Size Matters: The Benefits of Writing Short Fiction

Sometimes smaller is just better.
Sometimes smaller is just better.

Six months ago, I wrote a post about what I would do if I was starting over as an indie publisher. One of the things I said I would do was to consider writing shorter. I’d like to expand on that.

First, I love to read short stories. I grew up reading O. Henry, Mark Twain, James Thurber. As an adult, each new Stephen King short story collection has been must reading. With the popularity of eReaders today, the lines are now blurred of what a novel, a novella, and a short story are in the minds of our readers. They all weigh the same on a Kindle. I markedly promote my shorter works as short stories to avoid a rash of “It was too short” reviews, but I notice that a number of reviewers just refer to them as “books.” Continue reading “Size Matters: The Benefits of Writing Short Fiction”

Short Stories: Ten Tips to Get Writing

short stories once-upon-a-time-719174_640In my last post, we discussed Ten Reasons (+1) to Write Short Stories. This week, we’ll dive into some tips on how to craft a solid short story. Short stories are a different animal. You don’t have 70,000 words to paint a picture, build back-story, or play out the action. However, you must still incorporate all the components of good fiction. Theme, plot, protagonists, antagonists, concept must intertwine to bring impact to your story.

Most short stories tend to be 3,500 words or less. That’s not a lot of words if you’re used to writing lengthy prose. You have to make every word count. While there are no “rules” to writing short stories, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your short fiction pieces. Continue reading “Short Stories: Ten Tips to Get Writing”

Promoting Your Shorter Fiction

SellingFictionWe’ve talked about why you might want to add short fiction to your author’s bag of tricks. Your next challenge: promoting short fiction in today’s slightly wobbly and ever-shifting marketplace. While Smashwords’ Mark Coker says that the highest selling novels on his site come in at about 100K, other industry professionals are all over the map about book length. On one hand, they point to recent successes like Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (775 pages), but then they blame our culturally reduced attention spans for the desire for shorter books. Continue reading “Promoting Your Shorter Fiction”

Video Trailer: Odd & Odder

Odd & Odder: A Collection of Sensuality, Satire & Suspense brings together the creative, off-beat minds of veteran authors K. S. Brooks and Newton Love. From short stories befitting The Twilight Zone, to lustful verses of poetry, to thought-provoking flash prose: Odd & Odder is consistently fresh, sometimes outlandish, and truly different. A total of 22 original works and two bonus excerpts from the authors’ novels are included, providing something for readers of all tastes.

Odd & Odder is available from Amazon, Amazon UK, and Smashwords.

Don’t forget, you can cast your vote for trailer of the month on January 31, 2015 at 1 p.m. Pacific time.