Why Shorts?

By Nichole Giles

In the process of submitting articles and short stories, there are times when I get tired. “Why am I doing this?” I ask myself. “When I should be focusing all my energy on finishing my book?”

Writing a book requires time and dedication, so I wonder why the book isn’t my only focus. Actually, it is in the best interest of my book that I work on these shorter projects.

For instance, I am able to receive quick feedback on a shorter submission where a book length manuscript could take days, weeks, or months for someone to get around to critiquing. I also have the satisfaction of reading through a finished piece, knowing it is ready to be sent off into the world of publishing, and has a chance of reaching the published status.

I learn editing skills from these submissions. The more short submissions I write, the better able I am to self-edit my book. Obviously the better edited my book becomes, the better its chances of being accepted.

Acceptance or rejection letters for short submissions may take the same amount of time to reach me as a longer manuscript, but because the manuscripts are shorter than a book, they take less time to polish so I am able to submit many of them. Thus, increasing my chances of receiving an acceptance in a pile of rejections.

The bottom line? I got another acceptance today, and friends, my ego feels so good. It is a push of encouragement that every writer needs to feel. Can you guess the first thing I did (after jumping up and down and then signing the contract)? I did what any writer would do. I turned on my computer and started writing.