In the beginning there was the novel … well, at least in the beginning of my fiction writing career, there was the novel, and nothing but the novel.

And then my editor asked, “What do you think about writing a novella?”

And I said, “Why not?”

My first novellawas You Made Me Love You. And I liked the process, even as I learned that writing a novel and writing a novella are two very different things.

And then I read a Facebook post where some people were discussing novel versus novella – you know, the whole choose one or the other. And I wondered why. Why does it have to be novel or the novella? Why not enjoy both? Choose a novel when you’re up for a longer read, a more detailed story. And choose a novella when you’re looking for something shorter, something simpler, but just as enjoyable as a full-length novel.