by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: August 31, 2009

It's hard for some to decide whether to embark on a career as a short story writer or whether to plunge themselves into the realms of writing novels. Nothing seems straightforward, except the fact that short stories require less time and investment than novels. So, how do you decide whether to write a novel or a short story and which is easier? This article explores the differences and explains the dilemma, so that writers can decide themselves which element suits them, and would be easier in their particular circumstances.

*Ease of writing.

*Ease of construction.

*Time barriers.

*Concentration levels.

*Thickness of plot.

*Characterizations.

*Comparison of markets.

Ease of writing.

Writing 1500 words is always going to be easier than writing a book. The dilemma faced by the potential writer is whether they have the tenacity to produce good quality short stories, or the staying power to write a novel. Both are relatively easy depending upon the writer's own circumstances. A short story, badly written, won't sell. A novel which is written on a foundation of sand may be a waste of time. The way to decide which is easiest is to question which content you have ready in your imagination. Those thoughts which translate into text may be limited and you may find that you run out of words midstream if you attempt to tackle a novel. However, similarly, if you do not have a beginning, middle and end for a short story, this will prove equally difficult.

Ease of construction.

A short story is easier to construct than a novel. In a novel, you have not only a story to plan, but chapters and continuation, characters and scenarios. A short story, on the other hand, is simpler, because this is usually limited in scope to 1500 words. With practice, these words come very easily indeed, though it is wise to plan the whole story Beginning, middle and end before taking pen to paper to make the construction of the story simpler.

Time barriers.

The problem with writing when you have limited time is that this needs to be done in an organized manner. This may not matter too much to the ease of the project, whether this is a short story or a novel, though the problem is presents is the difficulty to carry on with the story where the writer left off. If time is short and the writer is unable to put time aside, a short story would be an easier solution.

Concentration levels.

Each individual writers has their own level of concentration. Some can stick to the same plot for

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