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

[dea0045]

That is a great list!!! A good man is hard to find and the lottery are two of my all time favorite short stories!!!

[LunaRowan]

I prefer short fiction to both read and write, It's much easier to come up with a less involved, less complicated story line with short stories and they keep readers' attention better because the plot must move quickly, leaving no room for extraneous rambling and inconsequential nonsense.

[feyindie60]

Who reads short fiction ?
I assume anyone who wants to read a story that is developed in a short time with less characters than are usually found in a novel.

Is it easier or harder to write?

It has less pages and the plot must be developed more quickly and resolved more quickly. One must use an economy of words to get the point across while maintaining the atmosphere of the story. In other words, the author has to have his/her act together to make it work. Character development is very important and making that character somehow make a connection with the reader.

-- 16 Oct 2013, 16:38 --

I loved your list. I have read so many of the stories. I really never noticed, I just read. No one really recommended books to me, not even in school. They just couldn't keep up, so as a kid with ADHD, I just kept reading. I believe it is harder to write a good short story than a novel.

[Megha Nayar]

That's a great list - thanks!

I read as well as write short stories, and I find both much easier than full-length novels. Short stories give you the scope to be sharp, blunt and edgy, and make a greater impact in fewer words. They're also easier to accomplish.

[afabiny22]

Personally, I do not enjoy reading short fiction. I like to be able to dive into a book and be able to be absorbed by it, whereas short fiction doesn't really give you enough time to get absorbed before it is over. I think it would be harder to write because you have to put so many ideas into such a short frame.

[Mom2Grey]

When I read fiction at all, it will only be short stories or novellas.
Gogol, The Nose, is hilarious!
There are many classic works in this format.

-- 05 Nov 2013, 17:50 --

Conspicuous by its absence is
'How much land does a man need' by Leo Tolstoy

-- 05 Nov 2013, 17:53 --

And The Death of Ivan Ilych also by Tolstoy.
Also, The Overcoat by Gogol.

[bartleby51]

I've always found short fiction harder to write. I never seem to have enough time to fully explore what's going on in a character's head. I've found I have to confine myself to a very short, specific time frame within the life of a character in order to keep it short! This list will let me go back and revisit some of the masters for a refresher course. Ray Bradbury was my first inspiration and still all-time favorite, though I remember being less than impressed with "The Sound of Thunder." My personal choice would be "The Cold Wind, and the Warm" from "I Sing the Body Electric!"

[gali]

I prefer a long fiction over a short one. I only read short fiction of my favorite authors.

[whero]

I love this list, I look forward to reading as many of them as I can find

[Nathrad Sheare]

I had to learn how to write anything short. Heck, I used to be one of those who would tell you the whole movie if you asked me what it was about... Now... Well... I'm a commenter... That's improvement, right??? It is VERY hard to write short fiction because you have to use exactly the right words and starting flipping images right away. In the least, it presents an amazing challenge, one that forces a writer to think outside the box and beyond the page. I learned in an introductory college writing class that the best thing to do when you want to start writing a short is to read some poetry. Poems are the ultimate examples of conservation and a sense of absolute necessity. Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Never say anything in two words that can be better stated in one." Great point that one. Yeah, I don't think it's easy to write anything, but a short story is probably harder for me than anything else... GET TO THE POINT... um... hold on... I'm thinking, I'm thinking! I'm sure everybody here knows how that feels... Short stories are some of my favorite reads, though. I think the form was an excellent invention, especially for those who obsess about finishing what they start reading but don't want to spend more than half an hour trying to get through five hundred pages. I don't know why the short story is put down so often... You?

-- 16 Dec 2013, 21:24 --

Oh, Gotham Writers Workshop has an anthology called the "Fiction Gallery." Try it out. It has some old greats and contemporary works that really get the juices flowing... Just a suggestion! Ciao!

[Sherlock_1]

Thanks for the list! I've been looking for some good short stories.

[FNAWrite]

"I guess it is a lot harder to write." Tell you what - write 5,000 words on a subject, then write 50,000. Which was harder?

[authorkcfinn]

I particularly love 1408 by Stephen King. I can't normally read King because he's a bit intense and heavy in a long novel, but this was the perfect length to enjoy him at his best.

[FNAWrite]

"Short Fiction would be harder to write as you need to include an unexpected twist at the end"

Sez who?

[RachanaS1]

I love short fiction but I agree with the others that I don't get enough of the really getting to know the characters or the whole plot line. Most times, I'm left thinking what happens next? I've never ever tried writing but I'm definitely now inspired by the other posts about how people write!