[nealasher]

My short story Mason's Rats has been taken by David G Hartwell & Kathryne Cramer for their Year's Best SF 11, and I've since been contacted by Gardner Dozois who wants another story published in Asimov's -- Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck -- for his 'Year's Best' anthology.

Now, of course, I really should knuckle down and get some more short stories out there!

[Hobbit]

Whilst reading Voyage of Sable Keech, Neal, I found a Gabbleduck reference - is there a connection between the story and the Sable Keech reference?

Whilst we are here, I'm interested in your thoughts about writing short stories.

Some writers find it difficult to write short stories and novels well, others feel that the benefits of short story writing are outweighed by the effort in writing it. Any thoughts?

Hobbit

[nealasher]

Hobbit, all but one of my books (Cowl) are set in the 'Polity' future. Gridlinked, The Line of Polity & Brass Man all concern one set of characters. The Skinner is set about 200 years later and The Voyage of the Sable Keech is a sequel to it. Gabbleducks first make an appearance in Line, but I so much fell in love with the idea of them that I wrote two short stories (set in the Polity) concerning them: Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck and to be published in a later addition of Asimov's The Gabble. They'll also be putting in an appearance in Polity Agent, which will be published about ten months from now. I guess you could draw a parallel with Niven's 'Known Space' in that a story might be only about humans and the Pak, but there might be an oblique reference to the Pierson's Puppeteers, because all the stories are connected.

I find writing short stories a damned sight easier than writing novels -- one to one. However, in terms of word-count a novel is easier i.e. writing a 5000-word short story is harder than writing 5000 words of a novel. Essentially, prior to publication by Macmillan, I never focused on just shorts or just novels. I can understand how a writer who only focused on one might find the other difficult.

[Hobbit]

Thanks for that, Neal - I can look forward to more gabbleduck references in the future!

Essentially, prior to publication by Macmillan, I never focused on just shorts or just novels. Well, there is the old adage that 'a story is as long as it takes' - but it is interesting that you find writing short stories different.

I have had a number of writers tell me that the graft in producing/rewriting/redrafting a short story makes them harder to write than a novel, where you have the space to go with the flow, so to speak. (Though the time taken to write a novel is obviously longer).

I've always thought that the broader canvas would be harder myself!

Hobbit

[nealasher]

I guess it could be argued that when writing a novel I'm only writing a bunch of short stories all wrapped up together, each plot thread being a short story, and in some cases each little section between breaks. Anyway, the inventive creative bit when you're splurging away through the first three-quarters of a novel is fine. The difficult bit is ending the novel, tying off all those threads, not copping out with a deus ex machina or a Blake's 7 kill them all ending, and not leaving the reader cursing at you.

[Hobbit]

LOL.

I'd love to see you do a Blakes 7 type ending, Neal! :D

Hobbit

[nealasher]

Ah, it seems the two stories I mentioned at the start of this thread also appear on the Locus recommended reading list.

[nealasher]

In a break between books, I decided to sit down and produce some short stories. Maybe because I’m now more used to writing at length, these stories grew in the telling so I ended up with Alien Archaeology at 21,000 words and Owner Space at 18,000 words. I hesitate to call them ‘short’ since the stories I have submitted to magazines have usually fallen between 5,000 and 15,000 words. The good news is that though it’s long, Sheila Williams at Asimov’s has accepted Alien Archaeology.

[nealasher]

Owner Space, which is set in a future covered by none of my full-length novels, but will be familiar to those who have read The Engineer or The Engineer ReConditioned, for it is the same setting for stories there called Proctors, The Owner and (only in the latter collection) Tiger Tiger. Owner Space has now been accepted by Gardner Dozois for his anthology provisionally titled Galactic Empires. Excellent stuff.

[chitman13]

Neal - great news, I love the Owner stories you've written to date (I think they are probably the best of your short stories that I've read). I will definately be buying this new anthology simply to get my grubby little hands on that one story!