• Julius Topohozin
• 4 Comments on 10 Reasons You should Write A Short Story

Writing a short story is a good way to start writing fiction. A short story is a form of fiction that is shorter than a novel but longer than the novella and the flash fiction. An average short story is between 1,000 to 5,000 words. That is very little compared to the novel which is voluminous. The short story’s origin is said to have emanated from ancient oral literature in folktales, fables, legends, myths, fairy tales and anecdotes of the Indian epics, Homeric epics and Aesop’s fables. These stories have been transmitted into written forms. The short stories have since gone through transformation with several short story writers like Guy de Maupassant, Edgar Allan Poe to mention but a few.

Why should you then write short stories? Here are ten reasons.

1. A single plot

Unlike the novel, short stories focus on a single plot. It does not allow for a complex plot like the novel. Because of this reason, it is easier to write short stories than novels.

2. Few characters

Another characteristic of short stories is that there are fewer characters. The nature of short stories does not give room for in-depth development of characters. A typical short story could have a major character with minor other characters.

3. A central theme

A short story usually considers only a single theme. The Madman by Chinua Achebe focused on the thin line between sanity and madness. Despite its brevity, the message is clearly understood.

4. A single reading

An interesting feature of short stories is that it can be read at a sitting, at most an hour, depending on the length of the story.

5. Delayed action 

This is known as suspense.  A good writer of short stories will adopt suspense in his stories in order to wrest the reader’s attention which will make him or her get to the end of the story.

6. Little or no action

Given its nature of brevity, a short story may not necessarily entertain actions. The aim of the story is to introduce the character, introduce the conflict, raise the tension until the story reaches its climax and it is resolved.

7. Setting

A short story entertains only a single setting where all the events in the story take place. This is the opposite of a novel where multiple settings are used in relating the story.

8. You can write more stories 

Compared to writing a novel which will take a longer time to complete, it will take you a very short time to complete a short one. The time it will take you to write a full-length novel, would have been used to  write a collection of short stories.

9. You start from the middle

Its nature is such that the story can begin from media res. That is, from the middle. This way, you may not necessarily go into detailed flashbacks as it is done when you are writing a novel.

10. Fast-paced resolution of conflicts 

Resolution of conflicts which is also known as denouement is done at a fast-paced manner because it does not give room for verbosity. Also, the writer of a short story must account for every word used in the story.

Conclusion 

As a beginner writer who is just breaking into creative writing, writing a short story can be a good way to start considering the magnitude and complexities inherent in writing a novel.  If you are an experienced novelist, you can also consider trying your hands on short stories since you already know the rudiments it involves. By the time you start getting positive feedback from readers about your short stories, you will most likely fall in love with it.

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