Comments on: The Anatomy of a Successful Short Story

By: Kisa Whipkey

Kisa Whipkey — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 05:11:46 +0000

In reply to Jenn.

Thanks for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful response!

You’re very much correct about the difficulty of getting short fiction published. I’d even dare say it’s harder to publish short stories than it is novels. And I’m sure when you add explicit content to the mix, it gets even harder. Fortunately, there does seem to be a growing market for self-published short stories via avenues like the Kindle. So that is always an option. If you’ve received good feedback, I urge you to look into self-publishing. It is a very viable alternative these days.

Best of luck! Keep trying and you’ll find success somewhere. 🙂

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 04:32:23 +0000

I liked this post…what you said very spot on. I have found I enjoy short stories more. I feel that no matter what you write people will ultimately see what they want in their own head so why waste a huge amount of time and a lot of rambling words to paint a picture that will only look just right in your own head?
What you said about sidetracking into details and back stories is very accurate, there is no time for all that in a short story. Back stories have to be explained through conversation, thoughts and brief memories rather than going into deep explanation. It is a challenge and I love it. I prefer to both write and read shorter stories. HOWEVER I am finding getting shorter stories published presents more of a challenge as well. Many publishers are not interested in short manuscripts. Especially if there is adult content because they are often deemed erotica and ignored. I do write stories that are strictly erotica for fun but when the main story is longer than the little naughty bits that isn’t erotica it is just a story with sex in it. My erotica is usually around ten pages or less.
Sadly I have yet to get anything published despite being told by numerous people that I have the potential for it for sure. Many publishers simply are not interested in something as short as a hundred and sixty, two hundred pages.

By: Kisa Whipkey

Kisa Whipkey — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 17:23:02 +0000

In reply to Carly. You might be surprised. Nothing's finalized yet, but I know I enjoyed your work. Don't give up hope of seeing your name on that finalists list just yet. ;)

By: Carly

Carly — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 19:30:27 +0000

Looking at this post, all I can think of is, “Gulp—fail!” That means most likely all of my entries were complete rubbish. Oh well, I did the contest mainly because I have never written a short story—always thought that I couldn’t—and wanted to challenge myself to try. Now, I know how to do it right, next time! 🙂