The Long and the Short of It

Most readers believe writing a collection of short stories is easier than writing a novel. They surmise fewer words represent reduced complexity. With this initial belief readers are incorrect. With this added assumption they’ve only compounded their error.

Here’s the long and the short of it.

A short story must contain all the elements of a novel. There are no aspects of story we gain license to omit based strictly on length. And no aspect of story is easy to conjure. So, with the short story collection a writer has multiplied his work, not reduced it. 

Take beginnings and endings for example. Determining where in a narrative to insert the reader is no simple task. The opening sentence and opening page have a great deal of responsibility in a novel and arguably more in a short fiction, as the objective of the opening must be accomplished in fewer sentences. Ending a story is intricate work as well. An ending must conclude a story yet leave the reader with room to imagine what comes after. When writing short fiction these difficult tasks come around more often.

Inherent in all of this is the matter of length. The writer of a short story must determine what to show the reader vs. what to leave out, as space is a central consideration. With the novel the writer can’t be sloppy and simply prattle on, but he can explore the more distant reaches of a story. The reader of short fiction has a primary expectation: that they will be provided with a story—and within the hour.

Think of the short story, not as a younger sibling of the novel, but as a formidable cousin who doesn’t cede anything to anyone.