Is Your Story a Novel or a Short?

Café in Trento, Italy

When a writer has an idea for a story, one question is: How do I know if the story is a novel or a short? To answer this question, consider scope. For a novel, the landscape is broad and deep enough to sustain a longer work. The storyline has enough plot points, or main events. The main characters evolve or devolve sufficiently. For a novel, you need more words and time to accomplish these goals. Writers then ask: Can’t I do the same in a short story? Yes, but a short is like abstract art; all the elements of a great work are there, but you do more with less. One way to tell the category of your work is to write a plot treatment. If you find that each idea generates more, you likely have a novel. For the consummate short story writer, see the work of Nobel laureate Alice Munro.

For Writers of Dual Heritage: Explore the Experience of Returning

Readers with a dual heritage who know the pitfalls of returning to the place of one’s childhood and those who possess a love of eloquent story will find much of value in Alain Mabanckou’s The Lights of Pointe-Noire. A rich tapestry of past and present, Lights recounts Mabanckou’s return to his native Republic of the Congo where he visits the southeastern coastal town of his childhood.

See the full review at The Lights of Pointe-Noire: A Memoir. 

April Read of the Month: Review of “The Feathered Bone”

The Feathered Bone, by New York Times bestselling author Julie Cantrell, fuses poetic voice and unwavering honesty in a haunting tale of worst fears come true, best intentions gone horribly wrong, and a freedom that brings hope beyond this life.

Set in New Orleans and rural Louisiana in the years involving the region’s most devastating storm, The Feathered Bone, Cantrell’s third novel, hurls its own tempests into the lives of its characters …

For the full review, see April Read of the Month: The Feathered Bone.