Wanting to Write Novels; Feel at Home With Short Stories

gettingby said:

I don't think literary fiction is any easier than genre. A good story is a good story. And I don't think saying literary fiction is easier because it allows more freedom is true. For someone who doesn't read and write literary fiction, it is not going to make novel writing easier. And if the OP does write literary fiction, it doesn't mean it will be easier for him to write novels.

That being said, novels require a much bigger commitment than a short story. That seems to be my problem in switching over. I have a lot of fun with short stories. A novel requires a lot more work. But plenty of people do both. I wouldn't give up the short-story writing if that's where you shine.

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I agree with this.

Also, I made a lot of mistakes on my first novel. Kind of a throw me in the deep end of the pool and see if I swim situation. Sometimes, you just need to feel around for things to unlock.

gettingby said:

I don't think literary fiction is any easier than genre.

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To which I'll append that I don't think writing good genre fiction is any easier than writing good literary fiction, whatever definition you give for "literary". "Good" is the operative word. Writing crappy fiction is easier than writing good fiction, in any genre, including literary.

caw

Most short stories can evolve into novels in gradual time. My advice (if it hasn't been suggested is to take your short stories and see if you have anything to add to them.

gettingby said:

I don't think literary fiction is any easier than genre. A good story is a good story. And I don't think saying literary fiction is easier because it allows more freedom is true. For someone who doesn't read and write literary fiction, it is not going to make novel writing easier. And if the OP does write literary fiction, it doesn't mean it will be easier for him to write novels.

That being said, novels require a much bigger commitment than a short story. That seems to be my problem in switching over. I have a lot of fun with short stories. A novel requires a lot more work. But plenty of people do both. I wouldn't give up the short-story writing if that's where you shine.

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I hate the whole concept of literary versus genre. This is a pretty modern notion, and has done no favors for any type of fiction.

I've also never been comfortable with saying a novel is more work than a short story. If you;re planting your butt and writing every day, writing is writing, work is work, whatever the length of the project.

If you write a thousand words per day, what difference does it make whether those words are short story or novel? It's teh same amount of work. In onee hundred days, you'll eitehr have a novel, or you'll has fifteen, or twenty, or thirty short stories.

If anything, I'd say writing twenty or thirty short stories is more work than writing one novel because you have to come up with a new story, new characters, etc., for each short story.

Also consider that many literary novels began as short stories. Michael Cunningham's A Home at the End of the World began as the short story, "White Angel."