I finished my 16k word novella in 2024. I sent it to a bunch of agents who had no interest, and I didn’t know if it was about the length of the story, or about the story itself. I’ve been wanting to write a novel since I was five years old, and one day I thought — OH. Of COURSE. If I expand the 16k novella into 80k words, I’ll have written a novel. And, more, I’ll be able to send it to agents and hopefully convince one to represent me. If they still have no interest, at least I’ll know it’s about the story and not the length.
But, more importantly, I love this story. I love the world, the characters, and two years after finishing it I can see that I neglected the main theme in favour of the plot. Adding 64k words will give me plenty of room to explore the theme, while fleshing out characters, creating subplots, and expanding the world of the story.
I decided to do this in 2025. In a year I added about 3k. I mean, I’m a slow writer, but I’m not THAT slow. (At that rate I’d finish the novel in the year 2047). Every day I’d wake up, look at the very overwhelming number of words I had to add, and say, “Tomorrow FOR SURE I’ll work on it.” And then almost never did. So I’ve started a new project. Every single day I’m posting my progress, deadlines, and goals on Bluesky. So far I love it. There is something magical for me about knowing that at least one other person knows I’m supposed to get the current chapter finished by May 31.
Here’s Day 3:
DAY 3 OF NOVEL: I start writing 1st person chapter.
The scope of my novel is from 1963 to 2026, and the new chapter takes place in 1963, referring to a fictional and pivotal Boston Globe article. In the novel we hear from this 1st person POV (very bad) character Brian in the 1970s, so the challenge is convey the horribleness coming up without matching how awful he is ten years later. It’s also an opportunity to flesh out the Dorothy character, who plays a big enough role that a lot of what I’m adding to the whole of the novel has got to be about her. (In the 16k version it worked to leave more mystery surrounding Dorothy.)
Written as of 8 AM today: 71 words (yeah, I’m a slow writer)
Sound like something that might work for you? If you like social media, start posting a daily record there. If you’d prefer to send an email every day to a friend, go in that direction. Or it might work best to keep a daily record in a notebook only you see. Whatever gets you writing, do THAT thing.
Anglerfish image by Muhammad Nur Auliady on The Noun Project.
sewing scary anglerfish
| It took a month, but I finally cut into the anglerfish fabric I designed and had printed at Art Fabrics (Canadian alternative to Spoonflower). This is the right side of the eventual shirt, the rest of the shirt will be water. Just waiting now for the cheaper fabric that will make up the back of the shirt to arrive from Les Tisses, a Quebec fabric shop. |
Workshops
| Setting As Character |
| The setting you choose for your story can change EVERYTHING. Regardless of the story, one set on the roof of a highrise in New York City will be completely separate from a story set inside a circus tent, or a working farm, or a cave. And once you know that, it gets even more exciting — the setting can be another character. Malevolent, beneficent, or both, the story can only grow richer with a setting that works as another personality. What would the Amityville Horror be without that the house with windows for eyes? Sure, the tiger in The Life of Pi is scary, but it’s the lifeboat that really makes that novel. Little Fires Everywhere was as much about the two families as it was about the neighbourhood they resided in. Find out the ways giving your setting depth and personality can enrich every story you write. |