The Long and Short of it....

StarryEyz

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Joined
Apr 5, 2000
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55
Well, I thought the subject might get your attention.
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I am wondering, after reading many posts which refer to it, how people feel about the length of stories posted here (and elsewhere).

I have heard complaints like "It took longer to load than to read", but personally, I don't really want a long story.About 6-8 pages is the max for stories I want to download, print and read at night in bed with my lover. At least, thats my favorite pastime with them.

So I am wondering, do people want novellas, or a really good collection of short stories? What is the overwhelming concensus? Laurel, have you seen a trend in any fashion?

By the way, Thank you Laurel for posting my stories! What a thrill to see my stuff posted with so many other quality writers! Gives me a boost to continue and get better!

[This message has been edited by StarryEyz (edited 05-05-2000).]
 
Naturally there is a difference between novels and SHORT stories, but I think the stories could be better if SOME (I said some, NOT all) were a bit longer. I've read a few that kinda had me going, and when I wondered "what's next?!" the story was over!
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I've been working on a new story (no, none of my writings have made it to Lit, yet, but I'm working on it), and so far it's already over 1 page typed. I'm not even close to being done yet!
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I hope once I am finished that some of you like it.

Until then... peace.
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I think what I think of when I say "short story" is around 3 to 6 pages. I don't think much can realisticly (sp?) be accomplished in a single page. Although, I can be wrong. I personally like detail. Even if the story is about one motion, say the moment of opening a guys pants for the first time, you can put so much into that one single motion it can fill a couple of pages. I like that type of short story.
 
I agree with you totally. I have a feeling that if you were to randomly pick 5 or 10 stories and print them out you'd be lucky if half of them filled over one page...
 
Good topic raised - I have been wondering about the "right length" of stories too - because I was wondering if mine should be longer or shorter ( and hopefully I will get around to send them to Laurel eventually).

I get "carried away" with a lot of detail at times .. and I can fill like 2 pages with why things happen and like 1/2 page with "it" happening in the end *lol* ... I have stories that are not yet finished but are already at least 15 pages or so long ... and I have the really short ones being maybe 2 pages ...

So I really can't find any "rule" or preference" for maself, I just go with the flow of the writing .. but I too would like to know if ther is the "ideal" length of story for erotic fiction.
 
Go with what feels right, Hecate. To say a story is good because it's long, or bad because it's shorter, is ridiculous. I do enjoy novels and novellas, but I've also read wonderful shorter pieces. Length for length's sake is unnecessary and wasteful. A good story is a good story, and an ineffective story is ineffective story. Stretching out an ineffective story to fill extra pages may satisfy some people, but it's still an ineffective story in my mind, only longer. This is why we have stories of all lengths here at Literotica - because judging a story's worth by its length is a bit like judging a painting's worth by its size.
 
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