Many writers, including yourself, must have dreamt of publishing your works with the public at some point in your life. But if you’re not confident enough to write a complete novel, you can always start writing short stories. After all, publishing your work has never been simpler in today’s world, thanks to the abundance of numerous online story writing platforms.

So, if you’re struggling through the umpteenth novel draft, or haven’t really started yet, read on to learn some of the many reasons writing short stories can help you grow as a writer.

Reasons Writers Should Also Focus On Short Stories

• You’re Free To Experiment With Various Genres

As a writer, one of the most important things to focus on is building your skills and understanding different genres. Short stories are a great way to do this because you can write them in any style and genre. What’s more, short stories allow you to experiment with different techniques and explore the ones that suit you best. Whether you prefer to write flash fiction (a very short story) or complex character studies, there are no boundaries to what you can create with short stories.

• Helps Build Your Portfolio

Writing short stories is a valuable skill for writers of all experience levels. Not only does it allow you to practice your writing craft and experiment with different styles and genres, but it can also boost your writing portfolio. Unlike a 500-page novel, short stories are less intimidating for readers, making them a great way to establish an audience and get your work recognized.

Additionally, by sharing your work on renowned online short story platforms, you can gain recognition in the writing world. Once published, short stories can increase your visibility and grows your online portfolio. If your readers love your stories, they can nominate them for a prize, and your published short stories will be eligible for yearly honors, which is a huge success when building your reputation as a writer.

• You Can Take Risks With A Short Story

Short stories are a great way to take risks and experiment as a writer. Unlike novels, which require deep research, dedication, and hard work, short stories can be produced quickly with minimal effort.

In a short story, you don’t need to reveal all the details about your characters or setting. This means you can focus on telling a good story rather than getting everything minutely correct. Additionally, since the stakes in short stories are much lower than those in novels, it is easier to take creative risks and make bold choices with your writing.

So, whether you want to try new techniques or push yourself creatively in new directions, short stories give you the freedom to do so.

• It’s Easier And Faster To Write Short Stories

Writing short stories might initially seem daunting, but this approach has many advantages. For instance, you don’t need to create dozens of complex characters and weave in tons of subplots. With a short story, you can zoom in on one idea or central conflict and craft your narrative around that. This allows you to skip over irrelevant details and get right to the meat of the story. Additionally, writing short stories can be much faster than long-form fiction because the structure tends to be simpler. You can just sketch out an outline for your plot and dive in.

• Short Stories Help Re-Spark Your Motivation

When you feel burned out from a challenging project, a short story can be just the trick to reignite your motivation and get you back on track. Writing a novel requires dedication, perseverance, and discipline, but most of all, creativity.

Often when you’re too deep into working on a large project, it’s easy to lose sight of those qualities. One approach to revitalizing your passion for writing is to distract yourself with more writing. This might seem silly, but moving away from your current work and crafting and actually completing a new short story gives off an incredible sense of satisfaction.

So, the next time you’re stuck in your novel draft, take a break to write a finished short story. It’ll provide you with a sense of pride and confidence, which might rekindle your passion for the larger task ahead.

The Bottom Line

And, even if for no other reason, short story writing can be enjoyable in its own right. Every single time you complete one, you get a sense of accomplishment.

Having said that, are you ready to try your hand at online storytelling? If so, join online communities like Golden Room today!