The Importance of the Short Story for Genre Writers
Finding an agent can be a long and daunting task. For many hopeful authors it’s the first gauntlet in a long line of them that is the road to publication. Which is why I always feel a little guilty admitting that I didn’t find my agent.
My agent, Lane Heymont, approached me after reading one of the short stories that I’d had published. I think it was “Séance” published with Pseudopod but it might have been “A Blessing” from Black Girl Magic Magazine. It might have been both of them.
Regardless of which story it was, it wasn’t one that had made much of a splash. Neither was a viral story; they won no awards. The only thing they were, really, was published. They were available to be read and they were read.
And the thing is, this happens to people from time to time. I am not an isolated incident, I have met other people who got an email from an agent they eventually signed with after they’d read something they had published. Of course it happens for big viral hits but it can happen for quieter stories too.
But you have to . . . write the stories and worse yet, you have to submit them.
And actually, especially if you’re writing genre fiction, you should probably do this anyway.
The chance to snag an agent is a nice thing to think about and it may happen but even if it doesn’t, there’s still a good deal of reasons to take some time out to work on shorts. Ultimately, short stories may not be something you like to write or are any good at but trying your hand at a few can have some strong benefits.
I made a list of reasons actually!
1. Introduces you to the submission (and rejection) process.
This is very practical. Going through this process will just help new authors learn how to format submissions and follow guidelines. A skill that carries over into the query trenches where authors will have to format submissions and follow guidelines. This may seem very basic but a surprising amount of people knock themselves out of the running by simply not following directions.
Get some practice in locating and formatting your submission packets exactly as asked.
But even if you do follow the instructions, you’re still going to get some passes. A lot them, probably. And learning how to take a rejection on these smaller pieces will also help give you the resilience to keep at it with your larger works.
But sometimes you’ll get acceptances! And those will keep your heart and spirit going!
2. Will help you learn to wait.
Traditional publishing takes a long time and most of that time is waiting. Waiting to hear a yes or a no. Waiting for edits. Waiting for the check to clear. Waiting for releases. Waiting.
Publishing is not a quick endeavor, there’s many steps to the process with a lot of downtime in between. Going through this process, although faster than a book (in most cases), will help temper expectations. And what are you going to do with all that time: Well that’s…
3. Learn to write through the wait.
Writing a book is a big endeavor. It is, for many people, THE project. It is the only thing that they work on for months, years, and when it’s done they don’t know what else to do while they’re waiting. You, dear reader, do not have to be among those masses.
Waiting, as discussed in #2, is something you will be doing a lot of. The best thing to do while you’re waiting is write another thing. A short story practice gives you something else to do. Gets your brain used to moving into a new story. Teaches you that you can have a couple of different fires going.
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4. You’re going to sell some of those stories.
And aside from money (hopefully) it also helps you gain the valuable experience of working with an editor. Of learning to work with an editor.
Writing is, in a real way, very solitary work. It is personal work. Having someone critically view it and suggest changes can be hard. Although short story edits won’t include developmental changes, there will be lines you love that need to be cut, sections that need to be moved. These early exposures will also help you figure out how you are edited best so you can take that knowledge into the work on your book.
5. And of course, just craft! To become a stronger writer, you must write.
Short stories are great places to play with ideas, to help find and define your personal style. To experiment. Play with language, themes, structure in bite-size projects. Try your hand at a different genre! Have fun!
You can explore character and ideas on a small stage before committing 80K+ words to them. And who knows, maybe one of those little experiments become the seeds for something bigger.
Writing short stories won’t guarantee that you’ll get a big break. That’s just luck but you know, you won’t win if you’re not in the game. Even if you end up finding your agent through querying, throwing some shorts into the void can help you build relationships with other writers, editors, and readers who will champion your work as you journey down this long road.
The important thing is to keep going. Keep writing! Keep submitting! Keep querying!
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