The Importance of Short Stories
Over the past few months, I’ve been asked by a variety of people about the best way to start writing your first book. I always say the same thing: start by writing short stories. Even if you are exclusively interested in writing novels, learning how to write by creating short stories is valuable for a variety of reasons.
1) Setting out to write 1,500 words is much less taunting than setting out to write a novel. Many first-time writers think a 300 or 400-page book is beyond their ability. But if writers can learn how to write a short story, with a beginning, middle, and end, all they have to be able to do is write a series of related short stories in order to write that novel. After all, that’s basically what each chapter of a book is: a short story with an introduction, an unfolding scene, and a resolution to some kind of conflict. Learn how to write a short story and you already have one chapter of the novel done!
2) Short stories force you to use your words carefully. If you have a 1,200 or 1,500 word limit, every word is critical. You learn how to delete any sentence that doesn’t drive the story forward, and because of that you create stories that are tight and keep the reader’s interest. Readers can tell when you have something important to say. They can also tell when you are only writing to see your own words on paper. When they find a book that could have entire paragraphs cut out, they get frustrated. Learning how to write short stories helps you avoid that pitfall.
3) Even if you only want to write novels, having a couple short stories published is a great way to build a writing resume. It’s very difficult to stand out from the masses of people trying to get readers to notice their books. One of the many ways authors can give themselves an advantage is by having short stories published. Agents see this as proof that someone else has already read your writing and thought it was worth printing. Publishers see this as a writer who already has at least a small readership. And if you self-publish, making short stories available for free is a great way for readers to take a chance on a new author before deciding to hunker down to read a complete novel.
These are just three of the reasons I tout short stories as a great way for new writers to learn how to approach that book they’ve always wanted to write. If you can think of additional reasons, drop me a line and let me know what they are. Happy writing.
1) Setting out to write 1,500 words is much less taunting than setting out to write a novel. Many first-time writers think a 300 or 400-page book is beyond their ability. But if writers can learn how to write a short story, with a beginning, middle, and end, all they have to be able to do is write a series of related short stories in order to write that novel. After all, that’s basically what each chapter of a book is: a short story with an introduction, an unfolding scene, and a resolution to some kind of conflict. Learn how to write a short story and you already have one chapter of the novel done!
2) Short stories force you to use your words carefully. If you have a 1,200 or 1,500 word limit, every word is critical. You learn how to delete any sentence that doesn’t drive the story forward, and because of that you create stories that are tight and keep the reader’s interest. Readers can tell when you have something important to say. They can also tell when you are only writing to see your own words on paper. When they find a book that could have entire paragraphs cut out, they get frustrated. Learning how to write short stories helps you avoid that pitfall.
3) Even if you only want to write novels, having a couple short stories published is a great way to build a writing resume. It’s very difficult to stand out from the masses of people trying to get readers to notice their books. One of the many ways authors can give themselves an advantage is by having short stories published. Agents see this as proof that someone else has already read your writing and thought it was worth printing. Publishers see this as a writer who already has at least a small readership. And if you self-publish, making short stories available for free is a great way for readers to take a chance on a new author before deciding to hunker down to read a complete novel.
These are just three of the reasons I tout short stories as a great way for new writers to learn how to approach that book they’ve always wanted to write. If you can think of additional reasons, drop me a line and let me know what they are. Happy writing.
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Lupe
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Feb 03, 2014 06:53AM
Do you think that participating in NaNoWriMo is a good way to go also? I've tried doing that a couple of times, but can never get off to a good start, then just kinda let it go.
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I'm not very familiar with NaNoWriMo and definitely don't have any experience with it, but any event that encourages everyone to get out and start writing that book they've always dreamed of writing can't be bad.
Getting shorts published by good, pro-paying publications is enormously difficult. (Having said that, there are lots of non-paying mags, both online and off. Or you get a token payment and a few copies of the magazine.)But getting a short bought by a pro-paying magazine is no walk in the park. The magazines I write for get upward of 400 submissions per month - for 6 or 7 slots. If you check on any submission tracker, say Duotrope, you'll find that if you do get a top tier magazine to buy your story, you're considered an outlier.
Not wanting to sink anyone's boat of hope here. But also want to say many writers think that writing shorts and novels are two 'different animals' altogether. You'll find this a very common opinion. They'll go on to say you use 'different skill sets' for shorts and longer works. I say 'Baloney' to that myself. A lot of other writers totally disagree and will argue 'til the cows come home, so to speak.
When I want to write short, I write short. If I want to write longer, I do so. Writing is writing, imo.
