Do You Enjoy a Short Story?

Nicola here, talking about the joys and challenges of the historical romance novella. Short stories are very much in my mind at the moment because 2010 has so far been the year of the novella for me. It started in February with the publication of a story called The Elopement in the Romantic Novelists' Association Golden Anniversary anthology, Loves Me Loves Me Not. My brief for this was a 5000 word "classic" Regency short story and the editor's note said: "Not too sexy, please. We don't want to frighten anyone.". I'd never written as short as 5000 words and this was a real challenge. I loved going back to the more traditional Regency style that had characterised my early books but I was slightly daunted by the word count.  How to establish two compelling characters and give them a satisfying emotional journey all in 5000 words? Plus conjure up all the wit and sparkle of a classic Regency background? In the end I loved writing The Elopement, in which Amanda, Lady Marston and her estranged husband Hugo set off in pursuit of his eloping grandmother and ended up re-discovering each other in the process. Fortunately the whole anthology had a rapturous welcome with reviews such as "uplifting", "stylish" and "bound to get you hot under the collar" from some of the most prestigious UK women's magazines.

This month I have another novella on the shelves, the first print publication of The Unmasking of Lady Loveless in an anthology called Wicked Regency Nights. This time the brief was "make it as hot and sensual as possible" as this was an anthology from the Harlequin Historicals Undone imprint. Hmm. How to establish two compelling characters and give them a satisfying emotional journey in 8000 words when quite a few of those words would be a very sensual love scene?

I love writing novellas and short stories but I don't find it easy. For me the greatest challenge is building a strong and believable relationship between the hero and heroine in a short space of time. Short stories need a sharper focus. You have to create a vivid world, but in miniature.

I remember when I first started reading short stories. I was in my early teens and the book was called The House of the Nightmare and other eerie tales. (Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of the cover for the blog). I particularly remember a chilling short story by Saki, a tale of a ghostly hand by Elizabeth Bowen, and various terrifying tales supposedly taken from real life. Oh how I enjoyed frightening myself with that book! My taste for ghost stories and the paranormal flowered for several years before I moved on to romance and discovered the short stories of Georgette Heyer. I still have my original copy of Pistols for Two falling apart on my bookshelf. And I still love all those stories. I went back to the book to try and choose a couple of favorites for this blog, ended up reading them all again, and was unable to choose between them. Julian Arden and the charmingly naive Miss Sophia Trent falling in love on a snowy journey to Bath in Snowdrift are splendid. The richest and best connected man in London falling in love with a cit in Pink Domino always makes me smile. Many of the heroes and heroines in this anthology fall in love at first sight or something very close to it and Heyer writes that in a completely convincing fashion. The stories are economical in wordage but conjure up her world as effectively as the longer novels. Many of them also bear out some of the other advice I have had about writing short stories: They should cover a short time span and every word must be made to count.

Since reading Pistols for Two I have had a taste for historical novellas and have read some wonderful ones. My fellow Wenches are masters of the art of the the short story, of course, and I have also loved stories such as Gretna Greene by Julia Quinn in the Scottish Brides anthology and Fall from Grace by Jill Barnett in A Season in the Highlands. Historical short stories set in Scotland combine two of my favorite things! And recently I was thrilled to discover Elizabeth Hanbury's Regency anthology Midsummer Eve at Rookery End with witty and delightful short stories in the Heyer tradition.

Next month MIRA launches my Brides of Fortune trilogy in the UK with the publication of The Secrets of a Courtesan, the e-book prequel to the series. This was the short story that almost broke me. I had to scrap the first draft because it didn't work and re-write it completely. As I say, I find writing short stories difficult sometimes!

So how do you feel about short stories? Do you enjoy them? Do you think that they can offer as fulfilling a reading experience as a longer novel? Which are your favorites? To finish this week of giveaways at the Word Wenches I'm offering a copy of Wicked Regency Nights to one commenter.

Comments

[Jenny]

Hi Nicola

I really like the short stories for a quick fix of historical writing. They can be fitted into a short period of reading time, if available, and leave me feeling as if I have just read a whole book (one of the large ones). This is especially so if the characters at both beginning and end are strong and easy to identify with. I also like 'Pistols For Two' by Georgette Heyer. My copy is some distance away through bad autumn weather in the farm shed, but I seem to remember a rather good detective story amongst them about missing, or disappearing travellers?

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Jenny!

I think the author has done a great job if the reader comes away feeling as satisfied with a short story as with a full length novel. Yes, there is a story in Pistols for Two called "Night at the Inn" which is a bit different from the others, spooky and rather gothic!

[Virginia Campbell]

Hi, Nicola! I have come to relish short stories as I would a tray of scrumptious appetizers. Sometimes quite intensely flavored, and with more unusual ingredients, than one would find in a traditional meal. Tempting, tasty, and tantalizing. If they are very good, they leave you wanting more. You will follow that author to a full banquet of a read!

[donna ann]

I don't read a lot of short stories, but do enjoy them on occasion. Sometimes don't want to "invest" the time & emotion to a full length novel a short story can be a nice change. It can also be a nice way to become familiar with a new author or genre that you wouldn't normally read. The story needs to still make sense though and not feel rushed.

[Elizabeth Hawksley]

I just loved your short story 'The Elopement' in the 'Loves Me, Loves Me Not' anthology. It made me laugh our loud. I particularly enjoyed the way that Amanda, Lady Marston, the languidly elegant and rather prim leader of the ton, gradually gets more and more hot under the collar (and elsewhere) as she discovers various startling and decidely undecorous things about her supposedly staid husband.

There's something very Heyerish about it, too. It reminds me of 'To Have the Honour' in 'Pistols for Two' where it also takes an elopement for Alan and Henrietta to discover each other's true feelings.

[Gillian]

I have the Big Book of Paranormal Romance, and it was my first experience with short stories. I've loved it! It's so nice to have something to read when you really don't have time for a novel. And the authors did an amazing job with such a short words count.

I didn't know Heyer did short stories. I'll have to look for Pistols for Two. Thanks! :)

[Nicola Cornick]

Oooh, Virginia, I like the comparison between a short story and a tray of scrumptious appetizers! Intense and delicious!

Donna Ann, I also like the idea of the short story being an ideal way to discover new authors. Then it's a real treat to explore their backlist.

[Nicola Cornick]

Elizabeth, you are too kind! I'm so pleased you enjoyed The Elopement.

To Have the Honour is another of my favourites in Pistols for Two. Somehow Heyer manages to establish in very few words that her heroes are men of great integrity.

Gillian, if you have not previously read Pistols for Two I thoroughly recommend it!

[Sarah Morgan]

Nicola, Now you've started a crisis in my house because I have a battered and very well read copy of Georgette Heyer's Pistol's for Two and, having read your post, I went to the shelf to retrieve it and it's not there!!! There is no way I would have lent it to anyone, I'm not that generous :) So where is it? I now have to clear out my house in search of it. I love all those stories especially the one with Mr Rotherfield where she ends up in his house by accident - predictable and yet fabulously romantic because it's so well written.
I have to say that I never thought Georgette Heyer had competition until I read your books. I have loved each and every one of them so far, and am looking forward to seeing the Brides of Fortune series on the shelves here in the UK. Being of an impatient disposition I couldn't wait for the summer so I ordered from the US. All your many UK fans are in for a treat, starting with the gorgeous Dexter.
And now I'm off to search my house for my lost book.
Sarah

[Deb]

Hi, Nicola. I do enjoy novellas and short stories if, as you say, the reader feels satisfactions with all the elements of a HEA. Sometimes, I am in a mood to just read a short story and I like anthologies where the stories having the same story or characters that show up in all of the stories. One of my faves is the Julia Quinn's Lady Whistledown anthology.

[Linda Banche]

I like short stories when I don't have enough time to wallow in a full novel. Because I enjoy wallowing, I can't read anything else for at least a day while I savor the story.

On the other hand, if I didn't like the novella, I immediately read the next one so that I can forget the first. Doing this is harder with a novel. Sometimes I keep reading a novel I don't like to see if it gets better. I suppose I should follow the rule of 50--if you don't like the book in the first 50 pages, toss it.

I don't like mixed genre anthologies. I prefer anthologies to be all Regency, with authors I like. Having a contemporary thrown in irritates me.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Sarah, So sorry to have caused a Heyer crisis. Thank goodness it wasn't your copy of These Old Shades because I know that the Duke of Avon is your Heyer hero par excellence! I do agree that Rotherfield runs him a close second, though. Very masterful!

[Nicola Cornick]

I loved the Lady Whistledown stories as well, Deb!

Linda, I'm with you on mixed anthologies. I much prefer all historical or all contemporary.

[NinaP]

An eloping grandmother! Oh my word, Nicola, you had me laughing out loud!

As a reader, I tend toward novel length, but that eloping grandmother of yours… you've whetted my appetite.

As a writer, I've tried to do short, but I'm an all-or-nothing kind of gal, and, well, a narrow slice of life is so rarely enough for me. (though I would like to change)

[Nicola Cornick]

Interesting that you're not really drawn to write the shorter length, Nina. I think we are all drawn to what suits us. But it might be fun to give it a try!

[Lesley-Anne McLeod]

Oh, I love short stories, Nicola, and I love writing for my website's free reads. I really enjoyed your story in the RNA anthology--the stories in that collection were uniformly excellent. GH's Pistols for Two is one of my favourite anthologies--I really cannot pick a favourite. Jo Beverley has a wonderful short story 'Forbidden Affections' which appeared in a 1996 collection. I highly recommend it.

[Nicola Cornick]

I enjoy your website short stories too, Lesley-Anne. Thank you for mentioning Jo's story - I don't know how I've missed that one. Will hunt it out immediately!

[maryjoputney]

Reading and writing in short formats can be fun, but the shorter the story, the greater the challenge to make a romance convincing. It's easier to write short with sff or mystery, since they can be plot driven--a situation or puzzle to be solved--and don't need to waste a lot of time on character development.

With novellas, I figured out that there's a beginning and an end, but no middle. *g* Stories where the characters have a past are easier since that past can be drawn on.

I must admit I don't share the general fondness for PISTOLS FOR TWO. To me, it seemed to be mostly schtick, using similar tropes as in her novels but without the character developent. But since it didn't do much for me, I didn't reread. Perhaps it would improve on second viewing.

[Nicola Cornick]

I do find that I tend to write characters with a past when I'm doing a novella, Mary Jo, and I really admire those authors who can introduce two characters with no previous and give them a totally convincing romance!

[TxDee]

As a reader, not a writer, I find short stories appealing when I am in the mood for a quick read. I can finish a short story and leave the rest of the book for another time. Kind of like a snack (but like an apple, please, something "good" for me)...and I look forward to returning to the next story to compare the plot of that one to the one I just read.

[Amanda Grange]

You've caused a crisis in this house, too, Nicola, as I looked for my copy of Pistols for Two but couldn't find it! I know it's there somewhere, so now I will have to root through all my bookshelves and then look in the cupboards that contain the overflow.

I loved your story in Loves Me, Loves Me Not. I agree with you about writing short stories, though, it's hard. Funnily enough, I have three short stories / novellas out this year for the first time. I found the one in the Mammoth Book of Regency Romance the easiest to write because I was allowed a longer word length. The story - not Austen related this time! - came out at 13,000 words.

I'm looking forward to your other stories.

[Nicola Cornick]

I like the apple comparison TxDee!
Amanda, thank you for reminding me about the Mammoth Book of Regency Romance. I can't wait to grab my copy next month, with so many great authors to read!

[denise]

I like short stories when I am short on time. They are a nice change.

[chey]

I enjoy short stories when I don't have time to read a novel.

[Anne Gracie]

Nicola, I have a copy of Loves Me, Loves Me Not, but I'm ashamed to say I haven't read it yet. In general I'm not fond of short stories, as I'm just starting enjoy the world of the story and it's over. Someone compared them to appetisers. T me they feel more as though I've just started dinner and someone has snatched away my plate.
I don't mind writing short stories -- I've written a few, but mostly I want a big meaty read, not a nibble.

[Lyn S]

I like short stories, specially on school nights when my husband is away on a business trip. He normally tells me to turn off the light, so if I start a novel while he is gone, it can be 2am or later before the light goes off and since the alarm goes on at 6 I am a crabby teacher. (I know as a teacher I should have self control and set an example, but reading is an addiction). So the short stories allow me to have the best of all worlds, a beginning, a romantic middle and a happy ending and still a good night's rest. I also like how a novella anthology can have a Word Wench marquee author and either give a chance to a starting writer or introduce me to a new author. thank you for writing books of all lengths.

[Sue]

I'm much like Lyn S when I get into a book I have to finish it and I've had some pretty zombie - like days. I love novellas for traveling and waiting rooms. If I know I'll have to wait around but still remain somewhat focused in case they call my name, train or plane I take an anthology. I've also discovered many a favourite author by reading them first in an anthology.

[librarypat]

You had better hold on to your copy of Pistols For Two. It sounded so good I went to Amazon to order it before finishing the post. The 1960 hardcover is $149 with many other used copies over $100.
You had me digging through my anthology keeper bookcase. I found SCOTTISH BRIDES and checked GRETNA GREENE. It has been years since I read it. I will end up rereading the whole book, but that one first. I have A SEASON IN THE HIGHLANDS, but cant find it. FALL FROM GRACE was the first thing of Jill Barnett's that I read. Loved it. Kept the book for that story.
I love anthologies. The short story format is perfect when you want to read a complete story but don't have the time for a book. I like the format because it allows you to sample an author, or several, without investing the time or money a full length book would take. In most cases, the quality of the work doesn't suffer from the shorter format. In many cases the stories are more tightly woven and strongly told than their full length sisters.
Thanks to your post I now have several more anthologies I MUST HAVE. Will be fun looking for them.

[Nicola Cornick]

Chey and Denise, I agree that short stories can be just the thing if you fancy a taster of don't have time for a full novel.

Anne, it's interesting that you don't find them as satisfying as the longer books. I have enjoyed your short stories!

[Nicola Cornick]

Lyn, I loved the insight into your bedtime reading! It's very difficult when a book keeps you up into the small hours when you need to be up for work at 6am! I guess we would all congratulate ourselves on writing a book like that though!

[Nicola Cornick]

Sue, Pat, I totally agree that the anthology format is great for discovering new authors. Pat, I was overwhelmed to hear how much a copy of Pistols for Two is worth! Even my beaten up old copy must be worth a few pounds. Not that it's for sale!

[Janice]

Mary Jo, I think I understand what you mean about why you can't warm to Pistols for Two. I haven't checked out the chronology, but just reading the stories, I have always wondered if some of them weren't trial sketches for a novel. When first published in magazines, I would have expected illustrations with them, but I've never seen any. I wonder if they exist and are out there online somewhere.

[Anne]

I am acquiring a taste for short stories. I love Jo's story in Dragon Lovers! In general, though, I do like the longer novel length so that I can spend more time in that "other world."