Does length matter?

[driphoney]

I just told one writer that I want her to delete half the words out of

Every.

Single.

Story.

she sends me, or I will send it back unread.

I'm , you not tell, I'm on .

 

[JackLuis]

Yeah, I'll have to say I didn't agree with Bronzeage's post on this at all.

He was speaking perhaps as an author, rather than as a reader?

 

[driphoney]

I have read short stories that are too long and too short. I expect that other things are like that at different times, the wrong length at the right time, might be a bunny?

Until I started writing, I never paid attention to story length here on Lit. Whenever a story would get draggy, I'd just quit. One night I was shocked when I got to the end of an EC story and realized I'd been sucked completely into a 10 (I think) Lit page story! I'd been reading for hours and it felt like a short story. It was just that good. I'm glad I didn't notice the length or care because I would have missed a very special story.

Parts of that story still stick in my mind. I wish I could write like that. *sigh*

 

[sr71plt]

He was speaking perhaps as an author, rather than as a reader?

Beats me. I wasn't up to getting into a "real world" discussion like I did yesterday on the purpose of punctuation. So I just raised my eyebrows at the statement in passing. Perhaps he'll elucidate, as he normally seems to be down to earth.

 

[driphoney]

A variation on that is 'Why use one word when ten will do?' I think this is the credo of politicians and door to door salesmen.

And just a very few pundits here on the boards.

Any story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, is the perfect length.

Are you sure?