  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: darkin
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Short stories are fiction's appetizers, short bursts of entertainment for the senses, to be consumed at the time you pick them up.
My name is darkin, and I’m your host this week for the Short Story Newsletter.
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What does word count have to do with it?
An idea hits you and you start writing. Caught up in the waves of inspiration, you write. Maybe for a day. Maybe for a week. Maybe even longer. When you finish you find you have more than just a few thousand words. You have pages and pages of words. Then it hits you...just what kind of story do you have?
A lot of writers wonder how long their work should be. To be honest, I've always thought a story should be as long as it needs to be Whether you write a story in less than 100 words, or write an epic tale of more than 100,000, you'll need to know what to classify your work when you get ready to submit it to publishers.
First and foremost, you need to always check each magazine or publisher's writing guidelines to be sure your piece fits with what they are looking for in a story. Not doing this is the best way to NOT get published by a magazine or publisher.
That said, your next step would be to know what your story would be classified as in terms of fiction writing lengths. Did you write a short story, flash fiction, or novella? You will have better luck submitting your work if you understand the different types of fiction writings, and what their word counts are. For this article, I will only touch on the things considered short stories
Micro Fiction - under 100 words
A lot of times you'll see this kind of writing used by magazines as filler pieces. Editors need to plan out each issue with care; to be sure they have enough works to fill each page, after the advertisements have been placed. This is one of the hardest types of fiction to write. You must be very precise in what you want to say, and say it with very few words. Two examples of Micro Fiction are:
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My entry that won 3rd in the Short Short Story Contest, in which you only use 100 words
#425464 by Tin Kan   |
Flash Fiction - from 101 to 1,000 words
This kind of writing is becoming popular, with entire magazines being devoted to publishing flash fiction. Easier than Micro Fiction to write it is becoming a favorite among writers as well. Two examples of Flash Fiction are:
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Short Story - from 1,001 to 7,500 words
The most common and best known form of story is the short story. Most magazines are looking for this type of writing. Especially genre magazines. Two examples of a Short Story are:
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Novella (Novelette) - 7,500 - 50,000 words
This is probably the hardest length to find a market for. Most print magazines won't publish a novella unless it is written by a well-known writer. Or it is exceptionally well written. Likewise, online publishers are weary of publishing them too, since most of your average readers don't have the time or patience to read one of a computer screen. However, there are magazines and anthologies devoted to publishing novellas; you just need to look for them. Two examples of Novellas, or novelettes, are:
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When writing your story, remember it's not done until you feel it's done. Unless you are writing for a specific market, or contest, you are in control of how long the piece is.
A story is only done when its writer is happy with how it turned out
Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
darkin
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Here are some stories I found while traveling the highways and byways of Writing.Com!
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Short Stories: September 13, 2006 Issue [#1261]
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