Short stories just a beginning?

Sesselja · Aug 18, 2006

Are short stories just a beginning to a writing career?

I'm asking, because it seems a lot of writers have a short story collection as their debut book and then never published shorties again after that. And in the blurb of one of the short stories I just brougt back from the library it says (my translation): "This collection shows the beginning of a great writing career."

Do people (readers as much as writers) view short stories as only worthy in the start of a career? An apprenticeship before the "real" work of novel writing starts?

CaroGirl · Aug 18, 2006

I think the answer is that every writer takes an individual path. Some writers begin by writing and publishing short stories, amassing credits, maybe publishing a short story collection, and then move on to writing and publishing novels. Some novelists have never written a short in their lives. Some short story writers (Alice Munro) have never even attempted a novel.

My plan is to try to go the route of the first group of writers: write and pub shorts, and then try to pub my novel.

MidnightMuse · Aug 18, 2006

Yes, it definitely varies. Some do use Shorts as a launching pad, to either get their feet wet or gain some Street Cred. Some write only Short, and never even desire to write longer works.

Still others write only full-length novels and never considered writing a Short.

Then there's my catagory - someone who's written only long, full length novels (I'm not published yet, so take my opinion with that in mind) but would enjoy trying her hand at Shorts (for aforementioned street cred and some exposure) but can't seem to curb her long-windedness!

jchines · Aug 18, 2006

Write what you want to write. There's no one correct way to do it, and you don't have to publish short stories before publishing a novel. (Or vice versa, for that matter.)

As for collections . . . it's my understanding that they rarely sell that well. Personally, I wouldn't want to sell a collection of my short fiction yet. I'm not well known enough, and I suspect it would be a disaster.

But maybe in 5-10 years

Sesselja · Aug 18, 2006

I am not asking for permission or looking for the correct thing to do. I am merely wondering if short stories are viewed as the ugly duckling, the envious step-sister, of fiction writing by most readers and writers.

Kate Thornton · Aug 18, 2006

Sesselja said:
I am not asking for permission or looking for the correct thing to do. I am merely wondering if short stories are viewed as the ugly duckling, the envious step-sister, of fiction writing by most readers and writers.

I hope not - and I don't think that's true.

I write short stories and - like many others - view it as a legitimate art form of its own, very much different from novel or other fiction writing forms. As such, the form itself stands on its own.

Many novelists try their hand at the short fiction form - some are more successful than others. And of course, the publishing industry is a whole other kettle of fish...

Good topic, Sesselja!

crypticquill · Aug 18, 2006

Kate Thornton said:
I write short stories and - like many others - view it as a legitimate art form of its own, very much different from novel or other fiction writing forms. As such, the form itself stands on its own.

I very much agree. Writing short stories is definitely an art form of its own, and although some people may use the short story as a stepping stone, some people stand on them almost entirely. Look at Poe.

maestrowork · Aug 18, 2006

there are many different paths to have a career. but the one constant is: keep writing. it's rare that you can build your entire career with just one thing, unless your name is Harper Lee. many writers start with short stories (Stephen King, for example) and continue to write both shorts and novels. some start with novels and then venture into short stories. some stay in their respective corners. as long as you keep writing what you want to write and what people want to read, i don't see there's any difference.

blacbird · Aug 18, 2006

maestrowork said:
as long as you keep writing what you want to write and what people want to read, i don't see there's any difference.

Yeah. The real difference is in being able to write what people want to read, or being like me.

caw.

Silver King · Aug 18, 2006

crypticquill said:
Look at Poe.

He had a little help with poetry. He died in a gutter, penniless, so it must not have helped him too much financially. Readers have been the beneficiaries for the great wealth he left behind, though.

I'd like to trade places with MidnightMuse, just for a brief time. Then she can write all the shorts her heart desires, and I can get that big, fat book under my belt.

crypticquill · Aug 19, 2006

^True, but we aren't talking about monetary benefits, like you said - we readers have been the beneficiaries.

So many writers don't become famous until after they're gone. Well, past writers - I don't think that happens too often these days? Hmm. Perhaps using an example from the past wasn't the right choice.

TeddyG · Aug 19, 2006

I personally don't think it is the debut to a writing career. Some writers are much better known for their short stories than novels (O'Henry, IB Singer etc.)

The short story itself, I feel, is much more difficult to master than a novel in some ways. Look at it with this analogy which I always do -

A novel is like a video. You begin filming, you pan in and pan out, you can afford to make a second mistake here and there, loose focus etc. cause you will correct that focus.

The short story is like a still picture. You get one click. One chance. One shot. In that picture you have to give the viewer the entire picture.

The thing is, it is VERY difficult to get a short story anthology published. Most publishers really would need to see that you are published in some great print mags before touching an anthology.

Though I do think it is true, that many writers move from the short story to the Novel and tend to stay there. It is as they say, as much work to get a short story accepted for pub. as it is a novel. And in a novel you have so much more space and time to develop and paint your story.

I started off loving the short story then for years veered away from it, and now I find myself right back where I started. I guess a lot depends, as most wrote here, on exactly what you are painting, how you want to paint it, and what you want to say.

I happen to love well-written short stories. I also love writing them.

bsolah · Aug 19, 2006

I started writing Shorts as a kind of warm-up. I plan to write and publish Shorts as I'm working on novels. I want to build up a street cred in the horror community before my novels hit the shelves (if they ever do) and also, I like writing short stories. Novel writing to me, is a little more challenging, but I do it because it seems a little bit more respectable and the pay-off emotionally would be much higher.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 19, 2006

Sesselja said:
I am not asking for permission or looking for the correct thing to do. I am merely wondering if short stories are viewed as the ugly duckling, the envious step-sister, of fiction writing by most readers and writers.

No, short stories are simply viewed as something very difficult to sell, and something you can't make very much money for writing.

Outside of literary fiction, very few writers have a collection of short stories published before they sell a novel. Short story collections don't sell very well, even from most big name writers, and often sell almost not at all when from an unknown writer.

Good short story credits can make it much easier to convince an agent or editor to look at your novel manuscript, but once you begin selling novels, there often is much time for writing more short stories, especially with the limited number of markets, and the lack of much money for selling them.

LoisP · Aug 19, 2006

Sesselja said:
I am not asking for permission or looking for the correct thing to do. I am merely wondering if short stories are viewed as the ugly duckling, the envious step-sister, of fiction writing by most readers and writers.

I think writers and readers who've never tried to write a good short story might see them as the porr relations of fiction.

I beleive a good short story needs more discipline and control than a longer work. They are my favourite form to read and write. I've sold and placed quite a few, and am now working on a novel which I believe are easier to sell in book form. But I still keep coming up with germs of ideas for new shorts which I will get back to when I get a chance.

LP

Jamesaritchie · Aug 19, 2006

poe

crypticquill said:
I very much agree. Writing short stories is definitely an art form of its own, and although some people may use the short story as a stepping stone, some people stand on them almost entirely. Look at Poe.

I suspect far more people know Poe because of The Raven than from his short stories.

But that was then and this is now. Short story markets are not nearly as numeraous as they once were, and outside of science fiction, it's pretty difficult to become well-known because of short stories.

crypticquill · Aug 20, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
I suspect far more people know Poe because of The Raven than from his short stories.

That may have been true in junior high/high school, when all I (and the rest of my classmates) was exposed to was Poe's poetry, but after I started college (and later took a mini course on Poe) I realized that Poe was much more than The Raven.

Of course, I'm answering on behalf of myself only, so obviously there are people out there who only really know him for his poetry.

I was watching something on TV the other day, in which the comment was made that Poe can be credited as the inventor of the short story (and I know people will disagree with that, but please, it's not the point of this reply) because of the newspaper/magazine market (I can't remember which) booming at the time, and there only being room for short stories.

So, I think people would do well to know him for more than his poetry.

MMWyrm · Aug 20, 2006

I have to admit I am guilty of the deeply held belief that I should get some short stories published before I try getting my novel published. Intellectually, I know that this is false. I believe that it is really just my fear at being rejected (OH! I have to get over that!) that is causing procrastination in submitting anything.

Publishing short stories, on and off line, can increase your fan base, right?

johnnysannie · Aug 20, 2006

Jamesaritchie said:
I suspect far more people know Poe because of The Raven than from his short stories.

But that was then and this is now. Short story markets are not nearly as numeraous as they once were, and outside of science fiction, it's pretty difficult to become well-known because of short stories.

I don't completely agree. When I was in high school, we studied Poe's short stories in our Lit classes. Same in college. Although my days as a student are long since past, when I was teaching, Poe's short stories - including "The Tell Tale Heart" - were still being taught in Lit classes.

Poe's poetry is something I've read to my children (oldest now ten) almost since birth because his language is so beautiful and one of the best expressed language among poets. In their Scholastic book orders, Poe collections are sold to elementary age students so his poetry remains popular but it's just the beginning!

crypticquill · Aug 20, 2006

johnnysannie said:
I don't completely agree. When I was in high school, we studied Poe's short stories in our Lit classes. Same in college. Although my days as a student are long since past, when I was teaching, Poe's short stories - including "The Tell Tale Heart" - were still being taught in Lit classes.

How could I forget about The Tell Tale Heart - I read that in high school, and later taught it when I was teaching.

earthshoes · Aug 20, 2006

I write poetry, short stories, and novels. They are three different critters that come from completely different places inside of me--though short stories and poetry are closer to one another than they are to novels.

pickman · Aug 20, 2006

My initial motivation to write short stories was to build up a track record, so that perhaps an agent might not throw my letters in the bin when I send them my novel manuscript. I had already written two novels back in the days when I knew nothing about publishing, but neither of them were that good.

After a while, I looked on short story writing as a way of developing my own style and seeing what works and what doesn't before writing longer work. Thankfully, I'm now more serious about writing short fiction after having written stories that I was quite proud of. Sometimes I even enjoy it.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 20, 2006

johnnysannie said:
I don't completely agree. When I was in high school, we studied Poe's short stories in our Lit classes. Same in college. Although my days as a student are long since past, when I was teaching, Poe's short stories - including "The Tell Tale Heart" - were still being taught in Lit classes.

Poe's poetry is something I've read to my children (oldest now ten) almost since birth because his language is so beautiful and one of the best expressed language among poets. In their Scholastic book orders, Poe collections are sold to elementary age students so his poetry remains popular but it's just the beginning!

His short stories are certainly famous, and are still being taught, but out in the general public, away from literature classes, I suspect you'll see fifty times as many references to The raven.

But, again, that was then and this is now. Today, it's darned near impossible to be widely known simply for writing short stories.

Flapdoodle · Aug 20, 2006

pickman said:
My initial motivation to write short stories was to build up a track record, so that perhaps an agent might not throw my letters in the bin when I send them my novel manuscript. I had already written two novels back in the days when I knew nothing about publishing, but neither of them were that good.

After a while, I looked on short story writing as a way of developing my own style and seeing what works and what doesn't before writing longer work. Thankfully, I'm now more serious about writing short fiction after having written stories that I was quite proud of. Sometimes I even enjoy it.

I love writing short stories. I've written two today, one 6000 words, the other 2000. I get a real thrill out it.

Bubastes · Aug 20, 2006

Sesselja said:
Do people (readers as much as writers) view short stories as only worthy in the start of a career? An apprenticeship before the "real" work of novel writing starts?

I view short stories and novels as being worthy of equal respect. I'm not even sure if I can compare the two because they're such different animals. I love reading short stories because I can sample the writing of lots of authors and explore (and enjoy) many different voices without committing the time required for a novel.

Besides, I seem to be incapable of putting a story down until I'm finished, and I had to start reading short stories instead of novels just to get some sleep!

Short stories just a beginning?

Sesselja

CaroGirl

Living the dream

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

jchines

Got the hang of it, here

Sesselja

Kate Thornton

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

crypticquill

Please don't leave, Mr. Moon

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

blacbird

Silver King

Megalops Erectus

crypticquill

Please don't leave, Mr. Moon

TeddyG

The Other Shoe Will Fall!

bsolah

AW's Resident Commie

Jamesaritchie

LoisP

Jamesaritchie

crypticquill

Please don't leave, Mr. Moon

MMWyrm

johnnysannie

crypticquill

Please don't leave, Mr. Moon

earthshoes

Not User Friendly

pickman

Jamesaritchie

Flapdoodle

Bubastes

bananaed