Turning a short story into a novella may be a daunting task. It helps that I began with a long short story of almost 7400 words. Today I’m in the 12,000s, having added 1K words with a new scene this morning to my progress over the past month-and-a-half.
This is the first new scene I’ve added. I gained the other words through edits and revisions, often cutting, but mostly gaining. Hopefully, the final verdict will be that I improved the story. Only time will tell.
As I work on this story, I gain insights into my full-length manuscript and stop to make notes in that binder. While each is a separate work, both are set in ancient days of swords, horse craft, certainly no modern conveniences, and with the element of witchcraft behind the story, prodding the characters to act and react.
The wonderful aspect of writing these now is the contemporary research that is unfolding about bygone eras. Last night I read an article about an archeological dig that revealed a precursor to the modern invention of today’s stainless steel. Its presence in this particular area, and no other, will make it possible for researchers to trace where, and possibly how, these swords and other tools were produced. You can read the article here.
In my full-length manuscript, I have a blacksmith create a special sword for one of the main characters. Stronger than the weapons used by others, it will give him an advantage over them. That archeological find is a true-life example that some groups did, indeed, create composite weapons that we previously knew nothing about.
Isn’t it great when fact catches up to fantasy?