Ayo’s Reviews > A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction – A Practical Guide to Character, Revision, and the Blank Page from 35 Years of Teaching > Status Update
Ayo
is 61% done
“The greatest difference between short story and novels is in character. We spend so much time with novel characters and they are and should be larger and deeper in every way.
This is why a writer should ignore the inevitable readerly reaction to an excellent story - that has a lot of characters and takes place over a number of years - “this should be a novel”.
No it shouldn’t.”
🎯
— Jan 30, 2026 12:37PM
This is why a writer should ignore the inevitable readerly reaction to an excellent story - that has a lot of characters and takes place over a number of years - “this should be a novel”.
No it shouldn’t.”
🎯
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Ayo’s Previous Updates
Ayo
is 51% done
“Note when a piece of advice strikes a gong in your soul.
Note when you consider throwing a book across the room.
Read fiction this way too.
What we love is inspiring but what we hate is instructive.
Hatred has edges sharp enough to use as a protractor - as magnetic enough to find true north.”
❤️❤️❤️
— Jan 30, 2026 08:17AM
Note when you consider throwing a book across the room.
Read fiction this way too.
What we love is inspiring but what we hate is instructive.
Hatred has edges sharp enough to use as a protractor - as magnetic enough to find true north.”
❤️❤️❤️
Ayo
is 27% done
“A good second person is uncanny and complicatedly bossy.
You’re told to do things or you’re told you’re already doing things. The narrator is issuing commands but is also in your head - instructive, dislocated.” 😍
LOL!!! This is why a lot of readers don’t like the 2nd person perspective. Folks don’t like being told how to think 🤣
— Jan 29, 2026 04:30PM
You’re told to do things or you’re told you’re already doing things. The narrator is issuing commands but is also in your head - instructive, dislocated.” 😍
LOL!!! This is why a lot of readers don’t like the 2nd person perspective. Folks don’t like being told how to think 🤣
Ayo
is 13% done
“Don’t follow writing advice like a recipe.
A cookbook’s goal is to teach you how to create a soufflé that looks pretty much like other people’s soufflés which makes sense for soufflés.”
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— Jan 29, 2026 02:11PM
A cookbook’s goal is to teach you how to create a soufflé that looks pretty much like other people’s soufflés which makes sense for soufflés.”
🎯
Many bad novels have been written out of terrific stories.”
Oh this is genius advice!!! I’m reminded of a recent book I reviewed in here 😭😂🫢