Small but Perfectly Formed: On Short Stories & Novellas… with editor Debz Hobbs-Wyatt
It’s so easy to dismiss the shorter forms of prose writing and to see the novel as the true writer’s goal. We often overlook the relevance of flash fiction; we disregard the importance of the short story; and we regard the novella as nothing more than a baby novel that has yet to grow. And there lies the oversight. There’s a real skill, an inherent talent, to writing in these shorter forms. We only have to look at the great short story collections by people like Alice Munroe, George Saunders and one of my favourites – Jon McGregor. Even novellas are becoming more popular today. But never be fooled into thinking that real writers write novels and dabblers write short stories, or imagine for one second, that writing shorter forms is the easier or lesser option – to the contrary.
It’s interesting that many authors in the USA make their debut with short story collections prior to the release of their first novel. Sadly, that is not the case in the UK, making it harder to attract the attention of UK agents with short stories alone. That said, there are still many opportunities in the UK for short stories, from small presses, to magazines, to journals, and a whole range of competitions, including the prestigious Commonwealth, Bridport and BBC short story awards.
I have always waved the banner for the short story as a writer, small publisher, and avid reader of them. The single most important thing for any of these short forms is brevity with gravity. They might have fewer words, simpler settings, and smaller casts than novels, but they can have just as much of an impact on readers. There is a skill to building vivid worlds in small spaces. There is an art to capturing character and taking the reader on an emotionally-rich and satisfying journey in only a few pages.
We might herald the novel as the pinnacle of the fiction writer’s career, but many writers happily enjoy writing the shorter form. It’s interesting that many movies are made from short stories and novellas, maybe because the movie is also to be absorbed in one sitting.
Writing short stories is a wonderful way to learn and understand how stories work, and the best way to tell them.
They allow us to experiment with voice and form, really understand story arcs and character development. They show us how to put just the right word in just the right place. These are skills we need for all our writing. The mistake we make is assuming the novel is simply padding out the shorter pieces, which is not the case. The best novels come from what short story writing teaches us about succinctness and sharpness: no extraneous detail, don’t get over-complex.
What short story writing teaches us is how much we can leave out – an invaluable skill, especially for the novel writer. If we get it right, it’s incredible how diverse even the shortest stories are once they expand inside the reader’s imagination. So, never underestimate the power of short fiction.
Debz is an award-winning short-story writer and a published novelist. She has had over thirty short stories published, as well as being shortlisted in a number of writing competitions. These include the prestigious US Pushcart Prize 2013, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2013, and Debz was the winner of the inaugural Bath Short Story Award 2013. Her first novel was published in 2013 and her short story collection was published in 2019. She has edited for Cafelit (online magazine) and edits and commissions short stories for Bridge House Publishing. She has been an editor and mentor with Cornerstones since 2014. She is available for editorial mentoring and reports – do contact the Cornerstones office for more details!
