Writing the Twitter Novel

Concerning Twitter, brevity is the soul of everything. Each Tweet (cyber message) is limited to 140 characters. Each character is a letter, a mark of punctuation, or a space. That’s not a lot of leeway to introduce a protagonist. Or, to create an atmosphere. Or, even, to provide meals of any length.

Twitter encourages the author to cut to the chase. I’m not sure I ever really understood that phrase until now. Hmm… It also encourages good memory on the part of the reader.

What follows (so to speak) are some of the lessons I am learning about this new (and great) artform:

The Twitter structure is not a limitation. For most writers (and readers) it is a blessing. By the way (BTW), parentheses count as two characters.

Each Tweet must not only be 140 characters or less, but also be entertaining, moving, and engaging, by itself, AND move the story forward.
(That’s 140 characters.)

Hitting the target of 140 characters or less is a talent one develops, like eating or sleeping and, after a while, you barely have to think about it. (149)

Keeping to 140 characters or less, is a developed talent, like eating or sleeping. After a while, you barely think about it. (127)

If the Tweet exceeds the limit, the author is forced to find another, shorter, and, often, better way to phrase things. (121) Invention awakes. (139)

As author, you begin to appreciate the true value of every word. (Enough!)

You are saved, in spite of yourself, from your heretofore well-developed inclination to continue on and on, in love with your vocabulary and the exquisite quality of your observational skills, not to mention the signature flair with which you make use of the language. (268. I couldn’t stop it.)

Yes, and those skills, certainly bestowed upon you by the Gods, that you have developed and nurtured through years of heartache, experience, and an accumulating wisdom that won’t stop growing, no matter what form your writing takes, are challenged at their very root. (?)

As I said, brevity and power become your greatest attributes.

There is no need to outline the chapters and plot of your novel. In this format, you are able to turn on a dime. It is the length and content of each installment that is of ultimate importance and significance.

After hurting myself with the math, I find that, at my current rate of up to three tweets per day, to finish my novel will require 2.8 years of the reader’s time. With attention spans what they are, this is unacceptable.

My novel, Fit To Love, has been moving forward for a month and my character has barely made it through the first scene. I must revise my plan. And, speaking of revision, this kind of novel cannot be revised at a future date. It is published with each installment. This kind of writing favors the gut, the gusto, not to say, the glib.

In summary, be brief, be real, be yourself. Just not too much.