I keep mentioning that my upcoming Raygun Romance will be serialized on Kindle Vella. I’ll let Amazon itself explain the nuts and bolts of the program; I’d rather talk about what it means for the story.
I wrote the first set of stories last year, just as the pandemic began. Note that I said “set of stories” rather than “novel” or “volume,” because the Raygun Romance isn’t written like a conventional novel, where a single central story is told in a number of chapters. Instead, it’s written as a series of short stories, each with its own beginning, middle, and end. The stories are arranged in chronological order, so they must be read the same way too. The reason for this approach? One, I found that it was easier for me to complete short stories rather than full novels.
Two, I wanted to try and write a character with a flat arc.
It is considered “good writing” to have a character change as the story goes on, whether positively or negatively. However, a lot of the most beloved characters in media such as Superman, Batman, James Bond, and Son Goku (among others) barely change at all — and that is the core of their appeal. They get into new situations and learn new skills, but their personalities do not undergo any drastic shifts. These are called “flat characters,” and the core of their appeal is their unchanging nature in a world where nothing remains the same for long. One literary example I’m familiar with is Conan, so I listened to a ton of Robert E. Howard’s* Conan stories on audio to get a feel for how a flat character is written (do note, however, that the Raygun Romance doesn’t have the same themes that Conan does.) This works out perfectly for a serialized story, since flat characters can be put into new situations over and over.
While a character that changes can be interesting, there’s something to be said for flat characters, too — characters who know who they are and what they want, instead of needing to go on a Hero’s Journey to find out. My hope is that the story will keep you coming back for more, since it will be updated every Friday.
* The only real Conan stories are those written by Howard. All else is fan fiction.
