How do you know something is better as a short story or a novel?

The_Red_Wing · Nov 22, 2011

There are a few different scenarios I have in my head. I could turn each of them into a separate short story or link them together as part of a novel. I'm having trouble deciding which to do.

I was thinking that maybe I should write them as short stories because there's nothing stopping me from making them part of a novel later.

stray · Nov 22, 2011

The thing I do is write the idea as a short story first and if it naturally grows then I have a novel on my hands.

gyulameszaros · Nov 23, 2011

I can think of two examples:

I have read The Dragon and the Lotus by Joseph Lewis. It is a fantasy / alternative reality story about adventures of two women. The book consists of separate adventures, but the link is evident. At the end their journey reaches the final climax. At first I was not comfortable reading the book, because I expected one complete story. But finally I enjoyed the book.

I have read another book, which was announced as anthology. It had separate stories, but there were references to the other stories - a character here, a common place there. I really enjoyed it.

So I would go for writing short stories and creating an anthology.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 23, 2011

As long as the story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and isn't a story written just to set up a punch line of some sort, it can be told at any length.

Short stories and novels are made by how the writer opens the story, by what the writer chooses to put in the story, and by the structure the writer chooses to use.

Simply put, any idea can be a short story or a novel, and which it's going to be is a decision you should make before writing the first word.

Boatloads of short stories have won awards, and then been turned into novels, or entire series, by the writer. Perhaps the most famous is the Ender's Game stories by Orson Scott Card, but so many example sexist that it would take a week to list them all.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 23, 2011

gyulameszaros said:
So I would go for writing short stories and creating an anthology.

Well, an anthology is a book with stories by several writers. A collection is a book wherein all the stories are written by the same writer.

But this is the toughest way of writing, if you expect the stories to sell. Generally speaking, you have to sell short stories to a magazine before putting out a collection, and many shared-world anthologies are reserved for published writers, or are by invitation only.

MJNL · Nov 23, 2011

The_Red_Wing said:
There are a few different scenarios I have in my head. I could turn each of them into a separate short story or link them together as part of a novel. I'm having trouble deciding which to do.

I was thinking that maybe I should write them as short stories because there's nothing stopping me from making them part of a novel later.

I think you've got a good plan here. You can write them individually, sell them individually, and/ then further develop them into one coherent piece.

astonwest · Nov 23, 2011

How do you know something is better as a short story or a novel?

After you finish writing the story and read it through...

RobJ · Nov 23, 2011

The_Red_Wing said:
How do you know something is better as a short story or a novel?

What do you mean by 'better'?

What do you want to achieve?

The_Red_Wing · Nov 24, 2011

RobJ said:
What do you mean by 'better'?

What do you want to achieve?

Well, what I mean is that if something can work as both a short story and novel, then I would think the novel is the way to go because of commercial reasons. Like I'm fairly certain this would work as a short story, but it might work as a novel, too, and this is where I'm wondering which way to go.

astonwest · Nov 26, 2011

The_Red_Wing said:
Well, what I mean is that if something can work as both a short story and novel, then I would think the novel is the way to go because of commercial reasons. Like I'm fairly certain this would work as a short story, but it might work as a novel, too, and this is where I'm wondering which way to go.

Write out the plot...if it all fits on one page, try it as a short story. If not, go longer. In my opinion, there are very few stories that could work both ways...

Stijn Hommes · Nov 27, 2011

Short stories are typically centered around a handful of people and one single event while novels tell a series of events and often have a larger cast of characters.

If the idea for a single event sparks hundreds of other ideas, you probably have a novel. If you have an idea for a story and feel compelled to keep it all tight, it's probably a short. Sometimes professionals make the wrong choice here, so don't feel anxious about some experimentation here.

blacbird · Nov 30, 2011

You write it, and see how it comes out.

caw

Deizelcore · Dec 1, 2011

I suggest you stop overthinking and just start writing. Don't look at the word count, don't over or underwrite. Just write. Write until you know it's around the needed lenght. If it's as short as a story - let it be a story, if it's longer - let it be a novel.

As novice writers we spend too much time thinking about our works and not enough time actually writing them.

jaksen · Dec 16, 2011

Deizelcore said:
I suggest you stop overthinking and just start writing. Don't look at the word count, don't over or underwrite. Just write. Write until you know it's around the needed lenght. If it's as short as a story - let it be a story, if it's longer - let it be a novel.

As novice writers we spend too much time thinking about our works and not enough time actually writing them.

Oh, I love this advice!

Too many writers overthink - the important think is to write!

And submit.

And write.

And submit ...

Rufus Leeking · Dec 17, 2011

The_Red_Wing said:
Well, what I mean is that if something can work as both a short story and novel, then I would think the novel is the way to go because of commercial reasons. Like I'm fairly certain this would work as a short story, but it might work as a novel, too, and this is where I'm wondering which way to go.

The very first thing i ever wrote was a novel. Today it is clear it is the very first thing i ever wrote, and i lack the energy to rewrite it. But I have cannibalized (and rewritten) several stories from it.

If you are writing a novel's worth of words (whether several stories or a novel) why not just do it and see where you're at? Odds are it won't be done once you've finished your first draft so what difference does it make what you call it at first?

Anninyn · Dec 18, 2011

I used to think I could tell just from the idea when it popped in my head, but that's clearly wrong, as I wrote what I thought was a short story, only to discover it was actually the start of a novel I am NOT writing just yet, because I'm focusing on a different one.

Ken · Dec 18, 2011

... if I were you I'd try out a story first since it's less of a time investment.

StoneWheller · Dec 21, 2011

Just start writing. Let the story take you where it is to go. Once I thought I had an idea for a short story, but the characters just kept moving, getting into things, the story would not end until they were all there. It was a novel that began as a short story. So write. See where it goes.

Cidewalk · Dec 23, 2011

stray said:
The thing I do is write the idea as a short story first and if it naturally grows then I have a novel on my hands.

Exactly. This might be a skill that develops as you write many stories (novel or short length.) Usually, I can tell based on the idea what I want to do with it. Some do fall in the space between.

Even a novel starts out small. It sounds out like you have some ideas, so work on those. If they grow, write those ideas too. If the stories run together one after another, they might be a novel. If they are disjointed, but follow a common theme, perhaps a handful of short stories.

But people said that already. The real decision is novel vs short story, and that depends on your purpose.

If your goal is to write (to write because you can and want to,) it doesn't matter. Do whatever you feel like. Word count doesn't matter at home, except in hard drive space.

If you're trying to be published, the short story market can be easier on a new writer, because the publisher's risk is not quite as high. (Not to say they'll just take whatever people send in.)

SummerSurf57 · Dec 25, 2011

Just start writing and see how far you get. Don't write for length, write for content. It doesn't really matter what the length is - some are better suited as short stories, other whole novels.

Pt131313 · Jan 9, 2012

I agree, just start writing. Overthinking is the death knell of writers. It's going to be what it will be and you will know what that is once you have written the last word of your story.

Mark W. · Jan 10, 2012

Contrary to other opinions, I want to plan beforehand if a story is a short or a novel because they are very different beasts. Plan ahead and plot/outline. If your outline can be held to a few scenes and a narrow focus, then plan a short. If the story fills out your outline/flowchart/etc then plan for a novel.

But I don't think writing without a plan and seeing where the wordcount takes you is the way to go. That way leads to darkness, pain, and death (of your story).

M.Sheedy · Feb 2, 2012

Ambrose Bierce said a novel is a short story, padded. Something like that.

I was making notes for a novel some time ago and realized I could build up to the big "twist" with very little background info, so I wrote the piece as a short story. Then lately I looked through the notes and realized I had some good, fully-realized characters, so now I'm going to write the longer piece as intended. I think both will work okay, but one will just be a longer journey. Someone summarized Romeo and Juliet once as, "A couple of mixed-up kids run off together and end up dead." I prefer the play.

How do you know something is better as a short story or a novel?

The_Red_Wing

stray

gyulameszaros

Jules

Jamesaritchie

Jamesaritchie

MJNL

A Little Lost

astonwest

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

RobJ

The_Red_Wing

astonwest

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

blacbird

Deizelcore

This is not a user title

jaksen

Caped Codder

Rufus Leeking

Anninyn

Stealing your twiglets.

Ken

StoneWheller

Dancing Under Wintery Stars

Cidewalk

SummerSurf57

Pt131313

Mark W.

M.Sheedy