In the previous Writing 101 blog, we looked at the big picture of turning a short story into a novel. This time, we'll delve into some of the pieces which have to come together. These need to be addressed whether one is pantsing or plotting. Realize that any of these may change as you write or revise.
MC and point of view: Who is the main character, and what is their point of view? (You may have more than one.) It won't necessarily be the MC from the short story, as odd as that seems. Considering the larger story, who is the most interesting character? Unless you want to make that character a mystery for the MC to solve, the most interesting character is likely your MC. As for POV, you may wish to write a chapter or two in first person and again in third, and see which seems more compelling and works best with your own voice as you tell this particular story. With first person, you should also play around with past and present tense. (You can play with those in third person, or even second, as well as future tense, but those are much more difficult to pull off.)
Other key characters: Who will the villains, antagonists, nemeses, foils, or whomever be? Why? Is the MC single, married, divorced, in a relationship, in multiple relationships, committed, cheating, or what? Who will the MC's friends, associates, kin, tribe, unit, or subordinates be? Why? If you don't understand the people involved, the story won't come together.
Setting: Just because the short story takes place in your Aunt Nettie's living room doesn't mean much (or any) of the novel needs to use that setting. Perhaps the scene from the short story works better in a hotel ballroom, a bathroom in the DFW airport, or on a high speed train just outside Tokyo. Where does the overall story arc take place? Tokyo? The meteor crater in Arizona? Around a city, state, country, or the globe? Plotters may wish to outline or storyboard scenes; pantsers should write bits of key scenes and see how they feel in different places. When does the story take place? Again, it may or may not be when the short story took place. Or if the short story is just one scene, perhaps it takes place in a different time than the rest of the story, or the novel requires multiple years, decades, centuries, or eras.
End game: What's the goal? What's the climax? What's the point? As noted in the last blog,the novel's ending may not look like the short story's. The goal may or may not be evident to your characters, but they need to be motivated even if they're just going through the motions because that's what society tells them to do. In a short story, the climax is almost always in the last two or three paragraphs. In a novel, it will likely occur in the last one to five chapters; you may have more loose ends to tie up. Finally, if there's a point to be made, make sure it's made by the end even if the reader has to work it out over the course of the story.
Photo credit: Desiree Rose, Elkk Photography Copyright 2019 Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX.