What do you think of when you hear “short story”? If you’re a writer, it might call to mind a school assignment or a contest entry. For others, it might make you think of a high school or college literature class.
I share those thoughts. I’ve had to write my share of stories in school and I just submitted a contest entry this past week. I’ve also had to read my share of stories from literature anthologies in school. Two stories I read for that reason—“The Ransom of Red Chief” and “The Necklace”—remain favorites. Others were far too literary and at times even unsettling for my tastes.
Academics aside, the few fiction magazines left tend to focus on the “literary” genre, so short stories can easily become synonymous with that niche style. Most “popular” or “commercial” fiction comes in the form of novels. (You’ll notice that I’m using quotes a lot. That’s because so many labels for stories and other creative work come with connotations that I don’t necessarily agree with.)
Plain old economics and logistics are partly to blame for novels being the norm. Publishers want to charge standard rates for their books, so keeping them a standard size is important. But with all the options available to authors these days “standard” may not be a word we should use for publishing anymore.
In the past, short stories were a common form of entertainment for the general public. The Sherlock Holmes stories were published in magazines and had an enormous fanbase in the Victorian era. In the 1920s, Agatha Christie published many Poirot stories in magazines. My other favorite genre, sci-fi, also experienced a lot of early development and popularity in the pages of magazines.
I’m not here to mourn the good ol’ days of magazines, though. I’m here to share a way that short stories can make a comeback in the era of novels.
Let’s return to Sherlock Holmes. All the stories first published in periodicals were later collected into several book-length volumes. Economically and logistically, these books function the same as a novel even though they are composed of short stories. Agatha Christie also published a few short story collections as single volumes.
Like I said, the publishing landscape has changed a lot in recent years. New authors have freedom to play around with formats that big-name publishers won’t, and I think short story collections are definitely worth trying.
Why I Love Short Stories
For those who haven’t read many short stories outside of Intro to Lit, here are some reasons I love the medium.
Short stories are great for busy people. If you don’t have much reading time, getting through a novel could take quite a while. That’s ok sometimes, but part of the reading experience is progressing through the plot. The most satisfying part of a story is often the final twist, the unexpected conclusion, or the happily ever after. Short stories allow you to experience the entire arc of a story over a shorter period of time, which is great when you can only squeeze in a few pages a day.
Short stories are great if you love compact and to-the-point storytelling. This is one reason I like TV shows better than movies. There is no room for going overboard with subplots or description. Similarly, a good short story must have a strong central plot and let that central plot shine.
Short stories that are part of a series can be a great way to get your fix of your favorite characters when you don’t want to start a longer book. They can also let a series explore their characters and settings from more angles and in more scenarios that might not warrant a full novel.
From the writing point of view, short stories have many appealing traits. They give you the freedom to work with a story idea that you love but can’t expand into a novel. They have a quicker turnover rate than novels but still present plenty of challenges that require you to use and hone your skills. They let you try out different topics and styles you don’t love enough to spend months on but still can’t get out of your head.
If I may hop on my soap box for a moment…
Short stories are not any less (or more) worthy than novels!
In my experience so far, the writing community tends to hold up the 50,000-word threshold of novelhood as every writer’s highest goal. Anything else you write is merely a steppingstone toward that goal. This is not true. Writing a good short story and writing a good novel are totally separate goals. The highest goal is the one that is right for you right now. Doing one first doesn’t lessen that achievement or make it a steppingstone. Yes, short stories can be great writing practice, but not in the same way that scales are good piano practice. They are complete and wonderful songs of their own.
Brownwood Grove
As I’ve been planning and writing the next book in the Brownwood Grove series, it’s become clear that a short story collection is the way to go. I got great feedback about the short and sweet length of White Marbles, and I think short stories are a great fit for the lighthearted, humorous feel of the series.
I have most of the stories roughly planned, so all that remains is to write them. Then to edit them. Then to edit again. And rewrite. And some of them probably weren’t planned as well as I thought…. And…
Well, I think you get the picture. I’m not ready to give even a rough estimate of when the book will be out. In addition to all the roller coaster adventures of the writing process, I’m spinning several plates, most of them involving school, so I can’t put book writing at the top of my priority list. I plan to share occasional updates as I progress through the process, but I haven’t even set a goal for myself regarding when that process will end.
As my mom used to tell me when I was anxious for people to arrive at my birthday parties: it’ll get here when it gets here.