Who reads short fiction? Is it easier or harder to write?

Read and discuss classic short stories.
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Lil Reads
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Re: Who reads short fiction? Is it easier or harder to write?

Post by Lil Reads »

I read some short stories in high school, although our textbooks seemed to feature excerpts from classics more.

I remember reading a work by Annie Proulx, the same woman who pinned the short story that became Brokeback Mountain. The short story we read became the inspiration for the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds.

We also read "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. That one stuck out so much to me because we have all had that "Ah! I ruin this and I borrowed it!" moment. Thankfully, most people are not like the side characters in this story.

It is probably harder to write a short story compared to a novel since there are word counts you have to stay below while including world building, narrative, characterization, and themes!
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Marlice Camacho
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Post by Marlice Camacho »

Short fiction are enjoyable but you can't help but to feel the "want more" feeling. But all in all, it is quite amazing.
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Post by bclayton13 »

I like reading short fiction occasionally, it doesn't take much time and the stories are often just as good as a regular length novel.
I personally think it would be harder, you have to cram the whole story structure into a shorter format, while still setting the scene and fleshing out characters. Then again, I haven't really written any but that's my assumption.
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EmeraldEyes8918
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Post by EmeraldEyes8918 »

Thank you for the recommendations list! The only short stories I recall reading are those written by Oscar Wilde and the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. I do enjoy them, the brevity and the description has to be on point for the story to be delivered, so I will definitely be reading more. :)
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Post by jdy »

I have read some short fiction and have found at some times that it leaves me wanting more. I also feel with some that authors find it hard to end and it tends to end abruptly.
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Post by Harley-Panda »

This is a great list to look through! I have read some of them, but not as many as I would like.

Short stories are definitely a great writing form. They are quick and easy to read, so you can fit them in even if you are reading other novels.
As for writing them - I find that there are pros and cons to short stories. They allow for less planning (as you don't have to leave hints or work out how you'll lead the characters to the main plotline) because you generally only have one main plotline to write. However, they don't allow for as much explanation of characters/character progression.
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jdy
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Post by jdy »

I agree with the observation about the characters. It is exactly why I like to read the longer works, I tend to get invested in the characters and like to follow the characters through.
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cj222
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Post by cj222 »

I love short stories can't wait to read them.
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Post by Lady-of-Literature »

Short stories, I agree, are a undervalued source of entertainment and self reflection. Short stories entertain the reader with quick wit and bold observations of humanity. The goal, of course, is for the author to engage the reader in a brief amount of time with memorable openers - and end with unexpected scrutiny. For example, the short story, "The Gift of Magi" by O. Henry written in 1905, begins his story with hardly even a sentence. Not even a shocking sentence or clever wording. Instead it begins with, "One-dollar and eighty-seven cents." It is a statement about money. It shows what the story centers around and how little of it our literal poor characters have. Simple though it is, it plays more on our instinct curiosity to the significance of their wealth and where the lack of it would take them - if anywhere. Simple, yet effective.

I dare say, short stories accredited with, arguably, some of the most memorable phrases in literature. Especially, when Magi ends on a heart-felt and touching Christmas lesson on selflessness. In fact, the reoccurring themes of lessons learned through trials is a known characteristic in that genre. In a matter of ten of so pages the author must distract and mislead the reader in such a way that the ending shocks them or moves them in a most unexpected way. Tales like the "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Stetson (1892) have managed to do this - or else they would not have survived the test of time like they have.

To say wither not they are more difficult to write or not I suppose is up to the individual. Novels are difficult because the author has to manage to keep the reader's attention for as long as possible until the story ends. There is the complexity of world building to consider and character growth to manage. Nonetheless, short stories are remembered because of their clever use of irony, psychological plot, and twisted lessons learned. To achieve all that, is its own challenge.
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Post by _Delly_01 »

Writing short fiction is definitely harder than writing a novel, because it requires discipline. I'm happy to see Katherine Mansfield is in the list, because she is a great writer. But I've never read "The Fly". I read "A Dill Pickle." It was incredibly well-written, and it didn't feel unfinished after reading. Everything that needed to established to make a wholesome read, was established. It was a tight, cohesive, and powerful read.
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Post by spencermack »

Short Fiction is an excellent way to get a quick story fix. I recommend the New Yorker Fiction podcasts. Great stories read by authors published by The New Yorker.
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IamShing
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Post by IamShing »

A beautiful array of interesting stories, thanks for sharing. I usually read, Poe's collection of short stories.
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IamShing
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Post by IamShing »

I do..they are easier to read because of number pages but to write that depends
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lisalynn
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Post by lisalynn »

Short stories have to be tight. They have to communicate everything a reader needs to know much more quickly than a novel. Easier to write in the sense that they may take less time, but they take every bit as much thought.
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Post by kaxveleh »

I love short fiction. easy to write and takes short time to complete
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