Writing of any length is good training. Shorts in particular can also improve long-form writing by teaching efficiency in storytelling, and that can keep novels from becoming bloated with unnecessary detail and sub plots.
Should I start with short stories?
- Thread starter satyesu
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Writing of any length is good training. Shorts in particular can also improve long-form writing by teaching efficiency in storytelling, and that can keep novels from becoming bloated with unnecessary detail and sub plots.
I write when inspired. That inspiration might come from a dream, a random thought, an object caught by my eye, or a prompt from a writing group. regardless, I write the story using exactly the number of words needed to tell it. No more, no less. Sometimes it's 300 words, sometimes 90,000 words. I suspect your issue stems from the self-inflicted idea that shorts are only for practice rather than seeing them as one of many formats of writing. Virtually every revered writer has written shorts, not for practice but because it was the appropriate length for that particular story.
Forget about length and just write. You might be surprised by how much your writing and completion success improves for all your stories.
Forget about length and just write. You might be surprised by how much your writing and completion success improves for all your stories.
Shorter stories are useful as practice but can have other functions as well. My debut novel ten years ago begins with a short story, then proceeds with six ever-longer stories with the same character. Each of the seven is complete and readable alone.
Further, the ending novelette not only completes a story arc within the story, but also completes an even longer arc begun in the very first. This made it not just a collection of stories but also a novel in its own right.
This was a complete surprise to me. I only realized it when I typed the last sentence of the last paragraph. I sat back, re-read the last page, then fine tuned an already good page to make the completion of the arc clearer.
The next day I self-published the book on Amazon. It and all my ten books continue to sell, more each year. So that one character in that one short story launched a career.
(If you are curious about that first story you can get the entire book for free from Amazon through the end of this week. Click on my sig and go from there.)
Further, the ending novelette not only completes a story arc within the story, but also completes an even longer arc begun in the very first. This made it not just a collection of stories but also a novel in its own right.
This was a complete surprise to me. I only realized it when I typed the last sentence of the last paragraph. I sat back, re-read the last page, then fine tuned an already good page to make the completion of the arc clearer.
The next day I self-published the book on Amazon. It and all my ten books continue to sell, more each year. So that one character in that one short story launched a career.
(If you are curious about that first story you can get the entire book for free from Amazon through the end of this week. Click on my sig and go from there.)
Your first novel will likely be trash whether you write short stories or not. 
Also I think it depends on the kinds of stories you write. If you write horror you should definitely write short stories because that particular length is conducive to horror. If you write historical fiction it could be more challenging.
If one of your big challenges is not finishing things then writing a few short stories might help with the pattern (it sounds like) you've allowed yourself to fall in. Finishing them (and revising them and sending them out, etc.) can be good for the writing soul.
Also, do you read short stories? Have you never read one that your were impressed by? There are many collections of all genres that are very good and may inspire you to think about short stories in a different light. And may inspire you to want to write one as good.
This is all to say: writing short stories will reflect on your novel writing just as much as not writing them. Essentially, the more you practice writing the better you get, whether it's only short stories or only novels or both. This applies to reading too.
If you don't feel moved to write them then don't. Go where the juice is. But, also, don't be too quick to dismiss the benefits of completing a short story that could be rewarding to your overall success as a writer of anything.
It's all about practice and the more ways in which you can flex your writing muscles, the more tools you'll have to utilize.
Also I think it depends on the kinds of stories you write. If you write horror you should definitely write short stories because that particular length is conducive to horror. If you write historical fiction it could be more challenging. If one of your big challenges is not finishing things then writing a few short stories might help with the pattern (it sounds like) you've allowed yourself to fall in. Finishing them (and revising them and sending them out, etc.) can be good for the writing soul.
Also, do you read short stories? Have you never read one that your were impressed by? There are many collections of all genres that are very good and may inspire you to think about short stories in a different light. And may inspire you to want to write one as good.
This is all to say: writing short stories will reflect on your novel writing just as much as not writing them. Essentially, the more you practice writing the better you get, whether it's only short stories or only novels or both. This applies to reading too.
If you don't feel moved to write them then don't. Go where the juice is. But, also, don't be too quick to dismiss the benefits of completing a short story that could be rewarding to your overall success as a writer of anything.
It's all about practice and the more ways in which you can flex your writing muscles, the more tools you'll have to utilize.
Do you like reading short stories? If not, don't write them.
I did a BFA Creative Writing with a focus on fiction. Short stories were the name of the game. They fit the workshop format, and they were what most of the teachers—established "literary" authors—cut their teeth on. I think that's a carryover from the old days, and from the staid, grant-funded world of author-professors. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like the people saying the market has changed have a point.
The whole degree was a struggle for me, because I believed I needed to publish short stories and rack up credentials before I could even consider writing a novel, even though a novel is what I've dreamed of writing since I first read My Teacher is an Alien. I didn't care about short fiction, didn't read it in either journal or anthology form. I liked big juicy novels, and that was it. Sitting down and reading Raymond Carver collections, or the latest issue of the writing program's journal, or even the work of my most talented classmates, was a chore. It made me not like writing. And that made me stop trying to write anything for a long time.
Flip side: My best friend from the program has never been able to read a full novel. He says he doesn't have the attention span. However, he likes short fiction and poetry, so that's what he writes. He's been super successful with both. All power to him, and anyone else who loves shorter formats. But it's not for everyone.
Write what you want to read. That's the best piece of advice I've ever heard. If you don't want to read a short story, don't write one.
I did a BFA Creative Writing with a focus on fiction. Short stories were the name of the game. They fit the workshop format, and they were what most of the teachers—established "literary" authors—cut their teeth on. I think that's a carryover from the old days, and from the staid, grant-funded world of author-professors. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like the people saying the market has changed have a point.
The whole degree was a struggle for me, because I believed I needed to publish short stories and rack up credentials before I could even consider writing a novel, even though a novel is what I've dreamed of writing since I first read My Teacher is an Alien. I didn't care about short fiction, didn't read it in either journal or anthology form. I liked big juicy novels, and that was it. Sitting down and reading Raymond Carver collections, or the latest issue of the writing program's journal, or even the work of my most talented classmates, was a chore. It made me not like writing. And that made me stop trying to write anything for a long time.
Flip side: My best friend from the program has never been able to read a full novel. He says he doesn't have the attention span. However, he likes short fiction and poetry, so that's what he writes. He's been super successful with both. All power to him, and anyone else who loves shorter formats. But it's not for everyone.
Write what you want to read. That's the best piece of advice I've ever heard. If you don't want to read a short story, don't write one.
There are no rules. It's totally up to you. I always wanted to write novels, but didn't have an idea. I ended up writing a few short stories, and it wasn't until years later that I realised I could turn three of them into a fuller piece. That's how my first novel came to life.
Nowadays though, I usually go for novel length, simply because (like you) I want to do worldbuilding and put detail in that a short story won't have room for.
One thing to note is that as much as a short story and novel both tell stories, they require a different type of writing. Short stories must by nature be more concise and the words need to be more effective.
Do what makes you feel fulfilled and don't listen to gatekeepers.
Nowadays though, I usually go for novel length, simply because (like you) I want to do worldbuilding and put detail in that a short story won't have room for.
One thing to note is that as much as a short story and novel both tell stories, they require a different type of writing. Short stories must by nature be more concise and the words need to be more effective.
Do what makes you feel fulfilled and don't listen to gatekeepers.