I have several short stories that I was planning to write, but when I noticed they all shared something in common, I decided to combine them into one novel. Each of the stories involves crime.The hub for all of these stories - where they begin and end - will be a roadside motel/bar in rural Tennessee.
So far, my strategy is to write each of the short stories as standalone pieces, and then decide from there which elements to take from each to combine into a single novel.
Does this sound like a good strategy? Has anyone here tried anything like this before?
It can be done, I suppose. But it's probably not the best strategy for writing a novel in general.
A short story has a beginning and an end within the short story itself. A novel which is a combination of short stories still must start at the beginning of the novel and end at the end of the novel.
There could possibly be little beginnings and little ends for subplots and such.
My WIP started as something like a bunch of twenty plus short stories strung together, with no overall plot arc or even a central character. I couldn't make it work.
My opinion is that it seems like a waste of time to write the short stories first and use what elements you want in the novel. If you want to write a novel, then plan it that way.
Also, having the thing that ties everything together as a place will be tricky.
Since your central theme seems to be about crime, maybe have a detective as the main character? Or a witness to the crimes? This will of course change what you're trying to do.
For example, let's say you have the same witness for each crime: a hiding child. Why is the child there? What's happening in the child's life before witnessing these crimes, and how does witnessing the crimes change the child's life? You can see how the emphasis changes from your short story about crime to the main character.
I hope this helps.