I’ve never said the words, “I find novels boring.” But I can appreciate the sentiment behind such a feeling. We all get burned out from time to time, after all.

If you read one book and don’t like it, it’s probably something specific about that book that disappointed you. But if you’ve tried multiple authors, genres, and/or cultures, and still think novels are boring—then yeah, long-form traditional fiction might not be for you. (At least not right now.)

But that doesn’t mean you should give up on narrative experiences entirely. If you find novels boring, consider stepping just a little out of your comfort zone and try the following instead.

Determining Your Pain Point(s) as a Reader

If you can, try and be more specific about what it is about novels you don’t like. For example:

• If you enjoy reading books at first but find your attention wandering partway through, length might be the problem.
• If you feel like you’re reading the same thing over and over again, look for books with more unconventional storytelling approaches.
• If you’re yawning because you’d rather be playing video games, you might need a more interactive narrative experience.

More than one of these might sound like you. If that’s the case, think about which one might be most relevant to you—but keep the others in mind. We’ll talk about combined solutions in just a bit. And if none of these sound like you, or if you’re still just not sure, look at the solutions first and see if any of them spark your interest, and proceed from there.

What to Read if You Find Novels Boring

Once you’ve got some idea of why you find novels boring, you can try out other narrative experiences that don’t have that same problem.

If you find novels are too long for you to enjoy…

Try: short stories or poetry

The average novel length nowadays is about 90,000 words, or about 180 pages—though that can vary significantly depending on the genre you’re interested in. Fantasy novels, for example, tend to be the longest at 109,000 words on average, whereas erotica taps out at 58,000 words.

Short stories, on the other hand, average at just 30,000—a third of the length of novels. If that still feels too long right now, flash fiction and poetry might be more your speed. Most flash fiction won’t push past 1,000 words at most; for poetry, look for haikus, limericks, sonnets, and other short-form options.

If you’re looking for prose, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the following: Ray Bradbury for sci-fi, Neil Gaiman for fantasy, Stephen King for horror, Katherine Mansfield for literary fiction, and Edgar Allan Poe, also for horror. If you’re looking for poetry, my personal top shelf includes Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, Robert Frost, and Mary Oliver. (And of course, Gaiman and Poe have also published their fair share of poetry as well.)

If you’re tired of the same fiction tropes over and over again… 

Try: experimental literature

Experimental literature is exactly what it sounds like—an open-minded narrative approach that plays with form, function, and content to tell unique stories in unique ways. Experimental literature questions everything we think we know about storytelling and then asks, “Yeah, but what if we did this instead?”

Experimental literature is nothing new. A century ago, when novels were still a relatively, well, novel idea, authors often played with conventions simply to see what worked and what didn’t. But modern authors continue the tradition in order to push the envelope and continue to explore the potential of human creativity.

David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas, published an entire short story via Twitter. Austin Kleon’s Newspaper Blackout was the book that launched a thousand (or more) blackout poems. And—my personal favorite—Neil Gaiman basically crowdsourced themes for the short stories in A Calendar of Tales by asking fans questions about their experiences of each month of the year and wrote stories inspired by their answers.

If you prefer to play a more active role in your narrative experiences…

Try: interactive fiction

Fellow gamers, if you’re not big on books but want to read more than just the odd social media post or game review, this is my favorite recommendation for you. Imagine this: a story that allows you to make choices that affect where the story goes next. A story that you get to help shape.

For example, say the main character is a knight on a quest. He meets another knight, who challenges him to a duel. Traditional fiction tells you what happens next. Interactive fiction lets you decide.

Simple IF novels do this by giving you options like, “Accept his challenge,” “Decline his challenge,” or “Laugh in his face.” (IF stories are often, though not always, written in second person.) More complex ones may require you to type in commands like “walk” or “open door” to direct the main character’s actions. (The Brass Lantern has a more in-depth guide to IF here.)

If you’re completely new to interactive fiction—even if you identify as a gamer—I’d recommend starting with the simpler kind first. The Choice of Games and CoG Hosted Games libraries are good starting points—Creatures Such as We by Lynnea Glasser is a popular starter recommendation. The classic “Choice of…” games like Choice of Romance or Choice of the Dragon are also pretty easy (and fun) stories to ease you into IF.

If you relate to more than one of these options…

Here’s the full list of possible combos:

• “Novels are too long and I’m tired of old tropes.”—Look for short experimental fiction, like that David Mitchell short story I mentioned (which you can find here).
• “Novels are too long and I want something more interactive.”—There are plenty of short IF stories and even interactive poems you might enjoy more; my own IF novella, chiaroscuro, only takes about an hour or two to read once.
• “I’m tired of old tropes and I want something more interactive.”—Look for experimental interactive fiction, like the games Emily Short listed here.
• “Novels are too long, too repetitive, and not interactive enough.”—Narrow your search down to short experimental interactive fiction. Maybe try Accidental Character Generator, a subtle narrative experience masquerading as a fantasy/sci-fi character generator.

Finding the Right Story for You

If at first you don’t succeed… keep reading! While I am absolutely of the opinion that not every story—or even every storytelling medium—is right for everyone, I do think we all need a fictional escape now and again.

I doubt I’ll ever utter the words, “I find novels boring,” because books have always played such an integral role in my life. But never say “never,” I suppose. If you loved novels in the past and just find them grating now, maybe consider taking a break from reading before you give up on them entirely. Or, try one of the options above.

Oh, and if it’s just hard for you to sit and focus on the words on the page, but you love a good story (long or short)—don’t forget about audiobooks! Even if you can’t afford to buy them regularly, many libraries now offer rentals, even online.

If you want to read more but haven’t figured out what to read yet, you’ll find your groove, I promise. Just be patient and play around with your options. Eventually, the right story will find you.

Kim Berkley is an author and narrative designer who is equally passionate about books and video games. If you’re looking for some interactive fiction to read, try her fantasy IF novel The Harbinger’s Head. Or, if you prefer shorter works, check out her free IF novella, chiaroscuro.