Short Stories vs Novels

[Zero Angel]

I have a hard time preventing short stories from becoming novellas (or serials) at the least.

But I do enjoy penning them.

...still, for every short story I write, it causes me to outline at least one follow-up (or prequel) novella/novel.

It's a little frustrating when my "To Do" list grows every day.

 

[ThinkerX]

...still, for every short story I write, it causes me to outline at least one follow-up (or prequel) novella/novel.

Kinda sorta the boat I'm in, especially with the same characters appearing in different stories.

 

[Svrtnsse]

My short stories aren't really "stories" as such. They're little snapshots of the world they're set in taken from the perspective of one of its inhabitants. In that sense it doesn't matter as much if the character's story isn't finished. Rather, it gives me ideas for further snapshots of the world to write.

 

[Ireth]

Kinda sorta the boat I'm in, especially with the same characters appearing in different stories.

This is exactly my problem. I recycle characters a LOT. As some of you may have noticed, given the excerpts and info I've posted about such stories as "Winter's Queen" and "Bellringer", and my RP "Characters in a Can". ^^;

 

[Lorna]

I can't speak from experience about short stories / novel writing but I can speak about poetry / novel writing. I've been writing both for two years. As a poet I have had several poems published, read in local cafes and pubs and recently won a trophy and cheque for a poem for my city's guild celebration. I've spent about 1 / 10 of my time writing poems and had much more success.

The rest of my time spent working on a fantasy series produced six novels worth of draft, an incoherent world and once I'd reduced the material to a trilogy a weak confusing first novel.

Thinking small you can test the waters, find out where your work does and doesn't fit and seek advice from local writers and magazine editors etc. With poems or short stories it's easy to air and explain your work. Whilst it's near impossible to convey the point of your epic in a brief conversation.

Short stories are safe. Novels are a terrific gamble.

 

[CL Frey]

I can't speak for anyone else, but here's what I found works for me. I write and edit a lot for my line of work and it's all non-fiction. While this helps with the sentence structure, grammar, etc, it's not the same as crafting fiction. I've had an epic story in mind for at least the last five years but I knew it would be a complicated story to write well. I also knew that the more "seriously" I tend to take a project, the more I get bogged down in whether or not it is "perfect". Even when it's in draft stages. You can imagine how difficult this makes it to complete anything.

So, I decided to write a practice novel. It's a shorter, more simple story - a children's novel clocking in around 60,000 to 80,000 words. Kind of like the Hobbit, I guess, although it bears no relation to the epic piece. I've learned TONS from writing this story and really fallen in love with it (even as I call it a 'practice novel' and willy-nilly tear things apart to reconstruct them in a better fashion). But I'm on the second revision, and the writing started to bog down again. I decided I needed a project that I didn't take seriously AT ALL.

So, I've also started writing a series of linked short stories - sort of silly, sort of dark. I'm not worrying much about plot or characterization beyond one scene and one main character for each short story. They're linked loosely by a common setting. It's more an exercise for me to get the "plot" part of my brain rolling each day. They're usually between 500 and 1500 words.

I also found I had to re-adjust what I called a "short story", and mostly I have Neil Gaiman to thank for that. I always thought I hated short stories because they were usually so stuffy and depressing. But I loved reading the short stories he did for A Calendar of Tales (google it, they're free online). They aren't perfect. They aren't literary. But they're really quite entertaining, and most importantly, I thought - I can DO that. Or at least something very similar.

So, now I have three linked short stories up on Wattpad, and am looking forward to doing more. I'm writing and revising on the longer projects as inspiration strikes me. And I don't beat up on myself for not working on them in the meantime, because I've got something that will keep the writing machine going until I work the knots out and find the right chord again. It's not perfect, but it's working for now And by the time I do have a novel to release, I might have a short story collection to put out too.

 

[BWFoster78]

It seems like there are a lot of different questions wrapped up in the simple "Short Stories vs. Novels" title.

Here's what those questions seem to be:

1. Is one form "easier" than another?

Short stories are shorter, and thus take up less of your time. They do require a certain skill set, however, that some may find challenging. I don't think any writing is "easy."

2. Should I write short stories if I want to learn how to write novels?

Depends.

Are you trying to learn how to write a novel or are you trying to learn how to write?

If you're a beginner, just write something. Anything. Polish it, get feedback, and improve.

The truth is, it's going to be a while before you produce anything worth reading. You've got to hone your technique and your storytelling skills. There's a lot to learn.

In the end, there's nothing that can teach you about writing a novel like writing a novel can. You're going to have to bite the bullet and get started at some point. I wouldn't go too far with your grand epic novel until you get some basic skills down first, but that's just me. Each of your mistakes is a learning experience.

3. Which should I write to improve my chances of a successful career?

If you know of a way to guarantee a successful career, please let the rest of us in on the secret. Please!

If your goal is to produce stuff that finds some kind of audience and earns you a bit of additional cash, I think any of us can achieve that. If you're expecting JK Rowling $$$, well... More power to you.