There are countless ways to tell a story and writing it down is just one of them. The writing medium can also be divided into various formats including poetry, novels, lyrics, novellas, short stories, and scripts. Finding the right fit isn't always straightforward, whether that's because you are still figuring out how best to make your story shine or because your story could be told effectively in multiple styles. Everyone's journey is different, but this is my experience determining how best to tell the tales of Alison, Winnifred, and Diana.
When the idea of Alison's story first popped into my head the night after writing an exam in university, I knew telling it would require more 'space' than poetry or lyrics could provide (it is also no secret that poetry is not a strong suit of mine - lyrics, however, always came a little easier because I felt less guilty about my desire to rhyme everything). After developing characters and starting to build the world they inhabited, it became apparent that a short story wouldn't suit my narrative either. Finally sitting down to write, it seemed that a novella would be the category my story was destined to fill.
My first draft was indeed novella length. It was also trash. As were the countless drafts that followed. Although I will delve into this in more detail at another time, I considered myself a failure for a few years following the abysmal quality of my work. In 2020, I pulled up my socks and started my story over from scratch. This time around, my story was still novella-sized, but when I resumed editing earlier this year, it just crossed over into novel territory. As it stands, my novel is just over 50,000 words.
For me, determining the style my story would take came about from simply sitting down and writing. I found the pace and length that allowed me to do the characters justice as I brought them to life. This method may not work for everyone, but taking the 'just write it down' approach is seldom a bad way to feel things out.
As you will hopefully read someday, Alison's story is only part of the bigger picture. Over the years, I have widened the story, allowing it to follow two other characters, Winnifred and Diana. At various points in my creative journey, I contemplated three options:
Three stories across three novels
Three stories in three parts in one novel
Three stories intermingled with each other in one novel
I pondered on this matter for some time, finally resting (for now), on Option 1. The three protagonists have separate stories that benefit from shining in their own spotlights, something that Option 1 does a better job of than Option 2. They also have comparative layouts, which could have made for a repetitive narrative if I had gone for Option 3.
In the case of my current works in progress, their formats found me after I found my story. For some, the format comes before the content, something that feels so alien to me, but that is in no way me judging!
What typically happens for you first: format or content?
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