Short stories - Magic in small packages

by Carola Kolbeck

Short stories have been around in print since the early 19th century and have since become a staple in the literary world. However, short stories are probably the oldest form of literature. Traditional and folk tales, told orally from generation to generation, fairy tales, fables and legends are all part of the short story genre. Whilst short fiction rarely top the best-seller lists of books such as the Sunday Times or New York Times lists, they are a staple of our lives from an early age. Just think of stories and tales we heard as children, pieces of work we had to write in school and school plays we took part in. They are all short yet impactful, cramming a lot of information and action into a relatively small word count. Short stories may not often be turned into blockbusters or Hollywood films, but they are not to be discounted. They are impactful, fashionable and addictive to both, read and write. In today’s blog post we will talk to you about short stories, why writers take up writing them, why readers love them, as well as looking at the best English short stories and their authors. We’ve also got a few tips on how to get started writing a short story or two.

brown wooden boat floating on body of water

What is a short story?

A short story doesn’t have a pre-set word count, but it can range between 1000 and 10,000 words. It is said that short stories are generally prose fiction which can be read in one sitting (according to Edgar Allan Poe, 1846), depending on the speed of the reader and their time available. Some writers suggest that the short story follows the same structure as longer novels. However, there are also opposing views:

Somerset Maugham was of the opinion that a short story "must have a definite design, which includes a point of departure, a climax and a point of test; in other words, it must have a plot". Hugh Walpole equally stated that: "A story should be a story; a record of things happening full of incidents, swift movements, unexpected development, leading through suspense to a climax and a satisfying denouement.” (Fatma, 2012). Others believe that a short story does not follow those structures at all, and say that short stories are rather like a snippet of a bigger story, without any proper beginning or end.

The opinions are divided and its owners may never agree who is right or wrong. Here at Happy London Press we are fans of short stories regardless of format or structure and love seeing how storytelling and tension develops in a limited amount of words.

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What is the shortest short story?

Stories under 1000 words are often called micro-stories or flash fiction, whereas stories under 300 words are often called micro stories. Such stories are often published in anthologies, journals or collections. There are arguments over who wrote the shortest short story ever. Some believe that it was Ernest Hemmingway. He wrote a 6-word story which, apparently, made those who had heard it cry. His story was:”For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” However, it is said that it was actually William R. Kane, who published “Little Shoes, never worn” some years beforehand. If you fancy giving this a go yourself, here are some useful tips:

Think about the theme of your micro story
Choose some words that make sense and relate to that theme
Use verbs and potentially prepositions to form a meaningful sentence.
Don’t forget appropriate punctuation - it can change the meaning of a sentence completely.

If you write a micro story, we’d love to hear from you - why don’t you email them to our office?

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Why do writers write short stories?

An important question to be asked is as to why some writers write short stories. Many writers have a dream of having a book published, sitting on the tables and shelves of book stories and hitting those best-seller lists for weeks or months. However, writing a whole novel as a novice may seem quite daunting in many ways: how to tell an elaborate story, keeping all the details in your head, time, head space, experience and so on.

Short stories are a good way for any writer to polish their story telling. They are short, therefore less confusing for the writer and he or she is more likely to finish it, rather than getting disheartened. Some of the most famous writers, such as Ernest Hemingway or Mark Twain practised by writing lots of short stories.
Short stories are in demand. In today’s online and screen-ruled world, people don’t have time or the nerve to read elaborate and long stories. This is where the short story comes in. a 15 minute journey by train or the underground, a quick lunch break - short stories are the perfect way to break up those short periods of time and fill them with something magical
There is a whole separate market for short stories. They are being published in literary journals, online journals, consumer magazines, or on blog pages.
It’s a lot easier to publish them. You can get your own blog up and running and publish one section at a time. You could also develop and publish an ebook and send your story into the world.
They don’t cost the earth. Traditional publishing is too expensive for very short pieces of literature. However, the digital age has made the publishing of short stories and the costs associated with it much more bearable.
You can easily immerse yourself into different genres. Don’t know if you’re suited to writing crime fiction? Write a crime thriller short story. You may be surprised to learn that you’re really good at it or may realise you didn’t enjoy writing it. This way you can find your passion or move on to the next genre.
Short stories are a great way to build a portfolio and a reputation as a writer.
There are tons of short story competitions out there. Who knows, if you win a big competition, you could get some money and it’s another great point to add to your portfolio.
Short stories make you concentrate on the essential parts of a story, without distracting you from elaborate sub-plots.
The love for writing is certainly honed by writing short stories, and the more you write, the better you will get.

We hope this has inspired you to try your hand on a short story. Not only will this fuel your creativity, but there is also a huge audience waiting for your tales.

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Why do readers like short stories?

Whilst we have covered the benefits of short stories for writers and authors, why do people like to read short stories, or why should someone become a short story reader? One of the answers is closely linked to a reason for writing them. Short stories are short. Today’s life is busy, fast-paced, packed with lots of things to do, all the time. Where we may be used to having pockets of time of a couple of hours here and there, we now hustle and bustle and never sit or stand still. Short stories give you an escape into a different world without having to invest hours. Some stories can be read in minutes, and that just fills the time during a bus journey, whilst you’re waiting in a queue or at the dentist.

Another plus point of the short story in modern society is that people’s attention span is often very short, be that because of screens or the fast-paced world we now live in. A short story will keep readers captured for long enough but not long enough so that they lose interest. In a world that is now so used to watching everything in video or meme format, reading a short story will be a welcome change from the blue light of the screens in our lives.

A past-time that doesn’t cost the earth

Books are one of the oldest and most precious items that humankind has carried forward throughout its development, but books cost money and some can be very expensive. Similarly, being beneficial to the author who can publish short stories cheaper and with more ease than traditionally, the benefit is passed on to the reader. E-books and especially short stories don’t cost a lot but for a little bit of money you own a whole story which you can read over and over again.
What is more, ebooks, fully designed with front covers, blurbs and reviews, give the reader the feeling that they have just read a full book, and this feeling of achievement, like when you have finished a whole novel, is a wonderful one.

Short stories are therefore a wonderful medium of storytelling which, in an increasingly visual world of Tik Tok, Instagram and Pinterest, has the potential to revive the pleasure of reading.

Finishing something gives us pleasure

Reading itself is huge pleasure, we know that, however, we may get disheartened and even put off when we start reading a book and then never manage to finish it, because we don’t have the time. Short stories are a great solution to this. They help us to read more by promising us that we will be able to finish reading it and we are encouraged to pick up another story after. Finishing something, anything, gives us a deep and fulfilling sense of accomplishment. Once we associate this positive feeling with reading a book because we have finished it, we are more likely to choose our next read.

Exploring many different genres and authors

Having shorter reads to hand, we are more likely to try out different genres, different authors and broaden our horizon with a great variety of tales. Think of it like a taster menu. There are little bite-sized portions to be had, giving us the pleasure to try as much diversity in a short space of time. It’s the same with short stories. You can jump from one story to the next and your mix may end up being as eclectic as a wedding reception playlist.

The same goes for trying new authors. You may have heard great reviews about someone’s new book but it’s not what you usually go for. Yes, you may be able to download a free sample from the internet, but a free sample never really goes far enough to show you if you’ll be interested to keep turning the page. If that author also writes short stories, it gives you a great opportunity to test the waters and see if you’ll warm to their kind of writing. If not, you haven’t lost much time and money. If yes, you have gained a short story, a new favourite author as well as further reading material along the way.

Short stories as “palate-cleansers”

You’ve finished one novel but you’re not quite ready to start the next book just yet. The thoughts are still lingering with that amazing story and getting stuck in another 300 plus pages just doesn’t appeal. A short story can be an effective way to get you ready for the next big book. It’s like a bridge between two reads and can help you wet your appetite for a bigger portion of words.

Instill a daily habit of reading

What do you do when you have a spare few minutes during your day? Do you reach for a book or for your phone? If you reach for your phone to read an ebook you have downloaded, then great! If you’re scrolling through social media, we appreciate that you're reading and absorbing information, too. However, you may feel a lot more relaxed after diving head first into a short story rather than falling into the scroll-hole of Facebook or Instagram. Reading a story will transport you to a different world without making you feel anxious. You’ll feel good and accomplished, which is a daily habit to instil at any point. Short stories can be helpful to keep up this daily reading habit. Sitting down for 10 minutes with your cup of coffee or tea, losing yourself in a gripping plot, only to resurface, refreshed and ready to take on the next chunk of your day. And chances are, you won’t want to wait for your next coffee break.

And finally…

Some people may never warm to short stories, deeming them an impostor of a “proper” book. However, short stories or not, whatever you decide to read, no matter the length, will be an enrichment for your mind and soul. Give short stories a go. We are certain you won’t regret it.