How to overcome the fact that I can't write long stories?

The ability to write a short story is notably different from that of a novelist. In sporting terms, one is a sprint, the other, a marathon. They are as different as lyrics and poetry, and very rarely will you find the best of one is the best of the other (e.g. Leonard Cohen). A poet may be tempted to write music, because there's a lot more money in music, but that in itself should not be sufficient cause to ignore your natural talent and inclination. Some of the finest short story writers have never written a novel, or at least, if they have, not to the same acclaim. This group includes Alice Munro (Nobel winner), Raymond Carver, Chekhov, Saki, and O. Henry. To quote Munro:

"So why do I like to write short stories? Well, I certainly didn't intend to. I was going to write a novel. And still! I still come up with ideas for novels. And I even start novels. But something happens to them. They break up. [...] So I wrote in bits and pieces with a limited time expectation. Perhaps I got used to thinking of my material in terms of things that worked that way." (Emphasis mine.) -- Alice Munro (The Atlantic)

Writing is always a question of experience. If Munro had spent years focused on writing novels, perhaps she would have become a novelist. The demands on her time by her family didn't allow for the requisite concentration. Ultimately, if it's your desire to write novels, and you have the time, skill, and dedication, you should follow your instinct. Not because novels are more commercially viable, or because they are seen as great works of art, but because you want to, because great writing can only happen at the convergence of desire, action, and inspiration.

posted almost 9 years ago

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dinerdash‭

5 reputation 0 1 1 0

I think its the same for everyone, I myself is a newbie in writing and does not have much knowledge about it. When I start to write I get short of words but once I have written few lines and got comfortable in it I continue writing endlessly even things that are not necessary. I think we can overcome this if we first create a rough draft of it and then re-write it again.

posted over 12 years ago

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Carol Hardin‭

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Think of your story as separate scenes. Your idea about writing a novel of interconnected short stories is basically the same thing. Each chapter is a different scene, or a different short story, if you will. Take the time to figure out where you want to go with your story and then start documenting that.

A lot of writers will get an idea of what they want to write and then just sit down and start writing. The problem with that is you don't always have a clear understanding of where you want to go or how you want to get there. Take the time to outline each scene so that you have a roadmap. You don't have to put a lot of detail into the outline, just make sure you have one.

Try starting out with a couple of major characaters and an idea of what you want to do with them. Then take the time to plan for them to do something in each chapter (short story), and then keep adding chapters to help guide them through a process that takes them where you want them to go.

Sometimes it's just hard to maintain your focus, and that is where an outline can prove to be most benficial. It allows you to break up the work into smaller pieces while also providing you with a structure that helps you see the big picture.

posted over 12 years ago

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Steven Drennon‭

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As I've said elsewhere, don't pad your stories with, er, effluvia. If your idea is a short story, leave it short. Not every writer has to write long pieces. I'm reasonably sure Shakespeare didn't write novels. If short stories are your strength, your passion, and your interest, stick with them.

Now, if you want to write something longer as an exercise, there are plenty of methods you can look up to help you do that. But don't do it because you think "only novelists are real writers" or that you're "supposed" to write books.

posted over 12 years ago

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Lauren Ipsum‭

2098 reputation 13 1143 397 1

If you've written at all, you can write long stories. A long story is simply a bunch of short stories about the same subject that are stitched together to form a narrative.

Your life is a long story. Don't agonize over how to sustain focus or worry about losing interest in a long story. Just start somewhere. Anywhere. The middle is often a great place to start a novel. The best novel I wrote was one I started randomly one day from the middle.

Losing interest is totally common for beginners and veteran writers. If you've lost interest, either the story isn't good, or you want to write a different story.

Don't underestimate the power of habit. If you sit down every day and write a page or two on the same subject or idea, you'll eventually hone in on it.

I've been writing the same book now for six months. It took two weeks to build it into a habit. I didn't get distracted or bored with it.

Boredom also means that the writing might not be good. This is not the end of things. It means you must make it more interesting. Beginning writers have a tendency to keep too much of what they write. Try trimming fifty percent of it. Suddenly you have a sharp, focused story that moves along.

Envisioning the reward of completion is also a way to stay inspired. If the book is good, it could be published. At the very least, you've WRITTEN A BOOK, or a long story. This is cause for celebration.

posted almost 10 years ago

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Fyor Nikowski‭

10 reputation 0 1 2 0

It's funny that i have the opposite problem. I find it much easier writing novels than short stories, and oftentimes when i come up with a good short story plot it ends up actually being a novella!

For people who have trouble writing long stories, the so-called 'snowflake method' seems to be a good solution. In fact, it's what i naturally tend to do when writing a story, which is probably why i tend to write long stories.

Snowflake method in detail

posted over 6 years ago

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user394536‭

155 reputation 20 1 16 0