The Shroud Underground

christammiller · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject: Short stories or novels?

This was asked on another list I belong to (short mystery fiction) and I was interested to see what you all would say too...

Which do you prefer to write -- novels or short stories? And why?
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Christa M. Miller
Assistant Editor, Shroud Magazine

John P. Wilson · Disciple Joined: 19 Mar 2008 Posts: 48

Short stories. I can turn them out anywhere between one day and one week. Getting a rejection is no big deal. It doesn't even sting. A novel, however, is different. I'm almost finished with my first, and I'm afraid to even query publishing companies about it or agents. I think the reason is the amount of time I've invested into the project. I know that getting a rejection for my novel (two years in the making) is going to hurt like a S.O.B. Also, the novel is a lot more personal to me. More words, more insight.
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Natalie L. Sin · Grand Master Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 91

I'm with John. I'm about halfway through my novel, been on "break" for over six months, and getting back to it has been an uphill climb. Short stories, while not "easy," are easier. Emotionally and time-wise.

Steve Vernon · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:39 pm Post subject:

I have been mostly concentrating on longer work for the last few years - novellas and novels. I find it a little hard to adapt back to writing short fiction these days - in spite of the fact that I wrote nothing but short fiction for an awful lot of years.

It's a little like sprinting versus marathon running. They just aren't the same at all.

Phil Kuhlman · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:21 am Post subject:

I'm currently working on a novel, or novella, it depends on how long it turns out to be (I just write as it comes out, I find it makes the story feel less forced). I love the short story though. It's an art form that really seems to get pushed aside by the broader base of the public, yet they still come to them for most of the "book to movie" ideas out there.

The short story is probably my favorite thing to write. My novel in fact started out as a few loosely connected short stories that just worked well when hooked up. It makes it feel a bit choppy and episodic, but I'm ironing it all out as I go. At least I hope I'm ironing it out.

But if you can't write a good short story, then you're going to have trouble writing a novel if you ask me.

I love that a short story can really refresh you as a writer if you're working on a larger story. During my chemotherapy it was incredibly hard to write at all, but when I was in the mood and felt well enough to, it would help to write a short story first just to get my brain freed up a bit and get me past the writer's block on my main story.