The thing is, I like writing novels. I've always liked writing novels. I find short stories to be unfulfilling (both to read and to write). At best, I think people can write clever short stories that make us think, but I almost never feel that the issues or characters are thouroughly explored. Worse, I don't think I write very good short stories. Even after two years of working on them, I don't find that my recent stuff is much better than my original attempts.

All that is ranting. I don't want to talk about how to write short stories or how they are better/worse than novels. It boils down to a personal preference. What I want to know is:

Do I NEED to write short stories?

That is, will it help me in some way? Will it make my novels easier to sell if I can get some short stories sold? Will honing the craft in a short story format help me to hone it in a novel format?

Are they a waste of time? If they affect your motivation negatively, they are worse than that.

If you are writing short stories just so that other people will feedback your work, so that you may improve your style - don't There are places you can go to get feedback on a chapter by chapter basis.

So I stopped. Now, I focus only on what I like to write. I'm slaving away at my novel now, and if I can get it published, great. If not, I am having a blast telling the story, so to me that is all that matters.

I'd say, much the same as posted above, just write what you want to write.

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Do I NEED to write short stories?

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Their suckage is nearly unmeasurable.

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I disagree. But if you feel that way, then write on your novel. This is for you, after all.

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Just curious, seeing as how I've never let anybody else read my short stories, how would you know?

I am, however, happy that you have more confidence in my short story ability than I do .

I think the one thing that keeps me writing short stories even though I'm not all that fond of them is that novels can take years to write, let alone sell, and let alone publish. Short stories give you a small measured step of accomplishment, however much they suck. Moreover, you can often find someone to publish even bad short stories.

Then I realized what part of the problem was. I'm trying to force myself to write in this way...force myself to get a certain volume of stories out there so I can keep up with the people who have fifty short stories out at markets. One story a week was a goal for a while, and then one story a month. I have to force myself to come up with something.

But every so often I come upw ith an idea that begs for a short story format. I did this a couple of weeks ago, and I am actually wanting to write that story.

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force myself to get a certain volume of stories out there so I can keep up with the people who have fifty short stories out at markets

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The trouble is, this is not a competition. Some people sell most of what they write. They are professional writers. the rest of us sell what works to some specific editor. who cares if you keep up. Write at your own pace and your own length and your own style and your own everything. Don't bother to try adapting to people who aren't buying your work.

Samual R. Delany's short story in the Harlan Ellison anthology Dangerous Visions anthology was his first short story. He was a novelist and only wrote the short story at Ellison's request.

Don't worry about the years a novel takes to finish, because if that puts you off, it will only take longer, because that clock doesn't even start ticking until the first word is typed. besides, when you're marketing book #1, you are writing book #2 and time flies. Just keep plugging away and you'll eventually look back and see how far you've come.

The important thing is to keep writing regularly and consistently so you are always producing new work, and honing your craft. I don't think you have to write short stories to do that, but I think most writers find it easier to start with short stories. In this age of immediate gratification and short attention spans, it allows the time necessary for beginnning writers to understand the craft of writing and that it takes hard work and persistence. If they don't catch on, then they find out soon enough.

You are definitely not a beginning writer Christine, so you've obviously passed this initial barrier. You understand the craft and have honed your skills, so write what you enjoy.

However, the established path for writers is Short Story then Novel.

But, there are many authors who jump right into novel writing without ever publishing a short story. Its a more difficult path, but if short stories are not your thing, its the only path.

Something to consider too is where your stories are published. If you manage to achieve the supreme honor of publishing in say, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, or Asimov's, then that will go a long way to giving you recognition without publishing a lot.

Winning prizes in well thought of contests like the Writers of the Future Contest can also give boosts to your recognition level. Once you have the recognition, I hear it gets easier to publish other works.

Well, Galaxy and Amazing are no more (or, if they still are, I'm unaware of it). Asimov's emerged shortly after I started. A whole bunch have come and gone since.

Having something substantial published in Analog, Asimov's, or F & SF...man, that'd do it for me. That's what I got into this to do. I'd be relatively happy with publication elsewhere, major market (say, Playboy or the New Yorker) or minor market (pretty much anybody's magazine) but, really, it's those three that I'm most eager to shove my stuff on.

Another motivator would be money. I'd hoped to make a living writing---I've long given up that hope and am trying for enough chump change to help pay for the groceries.

I couldn't do that with short stories in magazines. If you adjust for inflation, they're paying less than they did back in the thirties, even if I sold every word I wrote.