—C. S. Lewis
My sentiments as well, only substitute coffee for tea.
Lewis and I aren’t alone. Whole herds of bookstore browsing readers are attracted to the width of a book’s spine, the larger the better. Apparently there’s still a place in this skinny-obsessed world for plus-size books.
As a writer, I prefer writing long fiction. I tend to think in stories 120,000 words long (approximately 480 pages) in a time when publishers are wanting books of 90,000 words. My American Family Portrait Series comprises nine hefty volumes, or 1,230,600 words. My Songs in the Night trilogy totals 334,500 words, or approximately 1,340 pages. Like I said, I like long stories.
1. Long fiction is different than short fiction. Deep stuff, huh? But the difference is worth noting. The same disparity holds true for runners. Sprinters are built differently than marathon runners; they think and train differently. Even so, short story writers and epic novelists are dissimilar storytellers.
The difference is pace. Short fiction is a breathless dash, while long fiction—though it has its breathless moments—develops over time with leisurely scenes of intimacy and reflection. This varied pace is not an excuse for bloated detail or meandering storylines. Clean, crisp writing is just as critical in long fiction as short fiction. What attracts readers to long fiction is the accumulative rise and fall of the narrative; like a panoramic landscape, it is powerful and majestic.
2. Not all writers can write long fiction. It takes a special talent. I learned this while reading James Michener’s autobiography. Michener is probably the quintessential long fiction writer. He pointed out that long fiction writers have certain intellectual equipment. They must be able to see the entire novel, to remember what every character said and did - and why they said and did it - over hundreds of thousands of words and months or years of writing. I had to know what my first character said in the first book on the first page when I wrote the last word on the last page of the ninth volume fifteen years later.
The map doesn't have to be chronological. For Michener, the map resembled a quilt, its characters and storylines linked by geography. He said, "I would break my narrative into splendid panels, leaving it to the reader to bind the whole together."
You can find out more about Jack's books on his website at http://www.jackcavanaugh.com/
or his blog at http://www.jcwordforge.com/
You will not be disappointed by the stories he creates. Brilliant, masterful, and definitely on the 'plus size' :-)
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