This is number 153 in the blog series, “My Writing Life.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.
I’VE BEEN STUDYING Chinese short dramas for the past several months. By “studying,” I mean that I’ve watched a few hundred of them on my laptop, tablet, and smartphone. I found them extremely addictive, even though there aren’t more than two dozen plots among them. The themes, plots, and even characters are freely repeated. The voice dubbing is done by AI with only a dozen total voices apparently available, no matter who the character is. Many costume dramas and intense martial arts dramas are AI videos as are most American short dramas, as far as I can tell.
But they are hard to stop watching.
I’ve tried to replicate the effect of these short dramas in my own literary style. As a result, I’ve written three short drama novels. That’s quite a step away from my more common epic style. These three novels are all under 60,000 words, and about 20-25 chapters in length. Here’s what I’ve learned.
My first attempt at a literary equivalent of a short drama was the recently released Just My Luck! It’s a humorous drama in which the main character frequently breaks the fourth wall to take potshots at the author and comment on his own role in the drama. My goal was to apply the principles of a linear plotline with a limited number of characters injected with humor and suspense. I tried to have enough of a hook at the end of each chapter to keep the reader engaged. And most important of all, I tried to adhere to the fundamental principle of shuangju: have it feel good. The heroes are rewarded and the villains are punished. Readers have had this to say:
“I am truly enjoying the story and the way the protagonist's narration is done.”
“Gets better and better as the final reveal hauls into sight!”
“This truly reminds me of Donald Westlake's early books. Hours of comic crime who-done-its. This is great.”
“Excellent. It cut across multiple genres, fast paced and excellent character development, plot and writing. Loved it!”
The serialization of Just My Luck! has finished, so it is now available in its entirety on my website and on SOL. The eBook is available at ZBookStore. Get the Signature Edition paperback at my Ingram Web Store.
My second short drama is Sky’s the Limit. This novel is 24 chapters and just under 60,000 words. My focus in this book is consistent storyline, shorter chapters, compelling hook in each chapter, limited characters, and a shuangju feel good story. Heroes are rewarded. Villains are punished or redeemed.
I felt I was really getting a feeling for the principles of the short drama in this book. It moves along quickly and is filled with tension, secret identity, hidden talent, and martial arts skills. And love with a seemingly impossible hurdle! I was also concerned with adapting the rather extreme Chinese dramas to a less extreme American and Western European taste. While there are some limited martial arts involved, no one gets slapped or unreasonably assaulted.
Sky’s the Limit will begin pre-release serialization for my Sneak Peek Patrons next Sunday, September 6. The pre-release eBook will also be free for Sneak Peek and Sausage Grinder Patrons. It will be released to the public both as an eBook and StoriesOnline serial on Sunday September 20, 2026. Getting pre-release access as a patron costs as little as $5.00 per month. It’s a great time to join my Patreon community!
My newest and final (for now) short drama is called Code Kitty. My Sausage Grinder Patrons ($10 per month) have been following the first draft of this story for the past few weeks, and received the final episodes today! This book won’t be available for either pre-release or public release until November. It's just going into the editing cycle now.
So, what have I learned from this last short drama novel? One of the principles of the short drama vertical videos is that episodes can’t be more than two or three minutes in length. That translates to about 650-700 prose words. Every episode has to drive the story forward with new information, excitement, and a compelling hook to get the reader to move forward with the story. Code Kitty is written in 600-700-word episodes. At fewer than 50,000 words, there are 63 episodes! This book has allowed me to experiment with a paranormal phenomenon, which will be helpful in my next novel as well.
Of course, there's a huge difference between vertical video viewers and book readers. Just before writing this post, I received a comment that the chapters of Just My Luck! are too short. And they are between 2,500 and 3,000 words in length! As novels go, that’s pretty generous in length. But 650 words is definitely too short. So, when I release Code Kitty, it will probably have three or four episodes per chapter. They will, however, determine the pace and rhythm of the story—something I really like.
Code Kitty will continue to be available to Sausage Grinder Patrons until its release in November, just as Sky’s the Limit (formerly known as Sky & Co.) will continue to be available in the first draft form until the pre-release serialization is finished.
But there’s more!
Now that I’ve learned so much from writing three short dramas, it’s time I returned to the longer form I’m known for and apply what I’ve learned. I’ve spent several weeks jotting notes on a new story titled My Name Is Vengeance, about an ancient demigod who transmigrates into the body of a young businessman in 1950. This mid-20th-century period piece will have a continuing rhythm of episodes, slightly longer than the 650-700 word length of Code Kitty. It will have clear plotlines and well-defined characters. It will have tension and release as it explores parallels between family and business rivalries in the 50s with the battles and wars of an ancient civilization that ended in ruin.
Here’s a teaser of what to expect:
The war was over. There was nothing left but ruins and legends. I wasn’t sure which I was. Perhaps both. I’d seen my family, friends, and countrymen slaughtered before me. I’d laid waste to our enemies. I couldn’t save my family, but I could avenge them.
My name is Vengeance.
Of course, I had a common name, I suppose. Like Tom or Bill or John or Sven. It was a long time ago. I don’t remember. I was born for revenge. My father laid that curse upon me.
“Son, the end is near. Be strong. Destroy the one who murders me. Lay waste to his lands and erase his name and his family from the earth.”
I could have lived with that. I was good at destroying. If only he had left it there. If only he had let me rest after I’d done his bidding. But he went on.
“Rise up from the rubble, my son. Find a new land—a new world. Restore your family’s honor. Rebuild our fortune. Take us on to greatness. That is where true vengeance lies.”
I left the devastation of our land. I set sail and followed the sun. I took only the jewel—our family’s token, given to me by my father—and my sword. Out there alone on the high seas, the gods intervened and crushed my dream, my destiny, beneath the waves. A storm raged around me day and night. I fought it with my little boat until my craft was nothing but splinters. Then I fought the waves with the strength of my arms and legs. At last, no matter my effort, I was dragged down to a watery tomb where my spirit continued to struggle, though my eyes and ears and lungs no longer functioned.
My spirit swore vengeance against the unforgiving sea. I defeated the swords and arrows of my enemies only to be conquered by a little water. I lashed out from the depths once more and my spirit found a fresh host. In a similar strait, he clung to the side of a craft with his last breath. He surrendered his body to me, extracting an oath that I would avenge his murder and his family’s abuse.
I agreed.
My name is Vengeance.
Now, don’t you want to join the Sausage Grinders who will see the chapters of this story in their raw unedited form as they develop, months before the public sees them? Join my Patreon community today! I’ll start posting chapters as I write them for Sausage Grinder Patrons next Sunday.