I'm a 20 (nearly 21) year-old male. I'm a rising senior physics major. I've been writing fairly consistently for the last four or five years. My current goal for writing is to someday (I'd like mid-thirties) to publish a handful of novels and sell some short stories -- but I don't necessarily have to become a professional writer (as in, full-time -- only source of income).

This summer, I will be able to commit myself to writing a fairly decent amount. As a matter of fact, I'd anticipate about 120,000 new words (based on my writing speed, and my amount of time available).

What I'm asking is: should I concentrate on short stories this summer, or should I write a couple shorts but concentrate on a novel length work?

This is how I see it... Short stories would be better for the business side of the craft. Selling a few genre pieces would be a better way to break into the field than just relying on an above-average novel. However, I'm also concerned with improving my writing and as I've never finished a novel, I feel as though that may help me significantly improve. But lets face it; it will be virtually impossible for me to sell this aforementioned novel, just because I doubt I'll be up to par enough.

If you have an idea that needs the scope and scale of a novel, then go for it. If you have several small ideas, then write short. You do have a better chance of getting published sooner if you go with several short stories, but you don't sound like you are in that big of a hurry, so the novel option seems like it could work if you feel you can finish it. That is the big thing. You've got to finish whatever it is you write. That took me years to finally get, but Heinlein was right. You must write, and you must finish what you write.

Just my unpublished 2.784 cents.

However, I'd say my situation is a little bit pickier. I definitely am not in a hurry -- but it's not as simple as writing the stories that come to me. Because I have stories of every length -- it really is just a matter of picking which I want to write, and writing them.

Hooray for alliteration!

Why?

I can only think it is because a novel really is a whole different thing than a short story.

My short fiction (and they were not even short--they were serial stories) are on-line publications. And since my novel(s) are fiction those are the ones that should count.

I still managed to find an agent in good time.

You need to start with what you feel you can best do--what one idea is calling to you the most and go from there.

Write whatever your inspiration dictates. I can't imagine someone writing shorts a novel without it.

1. Have fun. Too often I have stopped having fun doing what I love, focusing too much on the business side of things. The result is that I stop doing what I love.

2. Chose wisely. It seems like you know what you need to work on, so work on those things. Push yourself to become a better writer. But in choosing wisely, don’t forget your first love—writing.

3. Since you have enough common sense to know that making a living out of writing is very difficult, please take this piece of advise with a grain of salt. Yes, it is very difficult to make a living by writing fiction, but it is impossible to make a living by writing short fiction. Given that you will be able to knock out 120,000 words this summer, I’d encourage you to write a novel.

Sure, your writing abilities may not be up to par today, but it's always easier to rewrite than it is to create, so you will be that much closer to publication once you've completed the first draft.

A few short stories would be an excellent idea, if only to get some name recognition and to have some completed works so you feel like you accomplished something. But as srhowen noted, short story sales are not as useful as they used to be in getting a novel published.

Of course, make sure you submit to Writers of the Future every quarter, regardless. (Right, PaganQuaker? )