When is an idea a novel, and when is an idea a short story?

How do you know if your idea is worthy of a full novel, or just a short story of some form?

We all want to write stories. Or at least, if you’re reading this then you probably do. This is a novel writing Substack after all!

One thing I see regularly from writers is this question: how do I know if my idea is enough to carry an entire novel? Well, the truth is that sometimes that idea isn’t enough to carry an entire novel. Sometimes it is, but other times the idea might fit a short story more appropriately.

It’s flexible of course, and sometimes a writer might set out to write a short story and feel that the idea is owed something longer. And vice versa. I’ve certainly tried to write novels that have hit a few thousand words and realised that they would be better suited to a shorter format.

It happens to us all. So how do you know whether your idea is enough to write a full novel, or whether it’s best suited to becoming a short story?

How complex is the idea?

A good novel thrives on complex ideas that allow for multiple layers and different subplots. Perhaps the idea involves multi…