One of my goals for 2015 is to submit up to six short stories to SF&F magazine markets. I currently have one story under consideration with one market and I’ve almost completed a second story. But why would I bother with short fiction when I’ve got numerous books to write and one I’m definitely preparing for publication later this year. Here are several reasons:
1. I hope to show readers I have a wider ability and scope with my fiction writing. I think it’s important that readers have an idea of what they’re getting from my fiction and submitting short fiction is an outstanding way to attempt this goal. If a reader likes my short stories they are more likely to like my books too.
2. Being published through a magazine market provides greater credibility for me as an author. If a reader trusts my fiction content they will certainly look further in to my books and perhaps become a fan. Gaining fans is the best way to increase the number of readers for my fiction because they spread the word.
3. Short fiction is a great way to continue improving my craft. While my goal is to write books they take a long time to complete. A short story gives me the chance to hone my writing skills while taking less time. Gaining acceptance of any short story at a paying market also validates that I’m improving at the craft.
4. If a short story is accepted it becomes a great source of secondary income. The goal of my writing is to entertain well enough to make some money at it. A short story can be sold several times through podcasts, re-prints and anthologies so they offer several pieces of pie to an enterprising author.
5. I enjoy writing and short stories are a lot of fun to write. I wouldn’t be writing if I didn’t like it and short fiction by its very nature provides loads of enjoyment for me. I get to develop ideas in all kinds of settings with all kinds of characters all in a small package. There’s far less commitment of time for development and writing which makes this a pleasant break from the grind of a novel.
6. Short fiction is inherently challenging. A short story requires an author to weave a tale in limited space. The goal is to tell a lot with far less words so you have to be conscious of the length at all times. Brevity is a great creative exercise.
So those are my reasons for spending time on short stories. Do you like to read or write short fiction? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so 
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5 thoughts on “Goals For 2015 Pt. 7: Publication and Short Fiction”
Good luck with your stories
I am very interested in short fiction, and look forward to updates from you. I always loved reading it, and want to write my own. My plan is to self publish a book of short stories, price it cheap, and hopefully drive interest in my longer works.
Not a bad plan either. I’m doing the same with the short fiction book I self-published.
I read some short fiction, although I don’t read nearly as much of that as I do novels. Mostly I read short stories by authors whose novels I’ve read and enjoyed. As for writing short fiction, I used to do that (all of my published fiction to date has been short stories), but I haven’t in a while, other than working on “sequels” to a story I wrote years ago because I’m planning to publish the whole set in a collection.
That’s great. Thanks for visiting the site today. I think short fiction is an excellent compliment to writing novels. I do like to read a short story on occasion and find them entertaining.