----- Original Message ----- From: <
Mbdlevin@aol.com> To: <
rara-avis@icomm.ca> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004
5:29 PM Subject: RARA-AVIS: Sallis: Converting story to
novel
> Jim Sallis writes:
>
> << Just today I sent my agent a new
manuscript, WILDERNESS: TWO NOVELS,
> comprising the novel-length version of my story
"Drive" from Dennis
> McMillan's anthology MEASURES OF POISON and another
short novel, OTHERS
OF
> MY KIND. >>
>
> We're not so much of a writers' forum here, but I'm
wondering if you could
> say a few things about converting "Drive" into a
novel, and/or more
generally
> about moving a story to a novel. Did you have a
novel in mind from the
start,
> and "Drive" was a test-drive version? Or did you
think the story deserved
> novel treatment once it was finished? Were there
special challenges in
handling
> the extension? I found the story-like structure of
(was it both?) "Moth"
and
> "Long-Legged Fly" rewarding in a number of ways. Did
you have the
storylines and
> then discover a way to interweave them? Was the
interweaving part of a
> design at the outset? (These are broader issues that
Bill Crider, James
Reasoner,
> and others might address as well. Most readers on
this list have probably
> encountered shorter-length versions of novels by
lots of authors discussed
here:
> C. Williams, MacDonald, etc.)
I don't think I've ever expanded a shorter work into a novel,
so I can't really address that. I've done some books with
interweaving storylines, including a novel that wound up
being based on outlines for three different books, because
the editor liked all of the plots and wanted to know if there
was any way I could combine them. I can generally keep stuff
like that pretty straight in my head, but occasionally,
especially with large-cast books, I've had to resort to
charts and diagrams to keep track of where everybody is and
what they're doing. I don't like doing that. I feel that if I
can't keep track of all that in my head, it's probably too
complicated.
James
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