What short stories and novels share 


Other than each employing the written word (obvious, huh?), the best taking care with the words, paragraphs an phrases the writer chooses, both forms share certain things.

In my many years of writing, I think I've learned enough to speak about it. I'm still learning. A writer should always be willing to learn from writing. If not, he or she may risk becoming complacent. Or, even worse, stale. A well defined idea, and characters to bring it to life, is where the writer should begin. I say begin because I think it is advisable to have the beginning, and the characters to support it, worked out before the writing starts. If that proves difficult, try writing with your ending in mind. That way, everything, can lean to a winning conclusion, which should be the goal of every writer. Your writing can benefit by self- editing, at least to know whether a phrase,  paragraph, or passage fits your story. Don't by shy about cutting problems out, it could  be the difference between a good story or an average one. Give your character, at least you central one, a problem to solve. Your story will be better for it. Admittedly, working on these things in the short story can prove challenging, but these are among the things why I prefer the short story in my fiction writing. 

If  your writing tastes lean toward the short story, a certain mindset may take hold  of you, one that you may not want to let go of. It could be that its conciseness grabs you. Or the approach the writer takes in its creation. It may that you enjoy the challenges the short short presents. For me, the short story represents everything positive about fiction writing. 

I quickly turned away from the novel, having developed little patience for it. I thought everyone's allowed to experiment, but this one proved uncomfortably tedious. During the novel's progress, I found myself searching for an ending. The one I came up with, I  felt forced, and a forced ending is something that should never be. I went back to the short story, to where I felt I belonged. I'd rather work within the limited space the short story provides. I'm not one for great amounts of exposition. Or buildup of story. I strive to get right into the story I'm writing. What I'm saying is that, for me, the novel just doesn't cut it. The short can be just as emotionally charged as the long. That said, the short story and the novel share things in common. I'm very glad they do. It means that neither of the two forms has exclusivity over the other.