I have a great idea for a story, but I dont know if I should try to stretch it to novel size, or condense it a little to a short story? Obviously, the length is different, but what are some differences in writing these 2 types of stories?
Help is greatly appreciated!
2007-05-25 10:47:43 · 14 answers · asked by David M 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Basically, (other than length) what are some differences with novels and short stories?
I'm trying to decide how I want to approach my idea for a story.
2007-05-25 10:50:59 · update #1
First, as an editor, I can tell you there's not much market for short stories unless you're selected to work on a compilation of genre stories (such as romance tales or vampire lore). You would need some type of track record behind you to be invited, though.
Secondly, I can tell you that short stories are usually devoid of desciption, setting and character analysis. The main character is usually introduced with action or dialouge as either hero or antagonist, and the plot moves swiftly to climax and solution, usually with a minimum of secondary characters and no in-depth analysis of motive. Foreshadowing, of course, can't be used, and the author very rarely uses flashbacks.
In a novel, there is room to move the plot at a more sedate pace, heightening the suspense and introducing twists in the plot that will engage the reader in guessing the end. The camera character can be fleshed out, given a history, emotions, prejudices and interests. Secondary characters play a major role in opposing or supporting the camera character. Foreshadowing and flashbacks are used throughout the tale, and the climax arrives in due time and glides down to the conclusion at a proper pace.
Hope this helps.
2007-05-25 11:04:14 · answer #1 · answered by Jess 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Wow! What a collection of answers we have here. Problem is, none of them are completely correct, but all of them are right. The only thing I've seen here that is patently false relates to characters.
No story populated only by cardboard characters and spearchuckers can be considered a story by any sort of stretch you care to make. The major difference between novels and shorts is that the characters in shorts tend to arrive on the scene fully developed. This is true even in flash fiction (some say less than 1000 words, others 500 hundred or less).
Basically what this means is that you have to flesh out your characters behind the scenes and allow them to describe themselves to the reader through their dialogue; actions; reactions; strengths; weaknesses; foibles and failings. Since we must use considerable economy of word in a short story, there is little room for narrative of the descriptive sort and adjectives must be chosen with extreme care to produce the desired impact without expanding the story unnecessarily.
Read a number of short stories critically to see how this is accomplished.
I warn you, many novels read like overly padded short stories and you need to control that through a degree of conciseness, even in the novel length.
J.
http://www.jrichardjacobs.net
"The speed of the brain is inversely proportional to the speed of the mouth squared."
2007-05-25 14:11:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Short stories have fewere pages than novels, as do novelets.
Books have chapters. I can tell you from experience David, that if you try to control how long your story is, it will never get finished. Just decide how it will start, then let the story itself decide how long it will be- let it go where it will. When it's done, read it, edit it, change it/rewrite it if necessary. Do all your editing when it seems to be done. Will it end up being longer than a short story? maybe, but the best story is one that's complete. If a writer tries to control how long it is, it's not always completed. I suggest reading some how to books on book and story writing, that are published by Writer's Digest. They're very informing!
2007-05-25 11:04:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They only difference between the two that I have ever noticed is length. In a novel, you have more pages to expand on plot, setting, characters and theme, but you need all that to have a good short story.
2016-04-01 08:23:03 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Novels and short stories are works of fiction that share the basic elements of character, setting, plot and theme. They are also similar in plot development: exposition, rising action climax, denouement, resolution and conclusion.
The difference, other than length, is that novels often have more characters, several settings, plots (subplots), more than one climax, and more than one conflict. With the exception of characters, short stories are usually limited to one of each of those.
The demands of a short story are often more difficult than novel since word choice is so important. However, I wouldn't recommend stretching out a short story into a novel if you can tell it in the abbreviated form. Marketing it would be completely different, of course.
2007-05-25 17:24:13 · answer #5 · answered by Molly R. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A novel (from French nouvelle Italian "novella", "new") is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. Until the eighteenth century, the word referred specifically to short fictions of love and intrigue as opposed to romances, which were epic-length works about love and adventure. During the 18th century the novel adopted features of the old romance and became one of the major literary genres. It is today defined mostly by its ability to become the object of literary criticism demanding artistic merit and a specific 'literary' style—or specific literary styles.
A short story is a form of short fictional narrative prose. Short stories tend to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction, such as novellas (in the modern sense of this term) and novels.
Short stories have their origins in oral story-telling traditions and the prose anecdote, a swiftly-sketched situation that comes rapidly to its point. With the rise of the comparatively realistic novel, the short story evolved as a miniature, with some of its first perfectly independent examples in the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann and Anton Chekhov.
Many authors today release compilations of their short stories in short story collections.
2007-05-25 10:51:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Length IS the main difference. It determines how you will flesh out your story. Obviously in a short story, you're required to introduce key plot elements much sooner.
Try sitting down and plotting out your story. This won't take a short time so allow yourself a couple hours. Flesh out your plot outline. Can it be told briefly and concisely for maximum impact? Or do the characters seem to beg for more back story and detail to be told? Let your characters guide you.
2007-05-25 12:50:05 · answer #7 · answered by Autumn 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
A short story is streamlined. It has little character development. It is mostly plot development which is usually very simple and direct.
A novel is a lengthy work of prose that has extensive character development and frequently more than one plot line. It is more concerned with the interactions of the characters than with the development of plot lines unless it is of style that is plot driven.
My advice would be to answer these questions:
Is the story about character or about plot?
Is it a simple story or complex one?
2007-05-25 11:05:00 · answer #8 · answered by Sophist 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Novels have more description, better plots, more characters, etc. Short stories get straight to the point. Is that what you mean?
2007-05-25 10:53:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Novels are books, short stories are little stories
2007-05-25 10:56:03 · answer #10 · answered by the sun sets at eight 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋