We talk a lot about novel writing on this blog, and for good reason! According to the New York Times, 81% of people want to write a novel (and far fewer succeed, which is why we have The Write Gym). But I sometimes worry that I pay too much attention to novels. They’re definitely not the only valid writing medium! If all you do is write novels, you’re potentially setting yourself up for boredom or burnout. Even the most prolific authors write bonus epilogues or short stories that tie in with their epic series, don’t they?
Whether you’re between book-length WIPs, you’re hungry for a fun change of pace, or you want to bring in more immediate income between releases, you have no shortage of alternative fiction mediums to try! This blog post will serve as a very brief overview of twelve-plus options.
Flash Fiction & Short Stories
One of my favorite things to do as a young writer was seek out calls for submissions, particularly those for flash fiction. Flash taught me that finishing stories is even more satisfying than starting them. And then there are short stories, which are meatier. They’re great for exploring a new-to-you genre.
Looking for inspiration? Check out our writing prompts from National Short Story Month 2024! Then, when you’re ready, consider submitting to our sister lit mag, Black Fox Literary Magazine.
Novellas & Novelettes
As their names imply, novellas and novelettes (the shorter of the two) are shorter than novels and longer than short stories. There is debate as to the exact word counts of each, but it’s safe to say that their complexity correlates with the piece’s length. If you write succinctly and like to dive deep into only one or a few conflicts during a story, you might enjoy writing these!
Serial Fiction
Kindle Vella. Royal Road. Radish. Even Substack and Patreon! There are so many new and rising platforms for serial fiction, which can let you get instant feedback and even collaborate with your readers as you publish. This might be the medium for you if you write relatively clean first drafts (because you’ll have reduced time for edits) and you like getting into rhythms of writing and publishing.
If you’re curious about serial fiction, you might enjoy our workshop, Publish on Kindle Vella with Christina Farley.
Visual Novels
If you’re new to visual novels, you can think of them as stories you play through. It wasn’t long ago that you would’ve needed to be familiar with code to create your own visual novel, but that’s no longer the case! Platforms like Dorian (available on your app store) and RenPy (available on Steam) now allow you to create these playable stories and distribute them for players.
You might enjoy creating visual novels if you already love video games and you’re a very visual person who may not love writing actual descriptions. If you have a talent for creating character art (or know someone who does), visual novels are calling your name!
Scripts for Plays, Films, or Webshows
Love dialogue, hate description, don’t love the idea of visual novels, but love the idea of your words being acted out in front of your face? Writing scripts might be your calling!
If the idea of writing scripts intrigues you, read our interview with Phoenix Tears Productions!
TTRPG Campaigns
Tabletop role-playing games, or TTRPGs, are also increasing in popularity. You’ve heard of Dungeons & Dragons—you may have even seen the movie!—but that’s by no means the only TTRPG out there. Scout your extended friend groups, local libraries, and other virtual or physical third spaces for TTRPG gatherings and show up as a player, so you can learn the ropes. You’ll learn at those initial sessions whether this is the medium for you, and if it is, you can work your way up to being the person who runs the games!
Experimental Mediums
There is no need to limit yourself to the above mediums. It’s cheesy to say, but the only limit is your imagination! I’ve found joy in writing word crawls and creating digital escape rooms using Google Sites, and I never would’ve done that if I hadn’t gotten curious about how else I could “play” in the realm of fiction.
