r/WritingPrompts • u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) • Aug 24 '19
Off Topic [OT] SatChat: Which do you find more challenging: A long story or several short stories?
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Which do you find more challenging: A long story or several short stories?
- And which is more rewarding?
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u/mattswritingaccount Aug 26 '19
Having finished 3 novels (with only having had the courage to put one out there for people to buy), I'll say this... I find writing short stories more challenging to WRITE, because you have to be far, far more CONCISE in your writing. You have to put a LOT more of the world into much fewer words to get your point across than you do with a 60-100k novel.
With the novel I published, I could take my time and set up the world in 2-3 chapters with relative ease. I could take some time and introduce characters here and there, I can literally take 20k words to build up tension and set up the main plot, etc...
A short story of 5k words or less (or heck, some of the challenges here on this board where you're limited to five HUNDRED words or less?!?)? Yeah, you don't have time for that sort of thing. It's a completely different way of writing that really makes you stretch your writing muscles in completely different ways.
To be honest, they're completely different forms of writing, both good and solid forms, but as different as a pencil drawing is from a computer drawing. :) Both can be done fantastically if done right.
Personally, I prefer writing the longer form over the short story, but enjoy the short story format as a break from the novels I'm writing. :)
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u/MajorParadox Aug 26 '19
Seems like it depends if you're the type of writer to try to reach a word count vs. stop yourself from going too far over it!
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u/Leebeewilly Aug 25 '19
I started writing long-form first so I think I'm more comfortable with it. Only in the last six-ish months have I started anything shorter so I think purely by lack of practice short form is harder for me. But on the whole, it really depends on the subject matter. I put a tonne of work and research and planning into the long-form fiction I write. A lot. I find I don't need to do as much with shorter flash fiction until it spirals into a series of shorter pieces and then wha-BAM I'm writing a novel.
That spiral tends to happen a bit more often than I plan. Maybe because I feel more comfortable with the long-form.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
Interesting hear a viewpoint picking longer-form!
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u/Leebeewilly Aug 25 '19
This might be because I don't read a lot of short fiction so my exposure to it is low.
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u/arafdi Aug 25 '19
Depends, really. But personally I found writing a longer-form story (which could go on for chapters after chapters, requiring an actual outlining process, etc.) is way harder overall. Sure, it's "easier" in terms of keeping notes on the stories, characters, etc., though it's hard to keep up with the continuations and (finally) tying up loose ends.
A short story – like most write-ups in this sub – is just easier overall since it requires less time (though admittedly it could take between 15 mins up to hours, so it's not really a set thing for me) and less "planning/outlining". I hate to put it crudely, but writing a short story is like masturbating or doing a quickie... you want it done so you get it done "efficiently". Writing a long story is like nurturing a relationship, with all the good times and bad times, going along with all the dramas and adventures. That being said, what matters the most for me would be the post-writing satisfaction... which is hard to say since both can give differing values.
tl;dr: short story is easier, overall.
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u/Talquin Aug 25 '19
While I've just started writing on this forum in the last year I've found that I have a habit of over writing right now and I'm trying to transition better. I find it a lot easier to build a world or character mentally and then I just start to write. I'm getting better though.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
That's great you're making progress!
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u/Talquin Aug 25 '19
Thank you.
I even submitted one online. Totally expected to be rejected, and I was , but mentally it was a step I wanted to take. Work suddenly got overwhelming over the summer and I've found myself unable to write but I promised myself I was going to tonight in this forum.
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u/dougy123456789 Aug 25 '19
I find longer harder to write. I come on prompts every few days/weeks to find something to respond to in my free time. I’ll write a few hundred words with ease if I’m interested in it and be done. I tend not to edit a tonne, so pacing among other things can be a little lacking, but at least I’m writing. At the same time I’m trying to write a novel and at the moment I’m just completely neglecting it. I tell myself I should go back to it, write some more, but something about it, maybe the effort it needs puts me off. Maybe the fact it won’t be finished in one session. I’m not sure, but for me longer stories (novel length) are much harder for a mix of reasons really.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
At the same time I’m trying to write a novel and at the moment I’m just completely neglecting it
Sounds like me! I think we just need to set goals for ourselves or something
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u/dougy123456789 Aug 25 '19
I set goals and then ignore them and feel bad. I should stick to them, might feel better that way.
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u/IndridFrost1 Aug 25 '19
I find writing short stories are easier for me. I have written several short stories and am in the middle of a novel and a musical.
There are so many more elements that go in a longer story. You have to worry about character development as well as managing several different locals and possibly themes.
When I write a short story, I read the prompt and am immediately hit with almost the full idea. They just seem so much easier to manage in that they come to me in their entirety.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
You have to worry about character development as well as managing several different locals and possibly themes.
Yeah, it's a bigger endeavor because it's all self contained
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u/Shy2Infinity Aug 24 '19
I find longer stories to be harder to be honest. Because with shorter stories I can get right to the point whether it's action, romance, fluff, angst. But with a longer story I have to take care to actually set the scene which can be boring to me. But that's the exact reason that makes being able to finish a longer story rewarding.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
Yeah, good points. You want to build up more, but you also don't want to bore the reader.
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u/Yakassa Aug 24 '19
Personally shorter stories are easier. Im stuck at writing a longer story for weeks now because i simply cant get one part to go right. If this happens with a shorter story i often just start from scratch. With longer stories and projects this is often a problem for me.
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u/MajorParadox Aug 25 '19
Makes sense, I have the same issue. But finishing longer things end up feeling more rewarding!
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u/Yakassa Aug 25 '19
True, but since I rarely if ever publish my longer stories it's less of an incentive.
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u/AythnKit Aug 24 '19
I love writing long stories but feel like I don't put enough into it. It's as if there is this hard word count in my head that I have to stick to that no one sees. I want to hit it but find myself either not quite reaching it or falling short on some things. I do like writing short stories but wonder if they end up being too long and my long stories being too short.
I feel writing long stories is more rewarding because to me it's a journey you've taken with your character over a good amount of time. Writing with them, watching them grow; they're like your digital children and once you've finalized the story, sent it out into the world, you've sent them on their own to do what they're going to, to be enjoyed and disliked by others as they see fit. They will affect the reader's lives they touch in one form or another and that in itself is a satisfying feeling. Knowing you did your best and the rest is up to the readers and the tale.
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u/Tomorrow_Is_Today1 Aug 27 '19
I used to always want to write long stories. I would get huge ideas into my head, jumping from characters to plot change to "ooh, what if I did this?" and blah blah blah, but instead of actually putting in the effort to make it coherent, I would just write a few scenes from my made-up universe that I liked. Now that I've stopped doing that, I've learned to focus on a short story, and I actually really enjoy it. I'm certainly a lot better at it. It's also better for getting a moral, purpose, or message across (any of those words could probably have been used, but it's almost midnight and I'm too lazy to decide).