I was recently sent a story by someone who asked, “Should it be a short or long story?”  The text was just about 12 pages making it a longer short story.

The thing is this story could go two ways. The themes of invincibility, love, and loss addressed in the piece could be expounded upon, fleshing them out with more details. Or, instead of it being a linear piece, beginning from the person’s experiences as a child to where they are now as an adult, it could become an essay about its major theme of invincibility. The shorter piece would bring in the life experiences but not necessarily in sequential order.

What are the advantages and disadvantages to the different styles?

The longer linear piece is the easiest to write for the new writer. All you are doing is deciding on a theme then starting from the beginning until you reach the end. You begin with an introductory paragraph that will set up the piece for the reader. You can use bold headlines to introduce the next life experience. Then you end the piece with a concluding statement. Simple.

The disadvantage to this style is that it can be a bit tedious to the reader. Engaging the reader in your story is important; but if you are inexperienced this could be difficult over a longer piece.

The shorter essay has an advantage that it engages the reader right away and moves them along. The chance for boredom is less but it does require more skill for the writer to weave an interesting story with all the different elements and themes to be covered.

I suggest reading your piece out loud. Where do you hesitate? Do you feel uninterested at any point or is there a section that is really exciting? Then read it aloud to someone else. Do their eyes glaze over? Or are they at the edge of their seat.

If you are a new and experienced writer reading out loud can be really helpful. Creating a dedicated audience to give you honest feedback is an invaluable asset to any writer.

When writing out your life story play with different styles. Look at someone like David Sedaris store who does short essays throughout his book.

But most of all don’t be afraid to start.