Perhaps it's my reading that is to blame; I like books big. If it's not 5-600 pages (or more), or part of a series, I just tend to burn right through whatever it is I'm reading.

When I come up with an idea for a story, I tend to have to let it cook in my head a bit before I can put anything on paper. What happens, though, is that by the time it's cooked enough that I feel I have some sort of direction to write in, the idea has usually grown to novel-size.

How do I stop this from happening? Or can I?

*Edited to add: Nevermind, I found the other very similar thread *

[This message has been edited by Sariel (edited October 04, 2005).]

I think the keyword is: keep it simple. Don't throw in tons of characters, or plot development. There is no time.

I once took a creative writing class in which I had to write a 5-page short story (about 1500 words with the font characteristics specified). I managed it because I kept it to bare bones. There was a grand total of three characters, only one of which was really developed, three scenes, a very simple plot that kept a tight focus on one character. I kept the setting to a minimum as well (although now that I have grown more as a writer, I think it was do-able to have a more complicated one than the generic fantasyland I used).

That's my experience. If anyone else has had different ones, I'd be interested in hearing them as well(I have taken a solemn vow to keep my next short story strictly under 5000 words).