When A Story Isn't Short

by Red
(Canada)

Hi Pearl!

Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on putting such a fantastic web resource together. I wrote for a free press in high school and I completed my first novel shortly after graduation, but my experience barely scratches the surface of what you have to offer here, plus, it's easy to understand. Thank you!

Anyway, I have a quick question about some side-writings I've done. They're definitely not novels, but they're nothing like what you describe as short stories either. They are significantly longer and break just about every rule you mentioned.

Generally they end up being somewhere around 20 pages long (12, single spaced in Microsoft Word) and feature one or two "sub-climaxes" before reaching the final climax. Is there a specific name for stories like this?

Also, most of them fall within the same universe as my novel, but use their own characters to keep development and personal transcendence fresh. Is there a specific classification for "branching" stories like that? Thanks for your time Pearl, I really appreciate it.

Cheers!

~Red

ANSWER

Hello Red. Thanks for your kind comments. I'm always happy to hear that people find the site helpful! Any "rules" I've written should be considered more as guidelines than rules. If editors like your work, it doesn't matter how many rules you've broken. If they don't, that's when guidelines may help.

What you're describing as sub-climaxes may be complications in the story plot, and that would be highly desirable. I don't know of any special name for stories that branch off a novel, but I like the idea!