I at one point thought almost the exact same thing as you, with some caveats.
I've been reading more short stories to better understand the medium but also to see what is getting published since that seems to be uniformly agreed upon as a very productive exercise.
I once did the same thing, in my 20s. There is an implicit truth to this statement, however, that you may or may not agree upon. If you began reading short stories to better understand the medium, the implication is that you did not read short stories before, you’re only doing so now for non-pleasure reasons, and so there’s no reason to believe that you actually enjoy reading the short story medium.
I, personally, didn’t, and I’m not alone in that. Short stories aren’t usually big sellers. It’s not how writers expect to make a lot of money. Even the top markets pay a couple hundred to several hundred dollars. And even writers who publish in the top markets may get only several sales a year, which boils down to one to two thousand dollars perhaps. If that.
Most people are not writing short stories, and those that do don’t tend to regularly read them.
I've been finding that I have no interest in the things generally getting published.
I’m willing to bet that the number of short stories you enjoy a year is on par with the number of novels you enjoy a year. Not enjoying most short stories you read is like not enjoying the beginnings of novels you start and don’t continue.
Publishers have often expressed bewilderment as to why it is that short stories aren’t more popular. They’re nice quick reads, and they’d think people would enjoy that more than novels. But of course, it’s just the opposite. People like developed worlds, they like to stick to the same characters. One of the reasons popular television shows last so long is because audiences become attached to the characters. They want to see what they’ll do next.
Short stories don’t allow this. It’s more of a brief meeting of a couple of characters, briefly learning their problems, and briefly seeing the conclusion. In general, people find the short story medium in this day and age unsatisfying.
The authors innovate in some way, present a problem that I don't care about and solve it (at least when I finish the story).
I discovered something kind of interesting in the last year, though I had kind of been aware of this in the past without really articulating it the way I do now.
Short stories are most fun when they are discussed with others. Something is added to the enjoyment of a short story when its different narrative pieces are talked about in a group. In undergraduate and graduate school, we talked about short stories often, and it was usually a fun experience. Sharing the story in conversation builds upon the brevity of the form. The short story medium really comes alive during times of discourse.
In my last job I taught short stories, and it was great fun. I met a student last week and we read some stories that were only one and two sentences long, and it was the discussion of these stories that made the stories. Otherwise, I’d just quickly read them and move on without really thinking about what I’d read.
When I think about the times that short fiction was most widely enjoyed, it was also the time that people talked about fiction the way they would an episode on television. You know, before television.
Short stories, I think, are meant to be discussed in a group.
I also wonder if that will lead me to writing stories that will never be published at a pro or even semi-pro level.
This is repeated often enough that I understand it simply is the mindset of people. It is what it is.
However, I think it’s better to start small and work your way. Publish in token and pay markets and make the most of it. Build your name, develop an audience, make connections in the publishing world. Continue to grow in talent and skill and eventually you’ll get your pro-sale.
