Sticking With Short Fiction
I had it all planned out: I was going to publish my first collection of short fiction, then I would quickly get to work on my first magnificent novel. But I am now old enough to realize that life’s events rarely unfold according to our plans.
Last month, I released my first book on Amazon. “They Are Here Now: Short Tales” is a collection of more than 40 short stories, including suspense, horror, humor, westerns, and some relationship tales.
Completing and releasing my first book provided me with a tremendous sense of accomplishment, while at the same time, I felt a bit lost once the project was finished. I was suddenly burdened with that all consuming question: What Now?
I sat down and brainstormed a few ideas for my novel, but none of them were all that fantastic. I then started working on a few longer stories, but soon realized that I was not enjoying the process one bit.
My typical comfort level for short stories is between 1,000 and 4,000 words. I have seen quite a few writers on Medium who are able to convincingly tell an interesting story in 500 words or less. Unfortunately, I am not one of those individuals, as I need more room to move and spread my wings, to be able to completely tell my story and make it compelling. Conversely, I admire authors who can produce mega-novels in the 1,000+ page range, while at the same time harness my attention throughout the long and often lonely journey.
I suppose that writing dozens of stories spanning just a few thousand words each makes me the equivalent of a middle distance runner — I am not much of a sprinter, but don’t count on me to complete an ultra marathon. It seems important to try new things as a writer, and to push one’s limits. But at the same time, it seems equally important to acknowledge your own strengths and weaknesses, and accept that you may or may not have a niche for a particular type of writing.
So, instead of attempting a novel, I decided to move forward with a new book, which will be a collection of short stories for children, ages 8–12. I wanted to push myself just a bit, so this new book will contain stories approaching the 4,000–5,000 word range.
There seems to be something liberating and carefree about writing short fiction. For starters, there are no meaningful rules. You can switch from westerns to horror to humor quickly, without having anyone question your format. In addition, you are not married to a lengthy story line or cast of characters — you can change them at will.
Also, I develop ideas for stories much more quickly when I set out to write short fiction. I am not a planner, and I have never outlined my stories. I tried to prepare an outline once or twice, but things did not work out. Instead, I will start with a basic idea for a story, then sit down and start writing. On occasion, an entire story is born and then developed in my head before I sit down to physically write. Either way, the process is completely organic, without outlines, charts, graphs, or any master plan.
Usually, by the time I hit the 3,000 or 4,000 word point in a story, I am ready to begin something new. Revising stories is generally a pleasant experience for me, but it is hard to imagine revising, editing, and reworking a novel spanning more than 500 pages. I have great admiration for writers who are able to perform this task, but that process is not for me. At least not yet.
One of the reasons I self published my short story collection on Amazon is that I was well aware that traditional publishers are primarily interested in novels. I have never had any expectation that short fiction could be marketable or profitable on any large scale. I should note, however, that I have received feedback from multiple readers who have read my book, and there has been a unanimous thumbs up regarding the short fiction format. My readers have expressed how much they enjoy the ability to flip from one story to the next, in any particular order. One reader commented that he enjoys reading a quick story or two from my book at the breakfast table while enjoying a morning cup of coffee.
I have no experience with the world of commercial publishing, but such feedback make me wonder whether the big publishers are missing out on a niche for readers seeking short fiction collections. Personally, I am a die hard fan of short fiction collections, especially those by Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. To a certain extent, I prefer reading short story collections over novels.
So, I suppose that a novel may be crawling around somewhere within my psyche, but it has yet to reveal itself. In the meantime, I will stick with what I know — writing entertaining short fiction.
J.S. Lender’s new book They Are Here Now (Short Tales) is available in paperback on Amazon.
