How to Write a Novella: 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid
The process of writing my first novella wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked it to be. Let’s talk about it, so I can help you avoid the mistakes I made when writing that first short story.
If you’re considering writing a novella for your series, especially as a bridge between books, I’m hoping you can learn from my mistakes.
Can’t Let Go was the third book I wrote for publication (I wrote several books in my journey to publication but that is another story), but it was the second book released. Unlike A Crane Family Christmas, this book was challenging, confusing, difficult, and completely heartbreaking.
It’s the story that wasn’t told in either Tempting the Billionaire or Hard to Handle.
See, when I wrote Shane and Crickitt’s story in Tempting, I wove Aiden and Sadie very intimately into the book. Readers find out what’s happening between them in the background but never truly are able to experience it since Aiden and Sadie do not have their own points of view in Tempting.
My editor had an idea for me, and it arrived at the eleventh hour. Meaning: Tempting the Billionaire (book 1) was released and Hard to Handle was completely done and ready to be published. She wanted a prequel in the form of a novella to release before Hard to Handle hit shelves. Can’t Let Go would be an e-only behind the scenes gem about all the stuff that Aiden and Sadie went through… and she wanted a cliffhanger at the end.
That kind of emotional pivot requires precision, especially in romance where the black moment carries enormous weight and cliffhangers aren’t always welcome. Nevertheless, I was excited to try something new.
Mostly because I had no idea how hard it was going to be. 😬
What I didn’t anticipate was the mental drain of weaving timelines together, a specific kind of creative fatigue I’ve talked about in my piece on writer burnout.
Anyway, once I sat down to write Aiden and Sadie’s happy-to-sad tale, I realized I needed a timeline since some of their scenes would overlap the first book they appeared in.
Which brings me to my newbie warnings:
Mistake #1: Don’t paint yourself into a corner
In my attempt give readers a taste of the hero and heroine they’d meet in book two, I wrote Aiden and Sadie heavily into book 1. Which also meant that I had blocked myself in by being too specific and detailed with timeline.
When I laid out the timeline on a spreadsheet, I had a virtual labyrinth to navigate through! I had to ensure that Aiden wouldn’t be at lunch with Shane in Tempting while also on a date with Sadie in Can’t Let Go.
Mistake #2: I didn't write it first
It never occurred to me to write a novella for my series before I sold these books to a publisher. I didn’t even know this was a thing that publishers did. In my defense, my editor didn't have this idea until it was too late to go back and change anything from the first or the second book.
Novellas are meant to be teasers to give readers a peek at either a new series or world, or a look at what’s coming in the following full-length book about those same characters. In my case, Can’t Let Go was about going deeper into characters I had introduced already. It was kind of like a big ole prologue to its follow-up Hard to Handle.
If you’re indie publishing, this is actually a strategic opportunity. A well-placed novella can build anticipation and deepen reader loyalty between releases.
Mistake #3: Don’t worry about word length
A story should be as long as it needs to be, no more no less. Until contracts and deadlines enter the chat.
Publishers have to consider marketplace, the other authors on their list writing similar length books, and if they create physical copies: print length. If you’re unpublished and have the freedom, don’t constrain yourself too much. Depending on what internet guru you consult, a novella “should be” between 17,500 and 39,999 words. Less than that is a “novelette” and more than that, well my friends, you have a full-blown novel.
In the case of Can’t Let Go, I wonder if I would have made it a touch longer if I’d had the time/space to do so. It’s tricky because you don’t want to rob the reader of a full-length romance. You want to gift them a little aperitif before they indulge in the meal.
The takeaway…
Write from your heart and your soul and you can’t make a mistake. Not really. Can’t Let Go ended up becoming a small story that has a very big place in my heart. I loved going deeper about two of my favorite characters.
At the end of the day, I want to have a backlist of stories and characters that my readers love to return to again and again. Go out there and do the same for your loyal readers. You won’t regret it.
xo, Jessica
PS, Series planning and strong endings go hand in hand. The last pages of each book shape reader loyalty, which is why I wrote about finishing your novel strong.