Found on Twitter: Blanket Advice to Writers

[msagara]

Writing short stories is absolutely the fastest way to gain skill. Amateurs will say "but I only write novels!" Pros know better.
--Advice from a published writer, offered on Twitter

I am obviously an Amateur.

Comments

[domynoe]

For my writing process, novels and short stories require two different skill sets.

This is sooooo true. I learned to write short stories because I'm a stubborn cus and was determined to master the genre. I did and now...not so interested. And I hate trying to get them out to markets, it's aggravating, and especially for us unknowns, not even remotely financially worth it. I still write a short every now and then, but I definitely plan to focus more on novels. It's my natural length and more enjoyable. It also seems less...boxed in than shorts. Most my short stuff is hard to find markets for, much less markets that pay something even halfway decent.

[pameladean]

Yes yes yes. I abandoned dozens of short stories while laboring under this daft notion, that you must learn short stories first and only then approach the lofty heights of the novel. Piffle. I finished my first novel and I sold it. I am still pretty bad at short stories.

P.

[jimhines]

I spent years writing short stories because I thought it was what you were supposed to do. I got better at it ... I can even write, sell, and enjoy short fiction these days ... but for the most part, I'd rather be writing novels. And I wonder how much sooner I could have broken in as a novelist had I ignored the advice and just written what I *really* wanted to write.

[mtlawson]

Jim, do you still have that raw survey data lying around somewhere? I keep meaning to ask if I could putter around with it, but then again, I don't really have the time to do much with it right now.

[jimhines]

Sure! There's an Excel spreadsheet with the numbers. Link is in the third paragraph of the write-up, at http://www.jimchines.com/2010/03/survey-results/

[beth_bernobich]

I saw that advice. I hurt my eyes because I rolled them so hard.

[karenmiller]

It's utter rubbish, on a par with saying that to win the Olympic marathon first you must compete in and win at the 100 metre sprint.

Spare me.

[mtlawson]

Hey, I'd show up to watch Usain Bolt fail at running a marathon. We could even have a betting pool on what his final time would be. (Dibs on 3h 45m!)

[karenmiller]

Heh! Yes, but we'd be watching Bolt for, you know, other reasons. *g*

[mtlawson]

My wife said the same thing. I have no idea why. ;-)

[mtlawson]

Just how long ago was it when that writer sold that first story?

[msagara]

The author has been around for a long time. Oddly enough, the first short sale was a collaboration with a Big Name Author (1979); the second short (1995) was after the collaborative novel sales (1981, 1982), also with Big Name Author; I believe there was a solo novel in 1983.

So...it's not clear to me that the author followed their own advice.

[mtlawson]

Shouldn't hooking up with a Big Name Author be the advice?