Dear Tina,

I’ve never been good at writing short stories. Even as a child, I would scribble away, filling notebooks with lengthy adventures.

I’m currently revising my novel with the end goal of querying agents. However, my fellow writers always seem to be working on short pieces to send to publications.

I don’t enjoy writing short stories, but is it worth taking time away from my novel to write short pieces to submit to journals to make my “resume” look better?

Sincerely,

Long-Winded Writer

Dear Long-Winded, 

What I really want to say is “you do you,” to borrow from the younger generation. Keep writing that novel and try to block out that factory default setting we all are born with that commands us to compare ourselves to others. But, I know it’s not that simple. Or is it? I can think of at least one now-famous writer who never published a blessed thing before her debut novel. Hint: J.K.Rowling. We all know how that turned out!

Then there’s the rest of us mortals. With so much riding on shares and likes these days as a route to getting published, yes, of course, it will help you to publish shorter pieces and get your name out into the world. Doing so will show potential agents and publishers that you have already created a valuable marketbase for your novel. I’m pretty sure that’s how Maggie Smith’s debut memoir, “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” made it to bookstore shelves. There’s no tangible downside to publishing or posting shorter pieces, but there is one glaring emotional one: you don’t want to write short stories. And that’s okay. You can still make this place beautiful, too!

If writing blogs and chat rooms are any indication, you are not alone in this dilemma. On the one hand, some writers argue that short story and novel writing are two different animals. Fiction writer Lorrie Moore sums it up this way, “A short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage.” One is not necessarily a precursor to the other. Others claim that the love affair can set the stage for the marriage – that writing and publishing short stories helped them craft a better first novel, noting that feedback on shorter pieces can inform longer ones. And of course, shorter pieces ostensibly require less time and work, which means less risk if publishing doesn’t happen.

But, that’s no fun. Yes, there are formulas to success in any profession or endeavor. There is a clear, albeit daunting, path to publication that involves…well, getting published and putting yourself out there. However, there is also a magic to writing, an inexplicable variant to the formula. Some call it a muse, and you must follow her where she takes you. You’re not suggesting a shortcut, after all, you are simply asking if you have to do something you don’t have a penchant for in order to get published. I say no. 

Have you considered a compromise? Why limit your options to only short stories? How about a personal essay or two based on themes that surely must appear in your novel (just a guess as most fiction has aspects of non-fiction in it, right?). Or maybe you might create a Substack where you share snippets of your novel in progress, reworked a bit as stand-alone pieces, or even write craft pieces, sharing your novel-writing process with other writers.

You are well within your right, of course, to eschew all of those ideas and just keep writing your novel. After all, while those other publications or posts might grab the attention of agents, ultimately, your novel is what will get your novel published. 

Do you have a writing-related dilemma? Send your questions to asktina@projectwritenow.org. Selected questions will be featured in upcoming columns, and Tina will ensure her answers offer valuable insights for writers facing similar challenges.