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One of my favorite forms of literary fiction is the novella. Starting at approximately 19,000 words (and running as long 40,000 words) it gives the literary fiction reader a little more meat than a short story but requires less commitment than a full blown novel.

Like short stories it is not unheard of for them to be published as a collection or in literary magazines. If a novella is extremely well received it will get a cover of its own. Some publishers try to pass them off as a full length novel while others clearly state “novella” either in the title or in the description. Individually packaged novellas can range from 130 pages to 250 and generally have larger print than the standard novel.

The novella is not limited to the genre of literary fiction and is quite commonly used in science fiction and mini mysteries.

Keep an eye out for these literary fiction gems:

Ten Classic Novellas

• The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis)
• Animal Farm (George Orwell)
• The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Truman Capote)
• Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
• The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
• Mrs Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
• Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
• The Touchstone (Edith Wharton)
• Mathilda (Mary Shelley)

Five Modern Novellas

• Legends of the Fall (Jim Harrison)
• The Uncommon Reader (Alan Bennet)
• Everyman (Philip Roth)
• Shopgirl (Steve Martin)
• Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

For an excellent series with over thirty classic novellas (as well as a series of contemporary) check out Melville House Publishing’s The Art of the Novella.

This piece was first posted on 7/23/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

There are two things I think of when I hear the word “Ditto”, the first is the movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze responding to Demi Moore’s “I love you” with “ditto”. The second is the punk Indie songstress Beth Ditto. Now I will have a third — a company out of Freemont, California is releasing a new e-book this month called Ditto.

“Ditto” is an acronym for Digital Interface Total Text Organizer. It is similar in appearance to Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader but comes with a lighter price tag of $249. Another major difference with this device is it is wired. Meaning it is not as self-sufficient as the wireless Kindle; files will need to be transferred from a computer.

The Ditto e-book comes with a six inch screen and has a long battery life (“operates for days if not weeks without a charge”) for reading portable document format (PDF) as well as sound files like MP3s.

Other features:

• 4 levels of gray scale
• low power CPU engine core
• SD card option for increased memory
• holds 1000+ books
• light weight
• zoom capability
• earphones / adapter

The Ditto website has a listing of over twenty websites that offer a huge selection of free (or affordable) e-books to download as well as a listing of retailers. Hint: These links could be used with the Ditto or any other reading device you have.

I’m not sure how I feel about a wired device. It seems to be a step back from Kindle’s wireless but I’m sure there will be a home for Ditto’s e-book in the market place. There is something to be said for the more affordable price, good memory and long battery even if it is attached. At the moment the Ditto e-book can be purchased via phone (510) 683-9066.

Learn more about the Ditto e-book from the official website.

This piece was first published on 7/8/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Here is a mini list of the different periods authors are divided into according to the period within which their work was produced. It serves no other purpose than curiosity. As you can see there is some overlapping of time and some authors venture into more than one period because of lengthy careers.

Romanticism

The romantic period cover works created from 1800 to 1865. Popular writers from this period include:

• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Lord Byron
• Mary Shelley
• John Keats
• James Cooper
• Herman Melville
• Jane Austen
• Bronte Sisters

Realism

The realistic period runs from 1855 to 1900. Popular writers from this period include:

• Gustave Flaubert
• Leo Tolstoy
• Mark Twain
• Henry James
• Kate Chopin

Naturalism

The naturalistic was a rather short period only running from 1890 to 1910. Popular writers from this period include:

• John Steinbeck
• Edith Wharton
• Ellen Glasgow
• O Henry

Modernism

The modern period ran from 1900 to 1950. Popular writers from this period include:

• T. S. Eliot
• William Faulkner
• D. H. Lawrence
• James Joyce
• Virginia Woolf
• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• John Steinbeck

Post War

The post war period ran from 1946 to 1963. Popular writers from this period include:

• Flannery O’Connor
• J. D. Salinger
• William Faulkner

Confessions

The confessional period rand from 1964 to 1980. Popular writers from this period include:

• Sylvia Plath
• Kurt Vonnegut
• Alice Walker
• John Updike

Post Modern

The postmodernism period began in 1950 and continues today. Popular writers from this period include:

• William S. Burroughs
• Norman Mailer
• Ernest Hemingway
• Tobias Wolff
• Ha Jin
• Margaret Atwood

Contemporary

The contemporary period began in 1970 and continues today. It is a continuation of postmodernism. Popular writers from this period include:

• Alice Walker
• Judith Guest
• Charles Frazier
• Doris Lessing

I do not want to touch too much on this literary form as we have a site at BellaOnline specifically focused for short stories. But being the literary fiction site it would be remiss of me not to mention short stories as an extremely relevant and vital literary fiction form. This is not to say that all short stories are literary fiction because short stories carry their own genres like books do.

The most basic determinant of a short story is word count. To fall under the title of short story they must range in length from 1000 to 15,000 words. The decision of whether a short story is literary fiction or not is pretty much the same as for books; in literary fiction the “language is heavier, the imagery lush, the characters detailed and story line thought provoking.” Like literary fiction books, literary short fiction has notable awards to distinguish it. “Literary fiction is not about chick lit, mystery, science fiction or horror…If it doesn’t fit into a genre of its own then you’ve probably found yourself some literary fiction.”

I have to admit other than the occasional literary magazine containing short stories or the occasional collection of reviews a publisher may send I spend little to no time on short stories. I think this is probably generally reflective of the majority of the population. They just are not publicized as much. This is not to say there isn’t talent there. Many short story writers go on to write longer length pieces, often spurred by their initial short stories. Imagine what Oprah could do for the short story form if she highlighted an author’s collection.

Keep an eye out for:

Five Classic Short Stories

• A Rose for Emily (William Faulkner)
• The Snows of Kilimanjaro (Ernest Hemingway)
• The Story of an Hour (Kate Chopin)
• Twice Told Tales (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
• Melville’s The Piazza Tales (Herman Melville)

Five Modern Short Stories

• Runaway (Alice Munroe)
• Licks of Love (John Updike)
• In the Garden of North American Martyrs (Tobias Wolff)
• Changing Planes (Ursula Le Guin)
• Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

Ten Literary Journals Featuring Short Stories

• Room Magazine (www.roommagazine.com)
• The Sun (www.thesunmagazine.org)
• Capilano Review (www.thecapilanoreview.ca)
• Glimmer Train Stories (www.glimmertrain.com)
• Ploughshares (www.pshares.org)
• Geist (www.geist.com)
• Antioch Review (review.antioch.edu)
• Shenandoah (shenandoah.wlu.edu)
• Prairie Schooner (prairieschooner.unl.edu)
• The Kenyon Review (www.kenyonreview.org)

This article was posted 6/24/2009 at the Literary Fiction site at BellaOnline.

It is 1922 in the American South when The Color Purple opens with two African American sisters, Nettie and Celie Harris (oldest) playing joyfully in a field of flowers. Fourteen year old Celie is pregnant for the second time by her father. When she gives birth her father takes it away.

My review for the movie The Color Purple was first posted 6/17/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline. The full review of The Color Purple can now be read at SquidFlix.

The book is divided into three philosophies the first Friedrich Nietzsche (Human, All Too Human), the second is Martin Heidegger (Being and Time) and it closes with Soren Kierkegaard, (Fear and Trembling). Susannah uses what she learns from each of these philosophers

My review for A Girl’s Guide to Modern European Philosophy was posted on 6/3/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline. The full review of A Girl’s Guide to Modern European Philosophy can be read at Squid Lit.

Lisa See obviously loves her craft, a truth that can be seen on the pages of two of her most popular novels, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love. Over the last thirty years she has developed a successful niche for her writing. She works as a full time writer and has written mysteries, non fiction and literary fiction, seven of which have been published. Lisa resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband and two children. Please enjoy getting to know more about Lisa See and her upcoming release Shanghai Girls.

Moe: What inspires you?

Lisa See: I want my husband and sons to be proud of me. It’s been very important to me for my sons to see a happy, healthy, creative, and ambitious woman who can also be a mom and wife. Beyond that, I’m inspired by stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up. I become totally obsessed with something–like the secret language used by women in China. Finally, I’m really inspired by the relationships we have in our lives–mother and child, husband and wife, sisters–and the emotions that come out of them.

Moe: Every writer has a method to their writing. On a typical writing day, how would you spend your time?

Lisa See: When I’m writing, I get up around 7:00, make a cup of English breakfast tea, and toddle down the hall to my office. My husband exercises to really loud music right next to where I write, so I answer e-mail until he’s done. I begin to write in earnest around 9:00. I have a bowl of Rice Crispies with blueberries at 11:00. Then I get dressed. At some point I try to get some exercise. I’m a big walker, but I also play tennis, and do Pilates. By the end of the day I have to write a minimum of a 1,000 words. Sometimes I can get that done in two hours; sometimes it takes all day.

Moe: How long does it take for you to complete a book you would allow someone to read?

Lisa See: About two years. It may take five drafts (and for some chapters a lot more drafts) before I show the manuscript to my husband, mother, sister, editor, and agent. Then it’s back to page one. I write straight through and don’t look back until I’ve finished the first draft.

Moe: When you sit down to write is any thought given to the genre or type of readers?

Lisa See: None whatsoever. I write what I’m interested in the moment. Sometimes it’s something I’ve thought about for years. Other times it’s something that’s just come to me. I write about the things I care about. All I can do is hope that other people will connect to the story too.

Moe: When it comes to plotting, do you write freely or plan everything in advance?

Lisa See: A little of both. I know the beginning and I know the end. I may have some ideas of scenes or emotional moments I want to have in the middle, but I don’t know exactly how those are going to play out when I first sit down to write. So, I have an outline that usually covers the first third of the book and then some ideas for the middle, and maybe a page or two on the end. As I’m writing the first third, I add my thoughts at the bottom on the document. When I get done, I move those thoughts to my original outline and work on the plot for the middle.

Moe: What kind of research do you do before and during a new book? Do you visit the places you write about?

Lisa See: I’m an absolute nut for research. In some ways it’s my favorite part of writing a book. I go to all the places I write about. I spend a lot of time in libraries and archives. Some writers hire people to do research. I could never do that, because I never know what I’m going to find that will completely change the course of a book. I live close to UCLA and I love to spend time in the Research Library stacks. But the real excitement comes from going to places–I go to every place I write about–and from talking to people.

Moe: How much of yourself and the people you know manifest into your characters?

Lisa See: There are elements of my own experience and of people I know in the characters in my books. In Shanghai Girls, which is about two sisters, I used a lot of incidents –fictionalized, of course — that happened between me and my sisters. How could I not use those stories? But I’ll tell you, when I was working on Peony in Love, I realized that a version of my grandmother has appeared in every single book I’ve written. She was my actual grandmother in On Gold Mountain; she was the neighborhood committee director in my three mysteries; she’s Madame Wang, the matchmaker, in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan; she’s Peony’s grandmother in Peony in Love; and she’s Pearl’s mother-in-law in Shanghai Girls. Writing this fictional character allows me to be with my grandmother who’s been dead now for many years.

Moe: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Lisa See: Not really. (Knock on wood.) Sometimes I get stuck though. When I do, I try to remain calm. I give myself a couple of days. I walk. I drive. I stare at the wall or out the window. But most important, I give myself a question just before I go to bed. I usually wake up in the morning with a solution. The subconscious is an amazing thing.

Moe: Can you share three things you’ve learned about the business of writing since your first publication?

Lisa See: 1) People will tell you no, but never give up. 2) Write what matters to you. All you can do is please yourself. 3) Be prepared to write a lot of answers to questions that have been e-mailed to you.

Moe: What is your latest release about?

Lisa See: Shanghai Girls opens in 1937 in Shanghai–the Paris of Asia, home to millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, artists and warlords, patriots and revolutionaries, ands the Chin sisters. Pearl and May are “beautiful girls”–models for advertising and calendar posters–but when their father loses not only the family money but also the girls’ savings, he sets them up in arranged marriages to a pair of Chinese brothers who’ve come from America to find brides.

That gets you started on the plot, and suffice it to say that the sisters go through all kinds of adventures, traumas, tragedies, and triumphs before they get to the last page. I wanted to write about three main things: arranged marriages as they played out in an American Chinatown, China City, and sisters. We had a lot of arranged marriages on the Chinese side of my family, so I know a lot about them and how hard they were for the women. China City was one of four Chinatowns in Los Angeles at the time. It opened in 1938 as a kind of theme park. It was supposed to be an “authentic Chinese city.” It was surrounded by a miniature Great Wall and inside it was built from the leftover sets from the filming of “The Good Earth,” so it wasn’t too authentic. It had a lot of charm though, and many of my relatives, who worked there, remember it fondly. Finally, I wanted to write about sisters. I’m a sister myself and I know how sisterhood can be both loving and fraught. I consider Shanghai Girls to be the closest to my heart and experience of all my books.

Moe: When you’re not writing what do you do for fun?

Lisa See: I love to walk. I’ve done a six mile walk along the Santa Monica Palisades with a friend every Tuesday for about fifteen years. Every Sunday I walk from my house straight up our hill for an hour. This walk I do by myself and I use it to think about plot or a problem a character is giving me. I play tennis and I do Pilates too. All this might be making me sound like an exercise fanatic, but I’m far from it. I hate exercise, but I love to be outside and I’ve been trying to get stronger because book tours are killers. What else? I love to go to the movies. I see everything and anything. And I guess a writer shouldn’t admit this, but I love television too. I was a huge Battlestar Gallactica fan. I’m still in boo-hoo mode since the series ended.

Moe: New writers are always trying to glean advice from those with more experience. What suggestions do you have for new writers?

Lisa See: Write a thousand words a day. That’s only four typed pages. At the end of the week, you’ll have a chapter. At the end of the month, you’ll have four chapters. You have to do the writing before anything else. There are so many distractions. I mean, sometimes it’s more tempting to wash dishes than it is to sit down in front of the computer. But if you do the writing first, then the rest of the day awaits you.

Moe: If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

Lisa See: A gardener.

Moe: What is your favourite word?

Lisa See: I don’t know that I have a favorite word. But today it would have to be “moribund.” President Obama used it in a press conference today and I was blown away. Imagine having a president who uses interesting words and knows what they mean.

Lisa See’s book Shanghai Girls is available from Amazon.com
Lisa See’s book Shanghai Girls is available from Amazon.ca

Photo credit: Patricia Williams

My interview with Lisa See was first posted on 5/27/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Visit Lisa See’s official website.

You’ve read the books. You’ve read about the author. But still, you want more. If you travel to England there are three choice places that any Jane Austen fan needs to add to their list of experiences.

Jane Austen’s House Museum

The building that houses the museum was once Jane Austen’s home. Walk through the halls, see her writing desk, sit in the garden and peruse the well stock gift shop. During the last eight years of her life she wrote and edited some of our favorite works here. The building is located in Chawton, England and has a reasonably price entry fee ranging from four to seven pounds depending on the time of the year.

The website had event information and links to other Austen related websites worth checking out. If you can’t make it to England they have a short flash image tour you can watch online; not as impressive as being there in person but a beautiful sentiment.

Visit the Jane Austen’s House Museum online.

Winchester Cathedral

To say cathedrals from the 11th century are beautiful is an understatement. In many cases they are breath taking and one does not need to be from a religious background to enjoy their history. The Winchester Cathedral is located in Hampshire, England and is the resting place of Jane Austen. She is buried in the nave “close to familiar acquaintances”.

The website makes two small mentions of her. First, that there is a tomb where she lies; and second, that there is a special tour: “Jane Austen – Her Life and Times” which “offers visitors an intimate and often amusing insight into her life.” You will also find notable historical information about the church, other public tours and directions. Be sure to check out the photo gallery for amazing photos of this architectural beauty.

Visit Winchester Cathedral’s official website.

Jane Austen Center

She lived in Bath, England for five years and many of her novels mention or describe it. While she did not live in residence in this building, it seems most logical that there would be a center dedicated to her. The Center was “created with the guidance of local members of the Jane Austen Society and authorities”. The exhibition’s main focus is the five years that Austen spent here. The gift shop offers all the usual Jane Austen paraphernalia including period costumes (or patterns to make your own).

The website offers the latest tourist information (including tours), a monthly newsletter that can be read online or delivered by email, and a bit of historical information like famous people from Regency society.

Visit the Jane Austen Center online.

Have a look at these locations on the Google map:
View Jane Austen Architecture in a larger map

This piece was originally posted on 5/13/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Jane Austen lived only forty-one years and wrote only six books. Every year new fans succumb to the charms of her heroines like Miss Bennet and Miss Dashwood; and heroes like Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley.

There is a segment of admirers who go beyond the works of Jane Austen to yearning to learn more about the woman and her writing. What follows is a list of current books about Austen or her books (not her novels or off shoots). I tried to keep it to the books that are still in print. I hope you enjoy your journey into all things Austen.

40+ Books About Jane Austen

1. So You Think You Know Jane Austen? (2010)
2. 34 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen (2009)
3. Jane Austen and Marriage (2009)
4. Jane Austen: Writer of Fancy (2009)
5. A Memoir of Jane Austen: Other Family Recollections (2008)
6. The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen (2008)
7. In the Garden with Jane Austen(2008)
8. The Little Book of Jane Austen(2008)
9. Jane Austen: Her Golden Years (2008)
10. Jane Austen: Brief Lives (2008)
11. Jane Austen: Very Interesting People Series (2007)
12. The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World (2007)
13. 101 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Austen (2007)
14. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen (2007)
15. Just Jane (2007)
16. Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels (2006)
17. Jane Austen in Bath: Walking Tours of the Writer’s City (2006)
18. Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders (2006)
19. A Chronology of Jane Austen and her Family: 1700-2000 (2006)
20. Jane Austen in Context (2006)
21. Jane Austen Miscellany (2006)
22. Searching for Jane Austen (2006)
23. Jane Austen For Dummies (2006)
24. Letters Of Jane Austen V1 (2006)
25. Letters Of Jane Austen V2 (2006)
26. Jane Austen’s Philosophy of the Virtues (2005)
27. Jane Austen and the Navy (2005)
28. Jane Austen: A Life (2005)
29. Tea with Jane Austen (2004)
30. Jane Austen: Critical Issues (2004)
31. Jane Austen Dictionary (2003)
32. The Wisdom of Jane Austen (2003)
33. Jane Austen’s Art of Memory (2003)
34. In the Steps of Jane Austen: Walking Tours of Austen’s England (2003)
35. The Friendly Jane Austen: A Well-Mannered Introduction (2001)
36. Jane Austen and the Fiction of her Time (2001)
37. Jane Austen and Mary Shelley and Their Sisters (2000)
38. Jane Austen in Hollywood (2000)
39. Jane Austen: A Life (1999)
40. A Jane Austen Encyclopedia (1998)
41. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel (1990)
42. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas (1988)

Given that most of the books listed are fairly recent, it is awe inspiring to think how many books have been printed about Austen and her books since her death. We can’t stop reading about her and we can’t stop talking about her.

• Find Jane Austen related books at Amazon.com.
• Find Jane Austen related books at Amazon.ca.

This piece was initially posted on 6/6/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Beloved for almost two hundred years, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the afterlife of this classic novelist. New editions of her literary works are being released every year gaining new fans and delighting die-hards.

Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England. She was born into an educated family with some grounding in society because her father was a priest. She grew up in a household of seven siblings (George, Edward, Henry, Cassandra, and Frank) all of whom were encouraged to develop a hardiness for reading. Her childhood was divided between the rectory and boarding school. Like most women of her time writing was encouraged in the form of journaling and letters but she took it one step further and began to write stories in her early teens as gifts for family members. With their encouragement she began her profession as a writer creating novels filled with deception, love, acceptance, and of course wit.

Jane Austen published four novels in her lifetime. Two were published after her death by her brother. The novels include: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1817), and Persuasion (1817). Her novels were published anonymously. All of her novels have been developed into screenplays for television and some for movies. The most loved tends to be Pride and Prejudice both in print and on the screen.

Jane Austen died at the age of forty-one (July 18, 1817) from what is now surmised to be Addison’s disease. Her sister Cassandra was by her side. Jane had never married. Her body is interred at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire, England.

During Jane Austen’s life she witnessed some success from her novels but she never could have imagined the longevity and eventual cult following that exists today. She is readily studied by scholars in colleges and universities while the general public continues to scrumptiously devour her Regency works.

Test your knowledge of Jane Austen.

This piece was initially published 4/29/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.