Susan here, with thoughts on Victorians and brevity – opposites that I’ll now try to fit together.
Victorians are on my mind lately, as my upcoming 2026 release is a Scottish Victorian trilogy, “Hearts in the Highlands,” from Dragonblade Publishing. Book One, Laird of Storms, is set in Scotland in the 1850s, as are books two and three. These books are newly revised e-book editions (previously published in mass market paperback) with gorgeous new covers. Laird of Storms is now available for pre-order for release in May (Princess of Shadows and Countess of Legends will be available this summer).
Whenever I have the chance to revise a previous book for a new edition, it’s a chance to improve the text while preserving the stories, plot and characters. In some of my earlier books, I may have overdone the word count a bit <ahem> so it’s great to look at them again and apply a little judicious editing. Brevity may not be a natural fit with an authentically Victorian voice and story, but taking a red pen after some years to trim and tighten three stories I’ve always loved was well worth it.
There are real advantages to digitizing a previous print edition—the stories can be made new again for a new audience as well as readers who may have the original edition. Authors can update books to be just better all around. A revision that preserves story development and details while producing a faster read is a good result. For a naturally wordy writer like me, it can be a worthy (not wordy!) challenge.
But what is true brevity?
Among the many tasks a novelist has, writing blurb copy and taglines (the summary cover copy and teaser lines used on book covers) can be honestly very challenging. Reducing hundreds of pages, thousands of words, and multi-layered story and characters is a daunting task that we tackle for each book published. Being concise, choosing words carefully, and touching on just a few important points while engaging reader interest is essential. In writing such a thing, usually the copy draft starts out as a rambling summary of the novel, cramming in as much as possible, and then it needs to be distilled to just a paragraph or two. As for the tagline, finding a way to capture a whole story in a sentence or one or two phrases can take a long time at the keyboard!
So when I found a series of books that reduced well-known (and lengthy) novels to a mere dozen words or so, I was in awe of their simplicity, sweetness, and clarity. And I 
absolutely fell in love with these perfectly charming books for very young readers — that also appeal to adults. “Cozy Classics” by brothers Jack Wang and Holman Wang brings classics like Pride & Prejudice to little readers through the use of single words, one per page (“sisters,” “dance” “muddy” “marry” — you get the idea!), with photo illustrations of adorable little felt dolls in miniature sets. The sweet story essence and delightful creativity of these wonderful little books is irresistible. Other books in the series include Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, Huckleberry Finn, and modern classics like the Star Wars movies.
In the spirit of brevity, I wondered what very few words would perfectly capture my revised Victorian romances! Let’s try it . . .
First, here’s the tagline and copy for Laird of Storms:
A storm, a legend, an undeniable passion . . .
On the misty Hebridean Isle of Caransay, legend holds that when a kelpie, a sea-god who can take the form of a man, claims a bride on a sea rock, the isle will be blessed with great fortune. Honoring the ancient tradition one stormy night, Meg MacNeill expects nothing eventful–until she is swept into the arms of the handsome stranger who rises from the waves. When danger and passion both vanish with the dawn, Meg is left with a powerful memory–and a secret.
Seven years later, Dougal Stewart returns to the isle where he was once a castaway in a
storm. Now a brilliant engineer and deep-sea diver assigned to build a lighthouse on the very rock that changed his life, his only obstacle is the wealthy baroness who fiercely opposes his plans.
Soon Dougal discovers that the proud baroness is the mysterious girl who once saved his life and stole his heart—and the golden-haired child by her side is his son. To protect her child and the people of her island from unwanted change, Meg must keep her secrets, knowing that Stewart once claimed her heart and soul, then betrayed her . . . Storms gather on sea and shore as renewed passion and responsibility collide—testing love, legend, and destiny . . .
Too many words! How to capture the story’s essence with a few little words? 
Island. Storm. Kelpie.
Engineer. Baroness.
Lighthouse. Diver.
Danger!
Rescue?
Love . . .
Your turn! In the spirit of these brilliant little versions of classic novels, what few words would you use to describe a favorite story?
LOL. Susan! That is quite an example of compression. My reading preferences fall in the middle between LONG! and TOO SHORT! The middle lengths are where the emotions lives.
That is quite the task, Susan, to condense a favorite book into a handful or two of words! I don’t think I’m up for the challenge, but I look forward to seeing what others might do.
Time slip, crime solver, romance, Regency, justice.
These are some words I would use for the “In Time” series of mysteries by Julie McElwain. From 2016 to the present novel shows the growth of the female protagonist, Kendra Donavon, as the crime solver in Regency England. For those interested, I enjoyed reading the following in order: “Murder In Time”, “A Twist in Time”, “Caught In Time”, “Betrayal In Time”, “Shadows In Time”, “Ripples In Time”, and her latest one, “Echoes In Time”.
I think scientists have a big advantage here. A whole subject and world view can be captured in a mathematical equation. For example the microscopic world of atoms and molecules is described by the Shrodinger equation which can be written on one line. Solving the equation is another matter though and the solutions can fill books rather like novels!
Alas novelists don’t have access to a language like mathematics but use of AI may well evolve into an equivalent.
I think the synopses on Audible for audio books give excellent summaries and based on this for Anne McCaffrey’s ‘Dragon Song’ I would select the words:
Hatching Fire Lizards help Melony become a Harper master musician.
Eventually we won,t need full stories anymore….just texted messsges with a few chosen words to tell it…human attention spans may no longer have patience for much more. We are seeing it even now. I predict this in about two to three generations down the road but ,fortunately, i won’t be around to see it unless i live to the ripe okd age of 150! And no one will care because they will be used to it.
Jane, that’s seems a rather dystopian vision! I would prefer a more utopian view. For me novels should be like dreams where emotions merge with adventure and mystery and one can experience an alternative existence. Brevity is not a requirement for my ideal final product.
Not really, because that what cell phone addiction has and is doing to our society. You are ery lucky if you don’t see it where you live. But it is written about in many places (newspapers, magazines, journals, etc) and i see it all around where i live and places i visit. People are glued to thejr phones and even when they are with people, can’t resist checkng them every five seconds and scrolling or answering text messages.
My interest is mainly in audio books and I believe that smart phones have now largely replaced mp3 players for listening (though I still use my Sony mp3 player). Looking at sales statistics I find that U.S. audiobook revenue has increased over 50% in the past five years and is clearly a rapidly growing market. Maybe some of the people you see with smart phones are actually listening to books! 🙂
I wish i coukd say were right about listening to audio books on cell,phones, alas, if you are listening to an audio book your hands are not constantly typing or scrolling(social media sucks a lot if people in….)
I love audio books and a good reader makes all the difference in bringing the book to life. I listen while doing my needlepoint and jigsaw puzzles and just relaxing in bed at night. Many people also listen to them whike communting and on long drives. They bring an added dimension to many books.