novellas
Between story, novel
Novellas are works of fiction longer than short stories but shorter than novels—typically 17,000 to 40,000 words.
The length allows more complexity than a short story while maintaining tighter focus than a novel.
Many celebrated works occupy this middle ground: *The Old Man and the Sea*, *Heart of Darkness*, *Of Mice and Men*.
The singular is novella.
Account of events
- proseUnversified language
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- vignetteBrief evocative description
sketch · chapbook · serialization · slim · concise · compact · condensed · brief
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- settingContext of events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- conflictOpposition between parties
resolution · twist · foreshadowing · backstory · arc · dialogue · narrator · tension
Of written works
- epistolaryPertaining to letter-writing
- picaresqueRascally adventure narrative style
- bildungsromanFiction of psychological maturation
- gothicDark, mysterious aesthetic
romance · mystery · allegory · fable · parable · psychological · historical · speculative
Describing distinctive qualities
- imageryVivid descriptive language
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- toneQuality of sound
style · prose style · economy · compression · precision · restraint · suggestiveness
narrative
Account of events
- proseUnversified language
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- taleSpoken or written narrative
vignette · sketch · chapbook · serialization · slim · concise · compact · condensed · brief · digestible
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- settingContext of events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
conflict · resolution · twist · foreshadowing · backstory · arc · dialogue · narrator · tension · pace
literary
Of written works
- epistolaryPertaining to letter-writing
- picaresqueRascally adventure narrative style
- bildungsromanFiction of psychological maturation
gothic · romance · mystery · allegory · fable · parable · psychological · historical · speculative · satirical
characterization
Describing distinctive qualities
- imageryVivid descriptive language
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
tone · style · prose style · economy · compression · precision · restraint · suggestiveness
- American proseessays, biographies, autobiographies, creative nonfiction, personal essays
- Hebrew LiteratureHebrew texts, poets, playwrights, Hebrew language, literary journals
- bookstextbooks, study guides, book, paperback, hardcover
- children's booksfairy tales, nursery rhymes, picture books, bedtime stories, Harry Potter
- creative worksbooks, autobiography, memoir, novels, diary
- fictionfiction, novels, short story, fairy tales, fables
novellasepics
Long heroic narratives
sagas · tomes · short stories · flash fiction · trilogies
- classic novellaEsteemed mid-length fiction