Art by Fredrick Nolting Nick Mamatas inadvertently introduced me to the concept of cognitive commitments a couple of weeks ago thanks to twitter. It’s been something I haven’t been able to shake ever since. I’m paraphrasing mind you, but he explained how a lot of readers don’t gravitate towards short story collections versus novels because there are way too many cognitive commitments they have to make. Obviously, you’ll feel more confident committing your time and energy towards one book, one narrative as opposed to twelve. That’s a big ass cognitive commitment, but it helped put things in perspective for me.
I went through the same transition as a writer, which I think is interesting. Always focused on writing really short stories. Could barely even think about writing one longer than 1,000 words.
I'm also a big fan of novellas. They're the perfect length for most things. I'm experimenting with linking and overlapping novellas and even a sort of "choose your own adventure" structure, using a novella as the length of a choice.
I went through the same transition as a writer, which I think is interesting. Always focused on writing really short stories. Could barely even think about writing one longer than 1,000 words.
I'm also a big fan of novellas. They're the perfect length for most things. I'm experimenting with linking and overlapping novellas and even a sort of "choose your own adventure" structure, using a novella as the length of a choice.
I really love these!! I look forward to reading and listening to new (to me) songs! I finally feel like I’m in the know!! Thank you!