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| Photo: Kyle Johnson |
I never thought I had it in me—
I only write 500-word picture book stories.
But I decided to write a middle grade novel in verse
after composing a 50-word story about a girl named Shelby
for Vivian Kirkfield's 50 Precious Words Contest.
This very short story inspired me to go in depth
and tell Shelby's story while using
the 50 words as a chapter in the book.
Surprisingly, this novel flowed out quickly
and in no time I had 2000 words.
If you do the math, that's as many words as
four picture books.
After comparing it to the multi-prize-winning Love That Dog,
a 4,000-word middle-grade novel in verse by Sharon Creech,
I realized my story needed to be developed more. So, I
created subplots and new characters, reached 6,000 words,
and thought that was long enough for this genre.
But wanting to be sure, I reached out
to an agent to find out if this 6000 story
would be long enough for a middle grade novel in verse
and she said try to flesh out the story more
and aim for 20,00 words.
Which freaked me out.
How could I expand my story that much?
To me, that seemed excessive.
So, I researched again and found the
sweet spot for middle grade novel in verse
for ages 8 - 12 was between 10, 000 - 15,000 words.
This was still daunting.
For me, this was like climbing Mount Everest.
But, maybe doable.
I developed a plot twist, added more tension,
and delivered all of this in an imaginative and creative format
which managed to move the plot forward
and in the end, me, a picture book writer used to writing only
500-word stories
finally reached 14,000 words.
Is it enough for a middle grade novel in verse?
I won't know until I submit this work to agents.
But if I have to reach 20,000 words,
it would feel like padding this story.
As is, the book feels complete.
There are character arcs—
every character changes and grows.
I won't know if my word count will work against me.
Agents may expect a middle grade book to run longer.
(And I would argue, this is a novel in verse, and these run shorter.)
I have asked beta readers to help me out
and let me know if the story is captivating
and to mark places that may need more attention.
After this step? I have an opportunity to submit
to agents interested in middle grade novels with
a unique format and strong voice.
Why put myself through writing a piece with
so much effort and time invested? With no guarantee it will be published?
That's kind of hard to answer.
But I think it's because this story was brewing inside me.
I had to tell Shelby's story.
I was driven to put it in words,
every bit of this mysterious, sad and uplifting story,
all of it in 14,000 words.
À la prochaine!