Why Write a Novella? / Liftoff by Tyrean Martinson / Guest Post

Please help me welcome Tyrean Martinson to Write with Fey! She's telling us all about her new release Liftoff, a fun story that you'll be able to sink into and enjoy from beginning to end. Plus, you'll be excited (and anxious) to read what'll happen to next.

Why Write a Novella?

by Tyrean Martinson

Liftoff is a novella for teen/YA readers who love adventure, science fiction, and sweet romance. It's meant to be a popcorn movie style book, a fast read for readers who don't love reading thick tomes. As an English Language Arts teacher and tutor for home-school and public-school teens, I have met many reluctant readers who prefer short, action-packed reads.

But is that why I wrote my novella?

Maybe.

Let’s take a trip back to 2014. I was misdiagnosed for an illness. I had abdominal and pelvic pain. At a friend’s urging in 2017, I went to new doctors and found that I had polyps in my gall-bladder, and orange-sized fibroids, cysts, and Endometriosis in my uterus. I was also diagnosed with Gerd, Reflux, and Meniere’s Disease and the doctors discovered I was on the wrong dose of thyroid medication. Surgeries, procedures, and tests took a toll on me physically.

So, what does physical illness have to do with writing a novella?

From 2016 to early 2020, I struggled to finish anything. I kept starting and stopping. My lengthier projects were full of holes. My work life became part-time and sporadic.

I felt like a failure. My thought-life became increasingly negative, and I had to finally admit I was depressed. With the help of my pastor and his wife, I found a counselor, and I started healing.

I still wanted to write books. (Big, epic, meaningful tomes.)

But did I?

Why did I want to write? What did I really want to write?

I went into some soul searching because my faith matters to me and I love God. I yearned to write the kind of stories that spoke to me as a kid and as a teen – stories of fantasy, science fiction, and wonder, stories about heroes and heroines who face impossible odds. I thought about why those stories spoke to me, and I decided God gave me a passion for those kind of stories.

So, I had my genre back, but could I write?

I faced a pattern of exhaustion and doubt that fell on me somewhere between 18,000 and 30,000 words into any project. I decided to give myself grace, and to lean into my zone of strength. I created a plan to write 26 chapters of 1,000 words or less for the April A to Z Challenge. I liked it so much I decided to revise it for publication.

Writing Liftoff was about creating an achievable goal. I wrote it for fun. I wrote it to break the funk that had a hold on me. I wrote it to celebrate the trope-filled, action-packed wonder-based stories I have always loved.

In the revision process, I discovered the story was more complex than I intended. I started to doubt my novella form, and then I remembered recommending novellas to reluctant teen readers.

So, did I start this novella for reluctant teen readers who might like action-packed science fiction with some sweet romance? No, but in the revision process, remembering those teen readers helped me finish.

Plus, I found cheerleaders, and I hired an encouraging editor. Chrys sent me a playlist one day when she knew I was struggling. I am thankful for the time and care she has given my novella and me.

If you are a writer struggling with health issues or depression, there are resources. Chrys wrote one. If you need help, take a small courageous step and admit it to yourself. Then, make a one step action plan: find help or encouragement. It may take days to put it into action, but you can.

My mantra: one step at a time, just one, and press into hope.

 

Title: Liftoff

Subtitle: The Rayatana Series, Book 1

LINKS: Kindle / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / Smashwords / Goodreads 

Blurb:

A spaceship in disguise,

An Earth girl searching for a sense of home,

And a Thousand Years’ War between alien races,

All collide on a summer afternoon.

An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.

Amaya gets trapped in the middle of an ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.

What will it take to survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?

Liftoff is a fast-paced read for fans of Code 8, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cobra Kai.

 

Release Date: November 10, 2020

Paperback ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-8-9

Ebook ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-9-6

Copyright Tyrean Martinson November 2020

Publisher: Wings of Light Publishing, Gig Harbor, WA, USA

Professionally Edited by Chrys Fey

Cover Art and Interior Design by Carrie Butler

 

About the Author: Tyrean Martinson is an author and teacher from Washington State. As a former fencer and kickboxer, she enjoys writing fight scenes in fast-paced novels and novellas. As a teacher and writing tutor, she loves to get students writing and reading comfortably by any means: talk-to-text, short writing assignments, novellas, and adventures. She wrote her latest novella, Liftoff, for herself during COVID, but realized it also fits a dream she’s had for a while: to create a short, fast-paced read for teen/YA readers who love popcorn movies, adventure, and sweet romance.

Author Links: Blog / Newsletter / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook 

Please leave a comment for Tyrean. Thank you!