor -- anyone who says something like that shouldn't be teaching writing, IMO.
Sam
I agree!
He may have been correct, but instructors should be there to offer *constructive* criticism, right? I've never had a huge desire to be a writer, but I will admit that comment has stuck with me!
Cathy
I taught writing for many years, and this kind of comment is absolutely out of bounds. I was never an easy teacher *G* -- because writing isn't easy, and I made them work for it, but the idea was to make them love it, or at least to gain some confidence in it, not to tear people down.
I did have some professors as an undergrad who were snots, but I guess maybe those are the people you ignore, not listen to...
Sam
What a terrible instructor!
Sorry you had such a wretched teacher--THAT's not how you teach writing!! Grrr...
Must be reading your mind today...
Sam,
I just posted (and I mean just) on the Harlequin Writing for Blaze board that it's so easy for me to stack up the pages that I always need to be mindful of sticking to word count. Lucky you to be able to condense easily...it reminds me of when I was in college, and I would write a 10 page paper on the same subject as my best friend who could convey similar ideas in 3. And we'd end up with the same grade!
I guess it's good that we're all different...and I, too, have been eyeing those Spice briefs. (Ooh, there's a naughty sentence!) I think they'd be a great writing challenge for me, but I suppose I need to read one first. Gotta love the price!
Cari
read 10!
Hey at a buck a piece, not even, you can read 10 for less than the price of one trade paperback...
:)
And yes, windy here -- miserable. Sitting inside, the sun outside looks fine, but when I took the dogs out, that cold wind would sheer right through... happy to be back inside...
S
Size Does Matter
Sam, I remember you telling me awhile back that you really enjoyed the Spice briefs, but I still haven't managed to read one. It sure is a great price, and it would be nice to have a quick read for those occasional downtimes! I actually really love thick books...guess I'm like Jeannie in that I love knowing there's still more! I think the last sizeable book I read was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It took me a week or so to finish it, but I loved knowing it was there, waiting for me. Made all the other things, like doing dishes and laundry, etc., worthwhile when I knew my reward was to sit down and devour another chapter or two. For myself...I tend to write longer. Looking at my past posts, I guess that's no surprise, LOL!
I do like a larger book...
for a trip, particularly if I'm flying. I can't read in the car, motion sickness, but reading in a plane is a great way to keep my mind occupied while I'm in transit, so I'm not thinking too much about where I am... Also, if you bring a larger book on a trip, you don't have to pack as many, but still, now with being able to download ebooks into my PDA, that isn't so much an issue.
I get that same feeling of loving a book and not wanting it to end, but I love it more if it ends well, rather than the feeling of being dragged out forever. I think that's why I like single character series, Harris and Briggs in particular, because you get that sense of a long story over time, but in smaller chunks...
Sam
Size isn't everything....but
Just had to say, I loved "The Historian". Read it two years ago while on vacation in Aruba and even in the bright sunshine I kept looking over my shoulder!
I can be a bit of a size snob. I think part of it is because I read super-duper fast and I have to admit I adore secondary characters. So when I heard Harry 7 wasn't quite the longest, I have to admit the eensiest bit of disappointment. There have been times I've put books back because they haven't been big enough for me.
Though now that I'm writing (and what a bad surprise it was that I can't write as fast as I read) the shorter word count is very appealing. Which is why I'm now reading Presents again, Blaze and American Romance for the first time in addition to the Supers and single titles.
-Tasha
Long and short
I think as a consumer the first thought is that I'm getting less for my money. I do understand that a longer book doesn't necessary make a greater read than a short one. It's all about how the story is written. Short and sweet is better than long and drawn out.
Depends on the Story
Hail to the Redskins!
I've read Gone with the Wind and all of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and both kept me riveted. I had to force myself to finish Little Women.
Faith (my dd) read Harry Potter 7 in 12 hrs and it took her all summer to read Lord of the Flies (150pp).
I've devoured your Blazes Sam, other authors who write series, I've had a hard time finishing. (older Harlequins). Depends on the story.
I don't think Size matters in this case, its the story. Reading The Divide by Nicholas Evans and its a good sized book. So far, its pretty good. The smaller book I finished earlier this month was a chore to get through.
I'm the opposite as far as
I'm the opposite as far as my reading habits. The thicker the book, the better. I think it's because once I'm in a world, I want to stay there, and I don't want it to end. Which is why I love series books -- and movies, for that matter.
Writing? I really would prefer to be able to write short. But for some reason, my ideas and stories end up being huge. My goal when I start a single title is 85K...and I always end up over 100.
I TRY to write short. I do! It just never ends up that way. ;)
Hey Larissa
Good to see you. :) I wonder what it is in our brains that dictates long or short, writing wise... I wish I was one of those people who could pop out 400 pages that easily, so I'm jealous. :)
Sam
It's Not So Much The Size...
as it is that I'm cheap. So, the size of the book has to be relative to the price, because my shopping dollar really comes first. I'm not spending 9 bucks on a 100 page book because I can read that in thirty minutes. But if it's a book I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for, I'll go that extra dollar. I love all sizes of books, but I love anthologies because you get some variety per book. A better chance to like the story you just bought. And I like a bigger book because the fantasy lasts longer.
That's probably not helpful at all, lol.
Dee
I reealllly love writing
I reealllly love writing short!
And long.
Haha!
M
Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com
I get sooo bored...
...with books any longer than about 300 pages. In fact, Supers are usually my limit. I think I'm this way because I read so many 250pg (or so) Harlequins and I've inadvertently programmed by brain to like that length. It doesn't seem to matter if the book is good or not either--come page 250, I start to get impatient and, honestly, I start to skim over or even skip parts altogether. How horrible is that.
Now, shorter stories like Spice Briefs...those I can handle. And ironically, I usually end up wanting more when I get to the end of them. LOL!!
Sassa
That's exactly how I am -- even with a good book, around 250-300 pages I'm looking for the end... And agreed on the short story end, too, but I think I'd almost prefer being left wanting a little more... something to look forward to in a different way, which is why I like the longer series, like Harris, etc but with shorter books... Not much shorter, but shorter than many tomes...
ah well. :) Glad to see I'm not alone. :)
And as for getting your money's worth, from the writing side of things, I can honestly say I've read long books that it seemed the writer barely paid attention, and just slapped stuff down on the page, and I *know* in shorter works, especially finely crafted ones, authors worked their patooties off to make it perfect... so, if what you feel you're paying for is paper, then buy larger books *G* -- but if what you want is talent and a good story, a shorter book can provide that in spades (and I know a long book can, too -- but I think it's a problem that people assume someone worked harder on a longer book, so therefore they are getting more of that person's talent, know what I mean?)
I'm actually reading a longer book right now, a Spice by Sarah McCarty, and I love her, but I read her shorter stuff first, and liked it enough that I'm wanting to read her longer work, because I know she's good... However, I bought it in ebook which makes the pages somewhat "invisible" -- when someone told me the print version is over 400 pages, I almost backed out, but for a story by Sarah, I will soldier on, and so far it's wonderful.
Sam