I’m all about novellas right now as I prepare to present a FREE, ONLINE workshop on September 12, 2026. If you’d like to join me, navigate to the St. Louis Writers Guild website and follow the links labeled “Join the SLWG online event.”
I’ve been sharing some novella reviews over the past few weeks, and today I have some material from the workshop for those of you who can’t attend.
When Did Novellas Lose Popularity?
Despite their popularity in the nineteenth century[1], the novella form became an “orphan” in the twentieth. Reasons given tend to blame the publishing industry: The stories were too short to successfully sell as books—perhaps they looked too small on the shelf to justify the price needed to cover production costs. But novellas were too long and too—maybe fiction-y (I’m just guessing here) for magazines and newspapers.
The twenty-first century brought more changes still to the industry, and things are looking up for novellas. What with contemporary readers’ inability to sit still and concentrate[2] and their habit of reading on cellphones and e-readers, consumers are looking for delicious tidbits of fiction.
At the same time, writers are willing to take risks and test boundaries, grabbing onto innovations such as the growth of small press and self-publishing, as well as the boundless opportunities e-books afforded writers aiming to get their quirky little tales out there.
One sure sign of love and respect is prizes![3] The Nebula and Hugo awards (among many others) have special categories for novella. Below are just a few of the recent literary prizes for novellas and their authors:
- Nobel Prize in 2022, Annie Ernaux. Memoir and fiction. (I Remain in Darkness, A Man’s Place)
- Booker Prize short list, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These
Recognition without sales is not much fun, and Reedsy has compiled a list of contemporary mainstream publishers currently taking novella submissions.
What is a Novella?
By novella, we are talking about books like Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Yellow Wallpaper, and A Christmas Carol. Famous, influential books that you have read at some point in your life. The first criterion usually cited is a word count of 17,500 to 40,000 (although there are no hard and fast rules).[4]
Other features[5] are more important for crafting a novella, but, again, no hard and fast rules:
- Concise central conflict
- Few characters
- Main character’s interior struggles are important
- Limited setting
- Fast pace
- Effective use of theme, message, symbols, and motifs
A Novella’s Central Conflict
The central conflict of a novella must be concise and sharp, homing in on a specific question. Few, if any, side plots will work in the novella format.
“[Side plots] must be related to, reflect on, and interact with the main plot.” —Cat Rambo (Wayward Wormhole Writing Retreat)
Characters in a Novella
Major character development is reserved for the main character (MC).[6] The story is a bit introspective, focusing on the main character’s mind and emotions. The novella deals primarily with what that character wants, why they want it, how will the get it, how will that success or failure change them, etc.
While there may be a few supporting characters, they are unlikely to have a story arc of their own. There just isn’t space in the format for much of that.
Multiple points-of-view are rare, although they are used. In my novella Wolfhearted, two protagonists’ arcs intertwine as they work toward a common goal.
Limited Setting
Ideally, the novella takes place over a single span of time (hours, days, months) in one place,[7] although a reader will find many exceptions to that rule.
Pace and Narrative Flow of a Novella
Despite the focus of MC interiority, a novella is fast paced, with few subplots and flashbacks. Sentences and paragraphs are short[8], moving the story along quickly with a sense of urgency. Yet, it’s not flash fiction; there is room for attention to perfect, telling details.
Novellas are sometimes known for their plot twist[9], but they are aways written with intent: All elements introduced have an important function to the narrative. The author must be able to justify every word included to themselves and the reader.
Experimental Writing
Experimental writing[10] often works out best in novellas. Word count encourages creative approaches to Big Questions and abstract concepts without wearing out the readers’ patience.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
Novellas must utilize every word, and even everything left unsaid.[11] Theme stands out in novellas, and insignificant objects and symbols will communicate the central concept.
Novellas aren’t simply novels cut short; they are a vibrant literary form, challenging for the writer and fulfilling for the modern reader. Maybe you’d like to rediscover the form today.
What do you like most about novellas? Least? Comment on the blog.
If you are interested in novellas you might like to read about my process for writing the novella Wolfhearted.
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Wolfhearted is also available as an Audible audiobook, here.
Last year, St. Louis Writers Guild published Weird STL, an anthology celebrating the strange, spooky, and just plain wonderful stories of our hometown. This volume of short stories, poems, a play, and essays includes a Sean Joye universe short story, “Big Magick.” Joseph Arwald, one of the baddies from The Big Cinch, tells us what really happened to the Ferris Wheel from the St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair.
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The direct links to post Amazon reviews are: Wolfhearted, here, The Resurrectionist, here, and Water of Life, here. The Big Cinch, here. The Talking Cure, here. Thanks in advance.
[1] Fulton, John (Aug 9, 2023) Nine Novellas for Our Current Age of Distraction. https://lithub.com/nine-novellas-for-our-current-age-of-distraction/. Accessed August 26, 2026.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Reedsy Editorial Team, Linnea Gradin (ed). (April 2, 2021). What is a Novella? Understanding the Form. Reedsy, https://reedsy.com. Accessed August 15, 2026.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Tom Bromley (Oct 15, 2025). How to Write a Novella: 7 Tips from an Expert. Reedsy, https://reedsy.com/blog/how-to-write-a-novella. Accessed August 15, 2026.
[8] IBID
[9] IBID
[10] IBID
[11] IBID