Is This All About Length?

It has been a thing to strive to stick to pattern. In the science world, scientists strive to do things in line with pre-existing knowledge. Whatever effort must solidly be in agreement with what is. Social science field operates with little or no change. It is more of putting new developments into fixed way of doing things. In art, we cannot rule similar understanding out. Yet, I feel it is like putting creativity into bondage.

Truly, structures are structures and schools of thought are schools of thought. For me, though, when it comes to the length of literary prose works, the writer needs to operate in freedom like the poets enjoy poetic licence. To call a spade a spade, I am not comfortable with judging literary prose works just by their length. How can a young writer be intimidated with length? Why should such be told 40,000 is like it, 50,000 is minimum, 80,000 to 100,000 word length is the best. Is that the main thing about stories? Does our sizes affect who we are as humans?

Well, they state that less than that length is not a novel. It could either be a novella, novelette or short story. The name is not really the problem, but the understanding that such works are substandard. I understand that traditional publishers will not go for such. There is also the opinion that readers will not go for it. I wonder if a writer writes just to gain the publisher's attention whether the work will really be truly what it ought to be. Then, looking at readers, humans have not be known to be same in taste or interest. I disagree with the assumption that readers do not go for shorter works. Who carried out the survey and where are the findings recorded? I strongly believe that in these age many are struggling to read due to numerous distractions, they would prefer shorter than longer works. Besides, shorter works well written will serve as a booster of interest. Winning back many to reading again will not be achieved by intimidating them with lengthy pieces.

Lengthy works are good and have been useful in the past, but it is a terminological inexactitude to claim that shorter works are substandard. Stories tell themselves. Manipulating stories to meet a certain length is a disease to creativity. Let novels be, but also let other shorter works be. There should not be pride in creativity. Novels are not better than novella, novelette or short stories. They are all fictive pieces which should all be given the space to thrive. Every writer should mind their creative skills: short work experts doing their thing and long works stars doing their thing too. We are even in the days of self-publishing. Let us utilise that as writers in filling the world with literary pieces that will meet all sorts of tastes.