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Originally Posted by Justin Thorne The problem with shorts for the reader, is that you invest your time and your connection with a chartacter for very little pay-off... it's over in less than 5000 words, sometimes even quicker, as a lot of magazines like their shorts around the 2000 word mark. |
I dislike short stories in general for this very reason. I read so fast that a book I'm interested in goes by like that, so most short stories are not very satisfying. Like chewing gum instead of eating a full meal.
In addition, SF/F short stories suffer a handicap because there's no time to set up your universe, unique worldview/magic use/etc.etc. So the only short stories I'm likely to read are set are ones in which I'm already familiar with the author, the genre, the universe, etc.
However, for those very reasons, the best short stories, original and well-crafted, are like jewels. They are excellent vehicles for a writer to polish her craft. There's also a rich tradition of short stories in SF/F so they are worthwhile to keep in mind.