For years, writers had been lead to believe that the best thing for them to do was write novels. For writers like myself, who were used to writing short, this usually posed as quite a daunting task (still does). Thankfully, with the introduction of self-publishing, writing short could become a relief for those who enjoy writing in the short form.

As a subscriber to Anne R Allen’s blog, I can be thankful that I am one of those writers that have always enjoyed writing short. Anne has written a number of blog posts regarding short stories and I recommend you read them if you haven’t already done so.

For me, writing longer projects has always seemed daunting. A few years back I had some writing assessed. Being fairly new to a complete stranger reading my work, I felt the need to apologise for my writing. I felt it wasn’t enough; that there wasn’t enough description. The reader, however, didn’t have a problem with it, believing that sometimes ‘less is more’. That’s when I began to write even tighter. Years later, this would prove a valuable skill when I undertook University studies. I became used to keeping what needed to be said in as few words as possible. Writing short is a matter of getting your message across quickly and is good practice for that all important ‘hook’ at the very beginning.

Writing short can take some time to master and can be a great starting point for new writers. I’ve found that blogging can be a great help in keeping your writing ‘on topic’ with each blog post. Writing short pieces, short stories, even personal essays are a great way to build up your publishing credits and prepare you for longer projects.

Anne told me that my writing is ‘just right for today’s market’, so if you also struggle with the longer form and like to keep things short, don’t be put off by it; instead, embrace that skill. In today’s market, you’ll be rewarded for it.

Do you enjoy writing in the short form? Do you struggle writing longer pieces or shorter pieces? As a beginner, have you ever felt the need to apologise for your writing?

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