Why write short stories?

Although the art of short story is admired by many, it is bought by relatively few so there aren't many serious avenues open to the short story writer. But, this should not put us off. Short stories may not be as lucrative as in Chekhov's time, when he wrote short stories to support himself and his family, but there is still a world of experimentation in fiction that is more alive in short story writing than anywhere.

A training ground for writers
Short stories are a great training ground to aspiring novelists and fiction writers of all types. The essential elements of fiction - beginning, middle and end - are condensed. In this frenetic environment writers are simultaneously freer to experiment and more pressured to resolve the ideas that they imagine. And in five minutes, a story might be written that has ten times more resonance than one that took the writer weeks to perfect.

Just write
Most importantly for writers, short stories service that impulse to produce works of fiction on a regular basis. Because they do not necessarily require planning, they are a great exercise in the artistic disciplines of fiction. Character, voice, plot and pace all can be afforded outings - separately or en force. They can be an insightful record of an actual event or a sketch of a fictional character that came to mind on the bus to work. This permission to produce is what makes good short story writing so exciting and fresh to read.

Getting feedback
Another benefit of writing short works is that it is easy to find readers to comment on your work. Longer works are harder to get people to read and take time for a potential critic to digest. An essential part of developing as a writer is to find out how what you write affects other people. Few of us writers, if any, start writing great works of fiction straight away - no matter how substantial the raw talent. The more you write and receive feedback the more you are likely to improve as a fiction writer.

So if you've written something and submitted it, read something from someone else and offer any comments you can think of.