After getting a kind soul to read through the first draft of my NaNoWriMo 2013 story, I started doing the first wave of edits. It took me a few tries to realize that there were two issues I hadn’t thought of at first.
First, the tone and level of complexity. If you’ve read Over-Exposure you’ll know what I mean. I have to keep an eye out whenever I write something science-related, and this is no exception. I’m trying to lighten the tone and add more casual sections, higher on the personality and lower on the scientific analysis.
Second, the format. It mostly consists of conversation transcripts and notes, which works fine as a novella. But as I edit, I have to choose whether I simplify these to make them easier to read (I’ve been trying different transcribing methods to see which works best)… Or I go the other way. I add more types of ‘files’, embrace that ‘electronic lab notebook’ feel, and go digital. That way I can add photos, change the text color, and just generally play around with the presentation.
There are obvious downfalls to this method. Even if I have a novella version alongside the digital one, I probably wouldn’t want to sell it on Amazon, especially if it didn’t display well on a Kindle. The digital version would probably have to be free, so all the more reason not to charge for the novella version. That said, being part of Tea-Powered Games, I’m always aware that making something digital is an option, and while it might not be what I initially had in mind, it might be even more useful to me because of that, and will hopefully be a new experience for my readers.
Would you be interested in reading a digitally enhanced novella?
Would you like some tea with that? 