Short Story Definition Question

[bhartman36]

Hi, Everyone.

Literary magazines I've been thinking of submitting to normally have limits as to what size short story they'll accept. Some of these limits can vary widely, so it got me thinking, what constitutes a "short story"? The only non-word count definition I've heard is "A story that can be read in one sitting". The question I have is, what is a "sitting"? I'm in a wheelchair, so I don't really have a frame of reference for that, and the people I've asked said they've occasionally read entire novels in one sitting. So what does a "sitting" definition of "short story" really mean?

[jbcohen]

According to Miriam and Webster a short story is:

an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot

So the number of pages really has nothing to do with if its a short story or not, the plot of the story is what makes the difference.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

According to Miriam and Webster a short story is:

an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot

So the number of pages really has nothing to do with if its a short story or not, the plot of the story is what makes the difference.

Thanks. That makes sense.

[Steven Lake]

If you want total word count, usually 5000 words or less is a short story. 5000+ up to 20k words is novella/novelette, and 20k and above is considered a novel. Of course, on a funny side note, books that are 250k and higher are considered "epics". lol.

[bthrowsnaill]

I find the statement "often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot" to be interesting. I always thought about a short story as having a simpler, perhaps linear plot, but not necessarily being focused on the creation of mood. I do see merit in the assertion, though. Food for thought.

[Lemurion]

Lately I've been seeing a lot of so-called "short stories" cross my desk that are about 8,000 words. I've also been sending most of them back for rewrites with the instruction that they need to be shorter.

Personally I use the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) categories for length.
* Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
* Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
* Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
* Novel: 40,000 words or more.

It may not be a perfect categorization, but it works for me and it's what they use for the Nebulas.

My own characterization is that a short story is about a single idea: it focuses on one character, incident, or situation. There's no room for subplots, everything builds toward a unified conclusion.

The other way I think of it is that a short story is something I can hold completely in my mind at one time.

[DixieGal]

We were taught in college that a short story is one single event from start to finish, but novels explore character and setting, as well as the event. I don't think that is what you were asking about, but I thought to toss it in because that definition has nothing to do with page count, but instead is concerned with story content.

[bhartman36]

Thanks for all the advice. You've given me a lot of things to think about.

[Steven Lake]

Lemurion, I like your way of categorizing book types.