I grew up in New York and moved to California when I was in my twenties. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and when I returned I got a master's degree from the University of Southern California. I worked as the administrator in a public law office, and now I write mystery novels of the "whodunit", multiple suspect, police procedural variety. I live in a small town in Southern California with my husband and two dogs.
Hi Carole. I agree with you. Short story writing and novel writing are very different skills. I’m not sure that one prepares you for the other (whichever direction you move). Of course, the more you write, the better you get, so writing a short story can certainly help improve your writing skills. Personally, I’ve never gotten into reading short stories. I’m one of those readers who look forward to digging in to a meaty story. So I write what I read!
I’m more inclined to read novels than short stories, too. I like the feeling of being in a whole world, while short stories are only a glimpse of the edge of that world.
I enjoy both. I can especially get into reading a short story collection by a single author. (I loved Murakami’s collection After the Quake.) As for writing short stories, I find they help me with writing longer fiction, as I practice the art of paring down excess words and reaching the essence of the story. And from a practical standpoint, short fiction has helped me reach an audience for my longer fiction.
I’ve never successfully written a short story, though I’ve written novels and feel confident with that process. I rarely read short stories. I remember meeting Katherine Hall Page at a book signing in New England. In addition to her new release, she had with her a few other titles, including a volume of short stories. She held up the stories enthusiastically and, probably in response to my unenthusiastic expression, shrugged and said something like, “Not everyone likes short stories. They’re different.” I bought the book of stories and never read one. (That says a lot about me, not about Katherine Hall Page, whom I admire! I’ve read every Faith Fairchild and have the latest on my TBR pile.) Carole’s response to Jane resonates with me! I like to immerse myself in a world when I pick up a book and enjoy several interwoven stories that play off each other within the same work. –kate
Even though I’ve always been a minimalist writer, I still struggle with writing short stories. I’ll read either short stories or novels if they grab my attention. Great post, Carole!
In the “old days,” authors began their careers with short stories in magazines and used that work to land an agent and book contract. Now with self pub and small presses, many writers skip short stories altogether and jump straight into novels. I did. Both art forms have their pluses and fans. Good post!
The Short Mystery Fiction Society (SMFS) has been hosting an on-line discussion about whether a writer should begin by writing short stories before tackling novels. Several of the contributors think that writing short stories is a good way to hone writing skills before tackling the longer work. Others say short stories often provide material which later turn into novels while there are some who feel that they are separate skills to master. I like to write short stories between novels, giving myself a break, developing other characters and situations, but I wouldn’t say I was an accomplished short story writer.
Hi Carole. I agree with you. Short story writing and novel writing are very different skills. I’m not sure that one prepares you for the other (whichever direction you move). Of course, the more you write, the better you get, so writing a short story can certainly help improve your writing skills. Personally, I’ve never gotten into reading short stories. I’m one of those readers who look forward to digging in to a meaty story. So I write what I read!
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I’m more inclined to read novels than short stories, too. I like the feeling of being in a whole world, while short stories are only a glimpse of the edge of that world.
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I enjoy both. I can especially get into reading a short story collection by a single author. (I loved Murakami’s collection After the Quake.) As for writing short stories, I find they help me with writing longer fiction, as I practice the art of paring down excess words and reaching the essence of the story. And from a practical standpoint, short fiction has helped me reach an audience for my longer fiction.
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I’ve never successfully written a short story, though I’ve written novels and feel confident with that process. I rarely read short stories. I remember meeting Katherine Hall Page at a book signing in New England. In addition to her new release, she had with her a few other titles, including a volume of short stories. She held up the stories enthusiastically and, probably in response to my unenthusiastic expression, shrugged and said something like, “Not everyone likes short stories. They’re different.” I bought the book of stories and never read one. (That says a lot about me, not about Katherine Hall Page, whom I admire! I’ve read every Faith Fairchild and have the latest on my TBR pile.) Carole’s response to Jane resonates with me! I like to immerse myself in a world when I pick up a book and enjoy several interwoven stories that play off each other within the same work. –kate
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Even though I’ve always been a minimalist writer, I still struggle with writing short stories. I’ll read either short stories or novels if they grab my attention. Great post, Carole!
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In the “old days,” authors began their careers with short stories in magazines and used that work to land an agent and book contract. Now with self pub and small presses, many writers skip short stories altogether and jump straight into novels. I did. Both art forms have their pluses and fans. Good post!
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I read both, but have only written a couple of short stories for anthologies–but my novels tend to be shorter than most.
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