You Don’t Have to Write a Novel to Tell a Story

When people find out I’m a writer, they often tell me, “I’ve got this great idea for a story. But I could never write a novel.”

My advice is always the same. You don’t have to write a novel to tell a story.

If the spark of a story that others may enjoy lives in you, I encourage you to write whatever is in your head or your heart. It may be stray thoughts, a nugget of an idea, or a feeling you want to capture. Write it down. Don’t worry about dotting “i”s, crossing “t”s, or where the comma goes. And don’t worry about writing events in order. There will be plenty of time for those adjustments later. If your story idea is nothing more than a snippet of meaningful dialogue or the possibilities of an evocative location, write it down. You may only have ten words or maybe one scene. Word count doesn’t matter. Many people today prefer to read shorter stories. You don’t have to write a novel to tell a story.

What happens after you’ve scribbled a few ideas on a brown paper bag, batted out a few scenes, or teared up at meaningful exchanges of dialogue? Passes. Every time you re-read what you’ve written, you will discover little ways to communicate better the meaning behind your story. These layers help readers experience your story rather than just read it. During one pass, you may show emotions that stirred in a character when something happened or describe the rich smell of coffee in another. And with each pass, each revision, each inclusion, your story will get better and better and better.

My first novel, May There Always Be Enough, A Saint Nicholas Story, evolved from a nugget of an idea. “Saint Nicholas did not live his entire life as he is remembered today, of balding head and white beard. He, too, was young once.” I started by writing one scene, and the rest, as they say, is history.