Writers--There's A Place For Short

Writers have decisions to make when they are new to the craft. What will I write? Long or short? Jump right in and start writing the novel that's been zipping around my mind for far too long? Or start with a few short stories before tackling a full-length book?

I am of the opinion that starting out with short stories will make you a better novelist in the long run. Master the many facets of fiction in a short story first. But I wanna write a book! Don't we all? (Well, lots of us) One doesn't just sit down and write a book. If you do, you'll most likely run into one brick wall after another. Try the short story first. You'll meet enough problems there, but perhaps they can be solved a bit more easily than the ones in the big book project.

There's nothing wrong with writing short. In fact, there is a huge market for short pieces of all kinds. I think the list below is impressive. You have so many choices in writing short.

• Opinion essays
• Personal essays
• Literary essays
• Persuasive essays
• Short stories--fiction
• Memoir
• Articles--nonfiction
• Poetry
• Fiction stories for Children
• Nonfiction for children
• Inspirational pieces
• Speechwriting
• Sketches 
• One-act plays
• Advertising copy
• Profiles

I'm sure there are some I did not add to the list. There could be several sub-headings under each of the above, as well.

There's a place for short in your writing life. Look at the reasons to consider short on your writing journey.

• Takes less time
• Great for the impatient writer
• Less research
• Large selection of kinds of writing
• Writers turn out more short pieces than books
• Pay is less but adding up several sales makes a difference
• Good practice for writing longer works

When non-writers meet a writer, they want to know about the book or types of books you write. No one ever says What short pieces are you working on? The average reader considers only books. Yet, they read articles in the newspaper which are all shorts. There are also readers who enjoy reading essays and short stories and a bit of poetry now and then. Short pieces that someone had to write. 

How about those stories I urge you to write to preserve your family history? Short pieces that can be assembled into a book form. The same goes for memoir writers. Writing a full-length memoir fills a need, is a big undertaking, and involves lots of shorter memories. Why not write some short memoir pieces to help you get ready to write the big one? 

If you've never written a book, that's fine. There is a place for short!