One of the topics that get discussed every now and then amongst certain writer circles is that of the difference between long form and short form writing. Some would hold that both forms of writing are entirely different.
I tend to disagree: I weave in between different types of writing all the time. Academic writing, poetry, creative writing (both long form and short form). I think they all have their own rhythms, their own pulse and their own peculiar way of presenting a subjective truth. In my opinion, to say that short fiction is entirely different from a novel is not entirely true. To be quite cheeky about it, both forms consist of words. To be more serious: both forms have narrative arcs with beginnings, middles and ends. There are some cogent differences: pacing, beats, the ways in which narrative structure is executed and the ways in which language is used. A certain economy of words is needed with short fiction, a certain discipline in relation to how events are stacked or paced. But with novels, I have the luxury of being more expansive, more generous in my descriptions, more dimensioned in how I approach space and blocking in the novel. But not undisciplined! There are forms and structures to be considered. This is why I return to short fiction every now and then. I want to have that discipline re-aligned and re-focused when I have become too lax and out of practice.
This discipline helps me when I return to novel-writing. Because I’m always thinking about story structures on the micro and macro novel. I’m always thinking about causal relations. And this in turn impacts the pulse of the novel. Even the chonkiest of novels needs to have a certain tightness of pacing and of rhythm. Sometimes, working on pacing in short fiction helps me break down the units of what I need to do for my novels as well. Essentially, I personally feel that it is beneficial if one learns to break things down , to understand both the micro and macro of what words do, to internalise what story structures do and what one wants to accomplish in one’s story.
In short, a little fluidity in moving between forms for me creates a symbiosis. It’s not perfect. After years of focusing on novel-writing, my short story crafting is a bit shaky and pacing tends to be unwieldy. But I’m pretty unhappy about the pacing in Rosemirror right now. For me, doing a beat sheet for a short story helps me push myself into thinking about beats in Rosemirror as well. Well, this is what I found helps me. Rather than see these two types of fiction writing as entirely different, I’m always thinking about how one can serve the other. Since I fully intend to dance between both forms for the rest of my writing career/life, it’s a helpful and not limiting way of thinking about it. I hope it can help someone else as well.