The Art of the Short Story vs. The Art of the Novel

I have safely returned to my frozen Wisconsin wasteland. It was a balmy -30 when I landed and now is slightly warmer - warm enough to produce a 5-8" snowstorm over the next two days. If nothing, the cold weather forces me to be dormant and work on my writing.

It also forces me to have extended Facebook or text conversations with old friends. Yesterday, I was speaking with a friend of mine who was just accepted into an MFA program for fiction writing. I asked if she was excited and she said yes, but no. Throughout her undergrad experience, she wrote short stories, then created a portfolio of short stories to get into the MFA program. Now, she learned that the extent of her MFA program would be writing, critiquing, and perfecting even more short stories.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to write fiction, but I want to write a novel. Short stories aren't my calling," she told me via technology. "I read this article that said writing a short story is like making a row boat, whereas writing a novel is like building a yacht. You can't build a yacht by building thousands of rowboats."

She didn't remember who wrote the article or where she read it, but the quote stuck with us both. Writing a short story - from the plot to the character development - is a completely different world from writing a novel. That's why I enjoy the "novel writing" seminars I attend over the "short story seminars". Though both can help you tame your craft, you have to pursue what you love. You don't see poets in forestry class, or painters spinning at the ceramics wheel. You have to follow your calling. If you want to write short stories, take the MFA classes and become a short story master. If you want to write novels, then find a writing group and novel writing seminars that most often take place over a span of weekends or at a month-long retreat.

Just as we understand the difference in craft between clay and oil paint, it's about time we start realizing that not all fiction is identical. It takes different abilities and techniques to write short stories than it does to write novels.

My advice to my friend as well as to you, blog reader and fellow scribe, is to follow your heart. Don't worry about the professors telling you you won't go anywhere without an MFA. Don't worry if everyone else is singing up for the Carver-esque class. If you want to be the next Grisham or Patterson, write your novel. Read more novels and find the correct classes for you.