Keeping it Small

There's something to be said for keeping things small. Small is manageable. Whether it's a short story, a small painting, a tiny drawing, a musical group or even a garden, if you keep it small you can easily hone the quality of your work. If I'm working on a big painting with lots of objects, almost invariably something happens. The pears will begin to rot, the set-up gets nudged and one of the objects topples to the floor and breaks. Ugh. Yes, I guess that can happen with a small still life set-up, too, but it's much more likely to happen with a cumbersome one.

Likewise, a small garden is easy to keep weeded. A small meal doesn't take long to prepare. A small novel takes less time to write than a long, rambling one and is easier to plot. It also takes less time to read (although if I'm enjoying the book I want it to go on and on). A small house is easier to clean, so long as you don't try to cram too many things into it.

Small things often make up for their diminutive size by packing more punch. Small sentences consisting of a word or two often say more than long ones. I mention all this because I have a novel I've worked on for some time now and it's grown...long. A little too long, I fear. I have trouble knowing what to cut. I actually like this novel. I've lived with my MC so long now that's she's like a dear friend I don't want to abandon. I'd like to find her a home with a publisher so she can find her way into the hands -- and heart -- of a child.

After all, that's why we write, isn't it? To be read? And for who better than a child? Books can shape lives in so many ways. They can offer laughter and hope in the thick of dark times. The can point the way out of difficult situations. They can offer glimpses into other worlds, other cultures. They can, in short, save a life.