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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Are Short Stories a Waste of Time?

I've been reviewing the feedback I received from reviewers of Tales of Woe and Wonder. The stories most people mentioned as liking or memorable are the longer stories. The most common complaint is that some of the stories need to be longer or even stretched into a novel. I'm glad the reviewers want more, but there's a problem here, a contradiction in the "short story industry." If you try to sell stories to magazines or anthologies, you quickly run up against word count limits and anyone who has tried to sell stories will probably confirm the adage that it's easier to sell a shorter story than a longer story. There are practical reasons for this desire for shorter stories on the part of publishers. They have a limited budget (if they pay by the word) and limited space. You don't want to publish an anthology or magazine with only one or two stories. But readers seem to want longer stories with more plot and character development.

What do you do? Write shorter stories that sell but with which most readers are dissatisfied or write longer stories that readers like but you can't sell. I think the answer is to write novels to sell to publishers, novellas to market on Kindle, and long stories in the 5-10K range that you can market as Kindle shorts. I think you can succeed with shorter stories if they are part of a series with recurring characters.

Am I going to quit writing short stories? No. I like short stories, but I'm going to focus on longer stories and linked stories. There are publishers emerging that focus on selling long short stories to the Kindle market. And in honor of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to spend 75% of my writing time this month on a novel. I have three in various states so it's time to pick one and finish it (as soon as I complete this short story that I'm editing).

I would love to hear what fellow writers and readers have to say on this topic.

11 comments:

  1. Maybe it is more of a compliment that readers want more from your short stories...just as we wish some novels never ended.

    If they are truly dissatisfied with the length of the short story, perhaps they should be reading novellas/novels instead.

    On the other hand, I've seen this many times with rejections...editors want more from my characters or plot, but I'm already near maximum word count. I realize then that the short story I'm writing might work better as a novella/novel. I fall into the trap of building too many details, subplots, etc. Still, I might send it out again, and find that another editor thinks of it totally different and loves it.

    Good luck! ; ]

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Erin. I put a log of details into my stories as well. That's why I'm leaning to writing longer stories. I just hope I can find markets for them.

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  2. Really interesting post. I do see/hear similar feedback on short stories needing to be longer, while at the same time flash fiction and microfiction seem to be growing exponentially in popularity, so clearly extra-short narratives can work too. It's definitely difficult (okay, impossible) to please all readers while fitting into market needs, but hopefully it's possible to find a balance while telling each story in the way it asks to be told.

    Thanks for the food for thought, and congrats on meeting your W1S1 goals!

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    1. I think you're right about flash. There appears to be a niche market for those. Very hard to write though. I often start out which what I think will be a flash story but it ultimately expands to two or three times the length.

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  3. A series of shorts involving recurring characters seems to be the way to go. My Coyote Cal reprints have done the best via Kindle, and second place goes to Captain Quasar. I haven't gone "direct to Kindle" yet; I still have much to gain through the editorial process.

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    1. Shorts with recurring characters have the feel of a television series which is obviously a successful model. Kind of like a series of novels, only shorter. : )

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  4. Sounds like you've got a good, balanced approach. I'm definitely veering towards longer works, too, but I can't imagine ever giving up on short stories or flash stories. I think it's good to write them all.

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    1. I don't want to give up shorts either. Unless I find the fountain of youth, I couldn't possibly turn every idea I have into a novel.

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  5. Well I guess it depends on the reader. I find novels too long. And love, love, love the short. So keep on writing them, says I.

    Congratulations on hitting your W1S1 goals.

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  6. I agree with Deborah, it depends on the reader. Some prefer long complicated plots, others enjoy a quickie. It may just be that you attract the novel readers, rather than the short story readers. I certainly don't expect a flash fiction story to have all the character development of a novel/novella, though I've encountered a few that felt half-finished.

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  7. I think short stories tend to be underrated these days. I love them. I love novels too, but sometimes I just don't have time or the attention span for 300 pages :)

    ~ Rhonda Parrish

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