Five top tips for adapting a short story into a novel

Former New Writers Awardee and recently published author Alessandra Thom shares her top tips for adapting a short story into a novel.

The step from writing short stories to novels can seem insurmountable. Writing a short story of a few thousand words is vastly different from a novel of tens or hundreds of thousands. If a short story is a drop of water, a novel is the loch it falls into. But if you can write a short story, you can write a novel. All the elements, though different, are there: building suspense, developing character, creating a compelling plot and a vibrant setting, utilising themes and motifs.

I wrote my first novel by taking a short story I’d already written and adapting it. Here are my five top tips to help you do the same.

Read, re-read, then read again

Read your short story from beginning to end, then read it again. If you can, print it out so you don’t fall into editing it. Go over it with a pen, or add comments on your computer, highlighting moments you think are intriguing. These could be moments where it’s evident you’re only seeing one side of a character, or moments where there is a plot door open that your characters don’t walk through, or simply moments that make you feel something.

You’ll learn what kind of novel you want to write by discovering what resonates with you, and what opportunities excite you.

To read the full article on scottishbooktrust.com, click here