There’s this thing called muddle in the middle. This often strikes authors about halfway through a book where they start meandering through the story instead of marching in a straight line. Then the question arises about where is the middle?

An average novel ranged from 70,000 words to 100,000 words. They say the top end is 140,000 words with the low end being 40,000, but staying within the “average” framework makes it more marketable. Sci-fi tends to be on the longer end and romance tends to be shorter side, but that’s a broad generalization that isn’t always true, either.

I started on my next novel fully intending for it to be full length. Disclaimer: when I hit the muddle in the middle, I tend to throw my hands up and think maybe I should be writing a novella instead of a novel. Then I pick myself up and finish the darn book. To date, I’ve only written one novella (and more than 30 full-length novels). The rule of thumb on novellas is 10,000 to 40,000 words. Short stories are 5,000 to 10,000 words. I haven’t mastered the short story - there’s always more I want to say.

I’m about 17,000 words into the new book when I stopped to consider one of my characters really doesn’t belong (he’s a background character, so no biggie). Then I considered how I’m laying the story out, and potentially it only covers a couple of days. Does this book qualify for novella status? With the limited number of characters and the short time frame, I’m voting yes. In fact, the story fits all the criteria usually reserved for novellas, so I’ve redirected my focus - for real this time.

Another consideration is your readership. There are times I want just a “quick read,” just like there are days I want to settle in with a good book and check out from the world for a day. Do you like shorter books? Novellas? Or like me, is it mood of the day?