Comments on: How long do short stories need to be?

By: Liquid Vampire

Liquid Vampire — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:49:59 +0000

short
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By: joeyrodent

joeyrodent — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:04:59 +0000

Less than 100 pages long.
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By: aisha

aisha — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:55:59 +0000

Like a woman's skirt: long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting.
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By: pointyears

pointyears — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:37:59 +0000

A few pages. But it depends on how long the story goes. You need to make sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. Make sure you have a smooth resolution.
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By: Persiphone_Hellecat

Persiphone_Hellecat — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:03:59 +0000

First of all – start talking like an author. We never refer to work in terms of pages but in terms of words. A short story can be two words. There are two word short story contests. Also 100 word and 500 word contests. Once you start getting up in the 10 thousand word neighborhood, you are going to find anthologies and magazines won’t accept you. 12,000 is about max for an anthology or magazine – by the time you hit 15 thousand words, you are approaching novella length. The way to figure page numbers is to divide the number of words by 250.

They’re, Their, There – Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax – C
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By: Xamanator

Xamanator — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:54:59 +0000

Long enough for the reader to get involved with.
Short enough to finish in a single sitting.
3-30 pages I’d say.
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By: shadylane

shadylane — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:13:59 +0000

it needs to be 3-15 pages depending on the requirements
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By: Kirjava

Kirjava — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:38:59 +0000

Somewhere I read that Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club) said that seven pages was the perfect length for a short story. I couldn’t find where I got that from but I found something similar:

"His preparation for writing a novel is always the same. He starts by writing a short story to encapsulate the premise of the book (Chapter 6 of Fight Club started as this short story).

“If I can’t get the premise clear enough in my mind to do a seven-page short story about it, then I’ve got to be thinking about the premise a little bit better,” he says. “It gives you a chance to really make your case, like a lawyer in court. You really have to make your case for your premise, and put together your case in a convincing, entertaining way. And do it in seven or eight pages.”" [1]

I think that seven is enough space to get your idea out, but short enough that you don’t get too carried away with it. Seven pages only leaves enough room for the absolute essentials of the story.
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http://www.jeffwalsh.com/2003/02/22/chuck-palahniuk-interview/

By: tulie

tulie — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:48:59 +0000

Check the magazines you want to write for. They state their preference regarding length. The listings can be found in Writer’s Market published by Writer’s Digest Books. Available at your local public library. Try to get the most current copy, if you can.

I’ve learned that you’re better off writing to suit a publication, rather than writing a piece and hoping you’ll find a market that accepts the word-count you’ve produced.

Good luck with your story.
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By: stephen k

stephen k — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:40:59 +0000

I have seen stories as short as three pages, but usually up to 50 pages; after that point, it turns into a novella
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