How Reading Short Stories Can Improve Your Writing (No Matter What You Write)
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This week on the blog, we’re joined by Traci Skuce – writer and self-described story midwife.
Reading books and stories is as necessary to writing as listening to music is to playing it. You learn to discern what you like and don’t like, and you also expose yourself to range and variety—chord progressions you may never have considered, new or experimental tones, novel themes, and so on.
Intentionally choosing to read a variety of short stories can be like creating a diverse playlist on Spotify. You’re opening yourself up to hearing a new range of voices and learning techniques that influence how you might approach your instrument or, at very least, how you think about your craft.
Unfortunately, beginner writers often think of the short story as a precursor to the novel — the kindergarten of literature, a stepping stone to something greater. Perhaps it's these stories’ concision, or their association with high school English classes that leads to their dismissal.
Maybe you haven’t read a short story since English class. Or you’ve only read a handful of them since high school but are not in the practice of regularly reading short stories.
I’m here to encourage you to seek out short stories. Lots of them. Even if you never intend to write one. Because reading short stories can help improve your writing no matter what genre you write in.
Here are 5 key reasons why:
1. Short stories maximize your time
Think of the commitment it takes to read an entire novel. Unless you’re a fast reader (and you may be!), novel-length stories involve a reading investment of days or even weeks. And though the length of a short story varies—anything from flash fiction to longer, more Alice Munro-esque pieces—you can usually finish reading one (or two or three) in a single sitting.
And just because something is short, doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of your time and attention. A good short story has an emotional charge, a resonance that’s often diffused in the longer form.
Plus, in the time it takes to read one novel, you can fit in many short stories. Which means you’re exposed to a wider variety of narratives, styles, and forms in a shorter period of time. In fact, I often have two or three short story collections on the go at once. I’ll read one story from one collection, then pick up the next and the next, on a kind of rotation. It gives me the flavours of two or three writers at a time.
2. The act of rereading becomes more accessible
Rereading is crucial to understanding the craft of writing. When we read something once, we absorb the story and get the gist. But to really understand the intricacies of how the story is put together, we need to reread it. The cool thing about short stories is they’re short! This makes rereading more accessible and viable.
And you don’t have to reread every story in every collection either. There may be one or two stories that resonate most deeply with you. Choose those you love and reread them. Not just once but several times. Figure out what the writer is doing that compels you. Go through with a pencil or pen so you can scribble in the margins. And if this feels like committing a sacrilege, make a photocopy of the story and pencil your thoughts there.
This kind of close study will influence your own writing. You’ll begin to understand how stories work. And that they don’t all rely on the same structure.
3. Gain new appreciation for the writing craft
When you expose yourself to a wider variety of narratives, you pick up on a wider variety of craft elements. It’s important as writers that we examine the way other writers are using the craft. This can teach us so much about our own trouble spots or give us insights into methods we’re curious to try.
For example, you may struggle with moving your narrative clearly through time. In rereading a short story that does this well, you may note how the writer seamlessly moves from present to past to future. Or, if you find point of view perplexing, you may examine three different stories to explore how the writers deploy different POVs.
This is how you “read like a writer.” The more short stories you read, the more practice you get at this necessary skill.
4. Exposure to new (and exciting) storytelling forms
There are many ways to tell a story. Short stories expose us to a variety of these storytelling forms. And though novelists play with form too, short story writers have more room for experimentation—and even risk.
Sometimes while reading (and rereading!), these experimentations can be like little keys that unlock components within your own stories. More than once, I’ve gotten excited and inspired by a story structure I’d never considered before. Several of my short stories have been ignited this way.
Many artists model their own work off the paintings and drawings of masters. You too can use masterful short stories as templates for your own narratives. This isn’t copying or plagiarism—because you’re pouring your own content into an existing form.
Reading short stories can invite you to play with different ways to tell your story.
5. Tune your ear to the economy of language
Short stories have lower word counts than novels, which means there's not a lot of room for rambling or asides. This doesn’t mean stories are rushed, but you can learn a lot about compression from reading them. Deft characterization. Seamless backstory. Tight dialogue. Effective use of repetition.
Also, good short story writers attend to language with economy and grace. And, as writers it’s always prudent to tune your ear to economy and grace.
Even if you write long form, you’ll be surprised at how much you can learn from reading short works.
Bonus Tip: Where to Find Great Short Stories
There are many places to find short stories in online literary journals; here are a few of my favourites. I also recommend podcasts such as Stories Less Spoken and the New Yorker Fiction Podcast. Seek out lists of recommended collections, or even anthologies, from your library. Or, better yet, find a local short story author and give them your readership.
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Traci Skuce is a devoted writer and story midwife. Her own short story collection, Hunger Moon (NeWest Press, 2020), was recently shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writers’ Prize. She helps fiction and memoir writers birth and finish their stories so they can get their manuscripts out into the world.
To learn more about Traci, visit her website and join her Facebook group.
