Why I Write Short Stories
Although I’ve been extra focused on writing, editing, and revising several novels over the past few years, I cannot talk about my love of writing without talking about the art form known as the short story. Short stories are where I get to create entire miniature universes—compact yet capable of containing all the depth and diversity of full-length novels… or at least, close.
What’s Awesome About Short Story Writing
Concise and Precise
Short stories require us to distill everything down into compact forms without sacrificing substance. It’s no small challenge! It’s an exercise in precision, for sure. As a poet turned novel over-writer, being pushed to choose each sentence, phrase, and paragraph with intention and purpose has only improved my writing.
Diverse Themes
The condensed nature of short stories allows for exploration of diverse themes within a confined space. From love and loss to existential ponderings, short stories provide a container for an array of emotions, ideas, and human experiences. It’s life, concentrated. Plus, when I’m committed to something that’s only 5-10 pages or so, it’s easier to allow myself the freedom to explore themes I might not otherwise want to tackle in a long form piece.
Moments of Revelation
Short stories excel at capturing moments of revelation. Whether it's a sudden twist, an unexpected realization, or a profound shift in perspective, the concise format allows us to really highlight especially pivotal moments. It’s no small feat, and I have so much respect for short story writers who excel at this.
Memorable Characters
Each character must be meticulously crafted, their essence clear in only a few pages. When done well, we’re able to create memorable characters who linger in the reader's mind long after the story concludes. The challenge is that we have very little word count to accomplish it. I love this challenge and truly believe it’s helped me write better characters in my novels as well.
Style and Form
Short stories are great for playing with style and form. From traditional narratives to more experimental structures, the condensed format allows me to let go, have fun, and explore in ways I can’t in something like a novel. It's an opportunity to challenge conventions and present stories in innovative ways that might not be feasible in longer formats. When I’m writing a novel, it’s a massive commitment to one style or form because I don’t want to confuse my readers with inconsistency in either area. But in short stories, we really do get to just dive in and try new things. My last Writing Tip blog post was about writing style, and I think short stories are a great way to put some of those tips into practice. It’s how I really began to develop my own style.
Provoking Thought in Limited Words
The economy of language demands clarity and impact because every sentence must carry its own weight, and each word must contribute to the narrative. As an over-writer, this one fact alone makes short story writing an invaluable tool in my belt. I truly believe my novels are better off because I’ve practiced this particular skill through short stories.
Quick Escapes
Short stories provide quick escapes for both writers and readers. In a world that often moves at a frenetic pace, the accessibility of short stories offers a quick retreat into different worlds, allowing us to experience a complete narrative in a single sitting. Nobody has to commit to hundreds of pages. It’s the length of a chapter; most of us can do that!
Capturing Transient Moments
Short stories excel at capturing the fleeting instances that make up our actual lives. Whether it's a passing encounter, a brief epiphany, or a snapshot of a character's life, short stories freeze these moments in time. I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve finished a short story and wished I’d had more moments with those characters or in those worlds, but that’s part of the beauty of it.
Creativity
Short stories are a playground for creativity. The concise format allows me to generate endless ideas and experiment with various plots, characters, and themes. It's a space where creativity can flow freely, and who knows—it could end up sparking my next big novel idea. It wouldn’t be the first time.
I’m fairly certain I will always continue to write short stories, even if I never officially publish a single one outside of online contests. And I’m also fairly certain I will continue to read short stories, for all the reasons I’ve already discussed. In the span of a few pages we get to experience entire worlds and meet fascinating characters. What’s better than that? I guess an argument could be made for novels (or even a series or two) being better, especially if you’ve grown attached to the world/characters, but I maintain that short stories hold a special place in the literary world, and more of us would benefit from diving into that space.
Happy reading and writing these miniature universes!
