Who reads short fiction? Is it easier or harder to write?

Read and discuss classic short stories.
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Heatholt
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Re: Who reads short fiction? Is it easier or harder to write?

Post by Heatholt »

Thank you so much for this list, it is very helpful and exciting for me.
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Tomah
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Post by Tomah »

I love short stories and I think they're a great way to get someone into reading or writing. Writing great short fiction is hard, of course, but then again writing anything great is hard. I think a lot of people struggle with committing to an idea and taking it to completion, which is why it helps to set a shorter scope to work with. Yes, your first stories will be terrible, but that's the beauty of it: it's best to fail early and often, try different ideas, improve with each attempt. That said, I'll admit my imagination tends to be overly ambitious, so I have a hard time narrowing ideas down to short fiction format.
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Theprince13
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Post by Theprince13 »

This list gave me a few new stories to read.
I believe it’s harder to write. You have to know when to stop and what needs more details.
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ShannonNinja
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Post by ShannonNinja »

I’ve most written short stories. I find it very satisfying to be able to create a whole world and characters in the short framework
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Post by DD129 »

I like to read and write short fiction. There are many out there that are just as entertaining as long fiction. You can have a great story to read and be immersed in, but for half the time you'd usually spend reading a novel.

I think short fiction is easier to write because it doesn't require as much investment, which makes it better for new writers or ones who don't have as much experience with large word counts. They're also good for creative ideas that don't exactly warrant a long storyline or lots of worldbuilding.
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Post by piplup45 »

Short fiction must be so difficult to write, but I have enjoyed so many of the ones you listed. They’re ideal for a busy adult that doesn’t have much time to read, but wants to still be entertained.
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Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

I struggle to read short fiction by authors I've never heard of because I want to be guaranteed a good work. Maybe that's wrong, but hey. I like to write short fiction too. I think it's the perfect medium to explore character neuroses and write twist endings.
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Post by billday10 »

I think writing them is harder, because you only have so many words to build the world and create intriguing, believable character interactions. The payoff is the stories can be more profound and it'll be easier to get more readers (just because people tend to have a limit to how much written content they can read in a given timeframe).
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Stacey cook
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Post by Stacey cook »

Me personally, I feel like their easier. I used to read alot of Shakespeare to gain better perspective of that time period. I think that when you read a short story then compare your thinking to another, it can give you new ideas and insight. (Sorry for any grammar mistakes I just woke up)
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Autumnsong
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Post by Autumnsong »

Is there a list of short stories to read? Can't say I have read a lot lately. But could see how a short story would be nice.
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Post by Lilyflower-x2 »

Autumnsong wrote: 27 Jul 2020, 17:25 Is there a list of short stories to read? Can't say I have read a lot lately. But could see how a short story would be nice.
Short stories are great for beginner readers. I started reading out with short stories which piqued my interest to read more. They might be harder to write since they have to be kept short but interesting.
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Post by Victor Kilyungi »

I think all great writing is hard to write. The finished product is obviously delightful and may seem so simple but the writer probably had a few sleepless nights thinking about which sentence or word would fit best in a particular position with the most effect.
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Post by Natalia Nazeem »

Fran wrote: 01 Sep 2013, 13:27 Short stories are easier to write but good short stories are incredibly difficult to write. Done well it is an extremly difficult genre and requires tremendous skill and dedication .... every single word must be essential and appropriate. Many novel writers fail dismally at the short story because they lack the discipline and dedication it demands to get it right. A well written short story is a unique and gittering gem delivering total satisfaction.
I fully agree with you. Writing a short story can be particularly daunting because you're very limited in what you can do, how much you can explore, and how deep your story can get. of course, there are some short stories that are able to create intense, vivid worlds with just a few pages (Nightfall by Isaac Asimov is one of my favorites), but it's much harder to write short fiction, than it is to read it.
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Post by the_invaded_privacy »

Short fiction writing is undoubtfully a great adventure on its own. A good short has the ability to provide only the necessary outline of the story without sounding like a school course science book. And that in itself is incredible. You don't have the space to add descriptive adjectives, only simple verbs. Each scene and character needs to be simultaneously precise and attractive.
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Post by Shedrach19 »

Short fictions are easier to write cus you already have an idea how it will unfold.
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