Thursday, March 12, 2009

Success

What is success for a short story writer?

What are the measures of success for a short story writer?



I've heard much about what success is and what it means for fiction writers... but it's all about novels. So those definitions are really for novelists.

I write short stories. Even the longest are many times shorter than the shortest novels. {pause}

So I'm not a novelist. {spread hands} That shouldn't be a barrier to success. Not all writers write novels. Some write nonfiction, or plays, or poems, or TV shows, or movies... I write short stories and short articles. I particularly enjoy writing short fantasy stories. This shouldn't be a barrier to success. There must be ways to be a success as a short story writer. I just need to figure out what they are. I need to know where I might be heading, and what milestones to look out for.

I need to figure out what success is as a short story writer. {smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

9 comments:

  1. I'm no expert, because I have no sales. Do you have any sales? Then you are more successful than I.

    The SFWA measures short story success as three professional magazine sales. That is very hard to do, but people break in all the time. I heard once that more novels are published every month than short stories. But that was before the Internet and online magazines, so I don't know if that's true anymore.

    Keep writing stories and sending them in. Soon, the editors will come to know your work. They may eventually send you some feedback. Which you can use to write better stories.

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  2. I don't know if "sale" is quite the word for what I've done so far. I did write four short encyclopedia articles for a subject encyclopedia that came out last fall. I got a comp-copy and a writer's discount. Now it's a very nice encyclopedia, so I do appreciate the copy. However, it's not money. {Smile}

    Yes, I'll keep writing stories. I'll have to start sumitting them, too. I've never made a serious effort at getting my stories published before. {Smile}

    Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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  3. You're in the same boat I'm in. Nonfiction doesn't count when it comes to fiction sales. And fiction doesn't count when it comes to nonfiction sales. I've made several thousand dollars writing nonfiction. I haven't made a nickle writing fiction.

    If you want to do critique exchanges, I'd be glad to look at your short fiction in exchange for you looking at mine. Keep in mind that I'm not a professional--it would just be my opinion.

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  4. That's what I figured about non-fiction and fiction. I've had folks argue it should count, since the articles were about mythical creatures (two goddesses, a god, and a sort of elf). That's besides the argument about whether comp-copy and a writer's discount counts as pay. {lop-sided smile}

    I'd love to trade stories for critique. However, I should warn you that I was writing tutor in college. Also, my first writing mentor outside fo the family was of the "I can always find changes to make, and many will be improvements" school. So I don't think i've ever responded with "It's perfect; don't change a thing." However, I hope I'm improving at balancing criticis with praise. {SMILE}

    Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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  5. P.S.

    After writing, I talked to the one who'd debated how much the articles count, and now he agrees with you about folklore being nonfiction and nonfiction being different from fiction. I suspect I misunderstood what he meant to say before. {Smile}

    Oh, and if you're still interested in trading critiques, my public email is anneb at aloha dot net . {Smile}

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  6. I figure the first milestone of success is being pleased with yourself. After that, it's all gravy.

    Getting paid is also a bonus, I suppose. :p

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  7. Thanks Blair. Maybe you're right. If I'm not happy with what I write, it doesn't really matter who else is happy with it. While if I am... everything else is gravy. {Smile}

    I'd still like to find out what it's like to get paid for writing tho. {BIG SMILE, wink}

    Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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  8. I'd love to get paid for doing what I enjoy as well. *sigh*

    Anyway, let me know what your favorite colors are, as I'm going to knit you some fingerless gloves. If you don't have a preference, I'll pick something pretty out of the stash. :)

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  9. Thank you Blair. {SMILE} I'm fond of red and green, particularly when they're on the blue side, and when they're dark. I do like them together, even if they're Christmassy, but I also like them separately. {BIG SMILE}

    Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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