Different lengths of story serve very different purposes. Partly this is about the art: how big is the idea you want to explore, and how many words will it take? But it\u2019s also about your path as a writer. Different story lengths are useful in different ways.<\/p>\n
Some older books on writing, especially in genres such as science fiction and fantasy, recommend starting out with shorts as a way to grow an audience. Sadly, this advice is now outdated, due to the shrinking of the short story market. But short stories can still be incredibly useful.<\/p>\n
Creatively, short stories let you get practice at plotting and character development without committing to a long work. They let you write about ideas that won\u2019t provide enough plot for a whole book. They force you to practice efficient writing, as there isn\u2019t space for surplus words.<\/p>\n
In developing your writing career, short stories are a calling card. Short story markets don\u2019t get a lot of readers, but in many genres they include a disproportionate number of movers and shakers, both industry insiders and hard core fans. They can be a useful networking tool and a way of proving your talent.<\/p>\n
The novella sits somewhere between the short story and the novel. Definitions of its length vary, but between 15,000 and 40,000 words fits most definitions of either a novella or a novelette.<\/p>\n
Creatively, novellas are a useful step up from short stories, a way of practicing longer form fiction.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, they\u2019re also very hard to get published. Too long for most magazines and too short for most readers browsing in a book store, they aren\u2019t popular with large publishers. Indie presses will sometimes publish limited runs of novellas, again aimed at the core audience of dedicated fans. But mainstream publishers usually won\u2019t touch them \u2013 in science fiction, for example, only\u00a0Tor.com<\/a>\u00a0deal in this format, with varying success.<\/p>\n The backbone of the modern publishing industry, the novel is the format most people are familiar with. Many people define a decent length novel as 100,000 words and above, though you can go lower for certain genres or the right story.<\/p>\n If you want to get into the complexities of your characters and develop multiple plot threads then a novel is the way to go. It gives you space for long descriptions, complicated plots and substantial amounts of character growth. If you want to develop a whole community or world then you need its length.<\/p>\n Commercially, novels are also the easiest to sell. This is what mainstream publishers and most indies are looking for. If you want to self-publish, it\u2019s what most of your readers will be after. If you hope to one day make a living off your stories, you can\u2019t do that without novels.<\/p>\n Some genres, such as literary fiction, like to see each novel as a stand-alone piece. Others encourage series, whether the epic fantasy tales of J R R Tolkien and George R R Martin or the loosely connected stories of some romance publishers.<\/p>\nNovel<\/h2>\n
Series of Novels<\/h2>\n