Short vs Long - Page 2

kennyc · 02-13-2013, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmw

...
I think the biggest reason why I don't do short is that I don't enjoy reading short stories much any more. Even the good ones tend to leave me feeling unsatisfied, I'm just getting comfortable and they're finished. ....

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmw

...
Of course saying that puts me in an awkward position if I ever decide to try and write short stories for publication. ... But no one here would be so rude as to bring this up then, would they?

Never.

gmw · 02-13-2013, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Never.

I knew I could count on you to be discreet, Kenny.

GeoffC · 02-13-2013, 12:53 PM

*coughs*

J. Garrett · 02-14-2013, 02:01 PM

I've written both short stories and long stories, but prefer long stories. Probably just the way my personality works, I enjoy getting in depth on the events, characters, and world presented in the story. A short story, by its very nature, can only scratch the surface of a concept and must necessarily avoid any extraneous exposition and backstory.

I just want to explore, and long stories [really, REALLY long stories] let me do that.

morriss003 · 02-15-2013, 11:34 PM

I've done shorts from 500 words to 40, 000 words. I usually decide beforehand how many words I want to write. I've just finished a book of about 170,000 words. This was the first time I decided to keep writing and let the story decide how many words it wished to be. Short stories have to be tight. I have to consider almost every word.

jhempel24 · 02-16-2013, 12:27 AM

Just saw this thread, thanks Kenny for using my interview as a jumping off point for this topic.

I noticed that when reading Elizabeth Bear, her short stories are very dense (for me anyway). I had a hard time even reviewing The Deeps of the Sky because I had to keep going back and trying to figure out if I was missing something, not getting something etc. And then I read The Deep Blue Sea which was an apocalyptic short story, and was the same thing. Had to keep going back.

The good thing, there is no wasted space. The bad thing, there is no wasted space lol.

If my mind wanders and I find myself a few paragraphs down from where it started....I missed something and have to go back, there is no figuring it out later with her.

All that being said, she's damn good at what she does and is a class act human being! Taking the time to talk to a nobody site like mine when she has 50,000 words a month through April was just amazing!

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02-13-2013, 12:53 PM	#18
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	coughs

02-14-2013, 02:01 PM	#19
J. Garrett Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 1000010 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Oklahoma Device: Kindle, 6" E-Ink	I've written both short stories and long stories, but prefer long stories. Probably just the way my personality works, I enjoy getting in depth on the events, characters, and world presented in the story. A short story, by its very nature, can only scratch the surface of a concept and must necessarily avoid any extraneous exposition and backstory. I just want to explore, and long stories [really, REALLY long stories] let me do that.

02-15-2013, 11:34 PM	#20
morriss003 Evangelist Posts: 438 Karma: 3409790 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Maui Device: kindle	I've done shorts from 500 words to 40, 000 words. I usually decide beforehand how many words I want to write. I've just finished a book of about 170,000 words. This was the first time I decided to keep writing and let the story decide how many words it wished to be. Short stories have to be tight. I have to consider almost every word.

02-16-2013, 12:27 AM	#21
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	Just saw this thread, thanks Kenny for using my interview as a jumping off point for this topic. I noticed that when reading Elizabeth Bear, her short stories are very dense (for me anyway). I had a hard time even reviewing The Deeps of the Sky because I had to keep going back and trying to figure out if I was missing something, not getting something etc. And then I read The Deep Blue Sea which was an apocalyptic short story, and was the same thing. Had to keep going back. The good thing, there is no wasted space. The bad thing, there is no wasted space lol. If my mind wanders and I find myself a few paragraphs down from where it started....I missed something and have to go back, there is no figuring it out later with her. All that being said, she's damn good at what she does and is a class act human being! Taking the time to talk to a nobody site like mine when she has 50,000 words a month through April was just amazing!

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