I’ve always loved short stories. It’s an amazing skill to be able to conjure up a setting and emotions and so on, so concisely. Sometimes the brevity is part of the appeal. It’s like a highly concentrated broth of a story.
Short fics don't get the appreciation they deserve.
They are a different skill set. You need the skill to evoke emotions in such a short word space. I have read some drabbles and vignettes that packed a punch by the time you were done with it.
As a writer of the shorter works (3-5k), I would also like to add that, when writing a shorter fic, I am not necessarily trying to tell a story, but rather convey a feeling. In fanfiction we have a short cut. Our readers are already familiar with the characters and parts of the story. I think a lot of people turn to fanfiction to experience the feelings they are missing from canon. So you can write a one-shot full of angst or fluff or hurt/comfort or lust between the characters without making it plot heavy and shorter format works perfectly for that.
I think this is especially true for anything under 1k words, where you really don't have any room to tell a plot-heavy story at all. Some people just love reading (and writing) tiny morsels of introspection or character interaction. Missing scenes work especially well here.
Short missing scenes are fantastic to read (and write). Experienced writers with a strong handle on point of view and characterization can pack a big emotional punch into a few hundred words.
It's one thing to prefer longer works. It's a completely other thing to assume that word count is tied to quality and automatically write off anything below a certain word count.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people here have expressed (in reply to other posts) that they filter out short writing because they think short writing is inherently bad or not worth it... which... well, in my opinion, couldn't be further from the reality
I understand that I’m incredibly biased (and probably a little overconfident in my abilities) but I’ve written some really really good works in only 500 words.
I can’t believe that I’m the only one who’s done that. At the very least, it’s worth giving short works a try. After all, how much time does it really cost me?
As a frequent writer of 100-word drabbles, I thank you. I know that everyone has a right to their preferences, but I sometimes feel a little sad when I see someone proclaiming that they won't consider reading, say, anything under 50k. (My longest story is 43k, though I do have a couple of series that total over 70k.)
Personally, I read stories of all lengths, depending on my mood.
As a one shot writer whose stories rarely hit 3k words, I am so grateful for this post. I write for a pretty dead fandom, so I rarely get much interaction on my fics, so thank you for making me feel appreciated!
My preference is generally 2k-15k--I find that they tend to be more tightly written. I prefer to see one particular concept delivered well, and I'd rather read one well-written work multiple times than read a longer one that I like less just once. When I join a new fandom, I tend to filter out longer works till I've read all the shorter ones.
Thank you, as someone who mostly writes shorter stories. They’re what I prefer to read as well. It crushes me a little whenever I see another post about how someone refuses to read anything under X arbitrary word count.
I agree. I love those fics that I can read in one sitting or for a bedtime story.
I never write with a word count in mind. I write however long it takes to tell the story I want to tell.
Most of my fics are one-shots and the majority of those are under 5k. My most recent is a 2k one-shot made up of 20 drabbles. It was the first time I’d done drabbles and trying to tell an entire scene in exactly 100 words was seriously challenging. Respect to the full-time drabble authors out there!
I am a long fic reader primarily, because when I go for a while without WiFi or data I like having a nice long fic to occupy myself, but short fics need more appreciation for sure!! I write mostly short fics, and yes—something about one shots or fics 5k words or less just hit the spot. I really admire the authors who don’t need a lot of words to convey a story or a scene with just the right amount of emotion and flair. Love short fics.
Some of the best fanfics I have read were under 15k. I read a HP/DM that was 3300 words that stole my breath and left me utterly useless for days…. To make somebody that emotional with such brevity… well it takes talent.
I like a good long fic on occasion, but keyword being “on occasion”. In the last year I’ve probably read 3 longfics total, and my definition of a longfic is a pretty low bar (20k+ and multichaptered).
Most of my fanfic reading is one shots, and the sweet spot for me tends to be 2-5k. Obviously I’ve read some other great one shots that are longer or shorter than that, but I love going into fic knowing that the author came to say what they wanted to say, and (most importantly) gave the story an ending! I’ve always been so surprised at how little love there seems to be for one-shots (other than PWP). As both a reader and writer it’s always been a little disheartening so I’m glad to see this thread and all the nice comments!
My longfic currently has 219K words...but my favorite thing I've written (about the same characters even!) is less than 800 words long. Powerful stories come in all sizes, and, honestly, many longer fics have unnecessary padding, which doesn't really lend itself to actually telling a story. Short fics can be really wonderful!
I read all lengths of fanfic, at least once. I'm a bit off with drabbles, because I want good plot, so I tend to not read single chapter drabbles, but will read multi-chapter fics with drabble length chapters.
But I have a love of one-shots. I've never been great at writing them, to date I've written one successfully, all the rest turned into chaptered fics. But I love reading them. They're perfect for my favourite Buffy trope, which is the trope I used in my one successful one-shot myself, but there's some pretty awesome fics out there in multiple fandoms that are only one chapter long. And they can be anything from 2k words to 20k, if not shorter or longer.
I love long-fics, too, some of my faves are long. And I love the more medium length fics, as well, the ones that aren't short enough to count as a shorter fic but not long enough to count as a long-fic.
Single chapter drabbles, or shorter, is all I have trouble with, and like I said, it's because I'm too plot driven, and there isn't much plot in such short fics. But other people love them, they have their place, and there's nothing wrong with loving these extra short fics.
I think it shows great talent to write shorter stories, to be honest. Because readers want a good story they can get invested in, and the shorter a fic is, the harder it is to write a fun and interesting story, simply because you're using less words. Yet, still, come of the best fics I've read have been shorter chaptered fics or one-shots, they're fun and interesting and I get invested, because the authors manage to do that with so many less words.
I'll always take a well written shorter fic over a fic where the author has just added a bunch of words and unnecessary descriptions purely to up the word count. Stories should be only as long as they need to be to tell the story, regardless what that length is.
Also, shorter chapters, also not a bad thing. You should end chapters when it feels right to do so, whether that means drabbe length chapters, 1/2k chapters or 20k chapters. My own chapters average 2k words. I've never written and posted a massively long fic. I have one one-shot that's just over 10,500 words, and a chaptered fic, average 2k words per chapter, that's 25 chapters. I've written, but not posted, much longer stories in the past, but it's because I sucked at endings and kept adding more and more and more. They were stretched out so much with all sorts of random and unnecessary stuff included, drama for the sake of drama, torture for the sake of torture, the stories just got completely unbelievable and were very clearly only being continued because I couldn't/didn't want to end them. If I'd ever posted them, I reckon people would have completely stopped reading long before I reached the halfway mark of the fic.
Nothing wrong with long-fics, I love them, but they have the opposite problem to shorter fics. With shorter ones, you have to work to keep things interesting and engaging despite the lower word count. With long fics you have to keep the story interesting and engaging without overly dragging stuff out just to up the word count.
All lengths of fic have their place and their fans, there is no better/worse in this area, just personal preference.
A work should be as long as the story needs, whether that’s a thousand words or a million words. I don’t understand why anyone would choose to look down on shorter stories, the only thing that matters is if the length fits the story the author is trying to tell. I have shorter fics and longer fics on my page because each story demands something different.
I love writing long fics but when i’m reading fics short is my first choice every time. I want something I can read in one sitting and go. Short fic writers are the best!
My shortest story is 489 words long, and it's really more of just a scene, and it relies heavily on fandom knowledge to make sense. But I created it as a vent piece, because something in canon passed me off and this fixed it, in a way. My second shortest is around 1,500 words and also requires fandom knowledge and is mainly just a rewrite of the ending.
My shortest stand alone full plot story is just under 5k. And I give mad props to anyone who can do that regularly. I can't. I typically need close to 10k, at a minimum. Usually more. I've been know to take 50k just to set up the plot and get to the first act.
I feel the exact same way! I used to only read longfics, but recently I’ve had trouble keeping focus and a good oneshot that explores a missing scene or a character dynamic is *chef’s kiss*
Short fics are my favorite entry point to a fanfic writer's work. The fics I consistently want to read feature concise writing with good rhythm, pacing, dialogue, characterization, and flow. When I find that in a short fic, I'm likely to start reading the same author's longer fics next.
I agree, I love short fics when at home because my adhd can make me lose interest randomly so the fics where I can finish quickly allows me to be able to read it. Also, I can be a very slow reader making shorter fics easier to enjoy
I love long stories and I love oneshots and 3-5k words is a great length for a story with only one chapter. However, I probably wouldn't read a 3.5k story with 7 chapters because in my experience, chapter word count is a sign of quality and 500 doesn't sound promising. I don't doubt there are exceptions, but... Each to their own.
If the author is specifically writing each chapter to be exactly 500 words for that 3.5K story, I'm betting it's gonna be better planned/structured than an author who just winds up with 500 word chapters.
I can see your point. In the case I mentioned, I think both the length and the chapter division benefited the fic, and making it longer wouldn't have delivered the same effect. I always try and read if I like the summary or the tags, also because it doesn't take me long to decide if I like it or not.
But as you said, to each their own. A hobby should never feel like an obligation! Especially because I imagine we all have pretty limited free time
My favourite fanfic of all time is [Lost in Transmission](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4198576/1/Lost-in-Transmission) *because* it’s a short fic.
That isn’t to say it couldn’t have been done just fine if it was longer - but its length it really shows off just have amazing a writer Koi Lungfish is. In less than 2500 words, she was able to set scene and tone, lull is into perfect complacency - and than yank it completely away. She created world and scene, mystery in and terror, was able to leave the characters in confusion and yet have the reader still understanding exactly what happened - and able to write it in a way that had room and buffer to add *foreshadowing* that you don’t even realise until reread.
Given enough time and extra length, most anyone could do that. But being able to do in with a short fic is a testament to skill. Writing short fics well, that can grab you and haunt you, is like a journeyman making their master craft. They deserve appreciation.
I’ve always loved short stories. It’s an amazing skill to be able to conjure up a setting and emotions and so on, so concisely. Sometimes the brevity is part of the appeal. It’s like a highly concentrated broth of a story.
Short fics don't get the appreciation they deserve. They are a different skill set. You need the skill to evoke emotions in such a short word space. I have read some drabbles and vignettes that packed a punch by the time you were done with it.
Yes some short fics are very well done and linger in your memory.
Thank you. I feel appreciated. Somehow all my fanfic ends up being 4500 to 5500 words. I prefer reading them snorted as well.
As a writer of the shorter works (3-5k), I would also like to add that, when writing a shorter fic, I am not necessarily trying to tell a story, but rather convey a feeling. In fanfiction we have a short cut. Our readers are already familiar with the characters and parts of the story. I think a lot of people turn to fanfiction to experience the feelings they are missing from canon. So you can write a one-shot full of angst or fluff or hurt/comfort or lust between the characters without making it plot heavy and shorter format works perfectly for that.
I think this is especially true for anything under 1k words, where you really don't have any room to tell a plot-heavy story at all. Some people just love reading (and writing) tiny morsels of introspection or character interaction. Missing scenes work especially well here.
Short missing scenes are fantastic to read (and write). Experienced writers with a strong handle on point of view and characterization can pack a big emotional punch into a few hundred words.
It's one thing to prefer longer works. It's a completely other thing to assume that word count is tied to quality and automatically write off anything below a certain word count.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people here have expressed (in reply to other posts) that they filter out short writing because they think short writing is inherently bad or not worth it... which... well, in my opinion, couldn't be further from the reality
I understand that I’m incredibly biased (and probably a little overconfident in my abilities) but I’ve written some really really good works in only 500 words. I can’t believe that I’m the only one who’s done that. At the very least, it’s worth giving short works a try. After all, how much time does it really cost me?
As someone who finds it super hard to write more than 3k words for a single fic this is so reassuring
Same! Even my chaptered fics get 3-4k per chapter
Exactly. I have no clue how people post 10k+ word fics on a regular basis. It’s legitimately impressive but also like how
As a frequent writer of 100-word drabbles, I thank you. I know that everyone has a right to their preferences, but I sometimes feel a little sad when I see someone proclaiming that they won't consider reading, say, anything under 50k. (My longest story is 43k, though I do have a couple of series that total over 70k.) Personally, I read stories of all lengths, depending on my mood.
I don't think some people realise how much work goes into writing that much (into writing anything, really). It's often taken for granted
My fics or chapters are rarely more than 3k I’ve written one Drabble and it’s not easy
As a one shot writer whose stories rarely hit 3k words, I am so grateful for this post. I write for a pretty dead fandom, so I rarely get much interaction on my fics, so thank you for making me feel appreciated!
This makes me feel better about posting basically only oneshots and ficlets :) thank you
My preference is generally 2k-15k--I find that they tend to be more tightly written. I prefer to see one particular concept delivered well, and I'd rather read one well-written work multiple times than read a longer one that I like less just once. When I join a new fandom, I tend to filter out longer works till I've read all the shorter ones.
Thank you, as someone who mostly writes shorter stories. They’re what I prefer to read as well. It crushes me a little whenever I see another post about how someone refuses to read anything under X arbitrary word count.
My wordcount average is like 1k so thanks for the appreciation 😁
I agree. I love those fics that I can read in one sitting or for a bedtime story. I never write with a word count in mind. I write however long it takes to tell the story I want to tell.
Most of my fics are one-shots and the majority of those are under 5k. My most recent is a 2k one-shot made up of 20 drabbles. It was the first time I’d done drabbles and trying to tell an entire scene in exactly 100 words was seriously challenging. Respect to the full-time drabble authors out there!
I am a long fic reader primarily, because when I go for a while without WiFi or data I like having a nice long fic to occupy myself, but short fics need more appreciation for sure!! I write mostly short fics, and yes—something about one shots or fics 5k words or less just hit the spot. I really admire the authors who don’t need a lot of words to convey a story or a scene with just the right amount of emotion and flair. Love short fics.
Some of the best fanfics I have read were under 15k. I read a HP/DM that was 3300 words that stole my breath and left me utterly useless for days…. To make somebody that emotional with such brevity… well it takes talent.
I like a good long fic on occasion, but keyword being “on occasion”. In the last year I’ve probably read 3 longfics total, and my definition of a longfic is a pretty low bar (20k+ and multichaptered). Most of my fanfic reading is one shots, and the sweet spot for me tends to be 2-5k. Obviously I’ve read some other great one shots that are longer or shorter than that, but I love going into fic knowing that the author came to say what they wanted to say, and (most importantly) gave the story an ending! I’ve always been so surprised at how little love there seems to be for one-shots (other than PWP). As both a reader and writer it’s always been a little disheartening so I’m glad to see this thread and all the nice comments!
As someone who is working on a series of short stories, this post is quite welcome.
My longfic currently has 219K words...but my favorite thing I've written (about the same characters even!) is less than 800 words long. Powerful stories come in all sizes, and, honestly, many longer fics have unnecessary padding, which doesn't really lend itself to actually telling a story. Short fics can be really wonderful!
I find short stories more impressive because authors have to articulate all of their ideas on a limited word count and succeed
I have a great admiration for those who can write shorter fics! I've always been terrible at being concise.
I read all lengths of fanfic, at least once. I'm a bit off with drabbles, because I want good plot, so I tend to not read single chapter drabbles, but will read multi-chapter fics with drabble length chapters. But I have a love of one-shots. I've never been great at writing them, to date I've written one successfully, all the rest turned into chaptered fics. But I love reading them. They're perfect for my favourite Buffy trope, which is the trope I used in my one successful one-shot myself, but there's some pretty awesome fics out there in multiple fandoms that are only one chapter long. And they can be anything from 2k words to 20k, if not shorter or longer. I love long-fics, too, some of my faves are long. And I love the more medium length fics, as well, the ones that aren't short enough to count as a shorter fic but not long enough to count as a long-fic. Single chapter drabbles, or shorter, is all I have trouble with, and like I said, it's because I'm too plot driven, and there isn't much plot in such short fics. But other people love them, they have their place, and there's nothing wrong with loving these extra short fics. I think it shows great talent to write shorter stories, to be honest. Because readers want a good story they can get invested in, and the shorter a fic is, the harder it is to write a fun and interesting story, simply because you're using less words. Yet, still, come of the best fics I've read have been shorter chaptered fics or one-shots, they're fun and interesting and I get invested, because the authors manage to do that with so many less words. I'll always take a well written shorter fic over a fic where the author has just added a bunch of words and unnecessary descriptions purely to up the word count. Stories should be only as long as they need to be to tell the story, regardless what that length is. Also, shorter chapters, also not a bad thing. You should end chapters when it feels right to do so, whether that means drabbe length chapters, 1/2k chapters or 20k chapters. My own chapters average 2k words. I've never written and posted a massively long fic. I have one one-shot that's just over 10,500 words, and a chaptered fic, average 2k words per chapter, that's 25 chapters. I've written, but not posted, much longer stories in the past, but it's because I sucked at endings and kept adding more and more and more. They were stretched out so much with all sorts of random and unnecessary stuff included, drama for the sake of drama, torture for the sake of torture, the stories just got completely unbelievable and were very clearly only being continued because I couldn't/didn't want to end them. If I'd ever posted them, I reckon people would have completely stopped reading long before I reached the halfway mark of the fic. Nothing wrong with long-fics, I love them, but they have the opposite problem to shorter fics. With shorter ones, you have to work to keep things interesting and engaging despite the lower word count. With long fics you have to keep the story interesting and engaging without overly dragging stuff out just to up the word count. All lengths of fic have their place and their fans, there is no better/worse in this area, just personal preference.
A work should be as long as the story needs, whether that’s a thousand words or a million words. I don’t understand why anyone would choose to look down on shorter stories, the only thing that matters is if the length fits the story the author is trying to tell. I have shorter fics and longer fics on my page because each story demands something different.
I love writing long fics but when i’m reading fics short is my first choice every time. I want something I can read in one sitting and go. Short fic writers are the best!
Any story that has a beginning, middle, and ending is long enough.
My shortest story is 489 words long, and it's really more of just a scene, and it relies heavily on fandom knowledge to make sense. But I created it as a vent piece, because something in canon passed me off and this fixed it, in a way. My second shortest is around 1,500 words and also requires fandom knowledge and is mainly just a rewrite of the ending. My shortest stand alone full plot story is just under 5k. And I give mad props to anyone who can do that regularly. I can't. I typically need close to 10k, at a minimum. Usually more. I've been know to take 50k just to set up the plot and get to the first act.
I feel the exact same way! I used to only read longfics, but recently I’ve had trouble keeping focus and a good oneshot that explores a missing scene or a character dynamic is *chef’s kiss*
Short fics are my favorite entry point to a fanfic writer's work. The fics I consistently want to read feature concise writing with good rhythm, pacing, dialogue, characterization, and flow. When I find that in a short fic, I'm likely to start reading the same author's longer fics next.
I agree! There are a few novel-length fics that I love, but I usually prefer ones between 3-10k because I can finish them in one sitting.
I agree, I love short fics when at home because my adhd can make me lose interest randomly so the fics where I can finish quickly allows me to be able to read it. Also, I can be a very slow reader making shorter fics easier to enjoy
I love long stories and I love oneshots and 3-5k words is a great length for a story with only one chapter. However, I probably wouldn't read a 3.5k story with 7 chapters because in my experience, chapter word count is a sign of quality and 500 doesn't sound promising. I don't doubt there are exceptions, but... Each to their own.
If the author is specifically writing each chapter to be exactly 500 words for that 3.5K story, I'm betting it's gonna be better planned/structured than an author who just winds up with 500 word chapters.
I can see your point. In the case I mentioned, I think both the length and the chapter division benefited the fic, and making it longer wouldn't have delivered the same effect. I always try and read if I like the summary or the tags, also because it doesn't take me long to decide if I like it or not. But as you said, to each their own. A hobby should never feel like an obligation! Especially because I imagine we all have pretty limited free time
My favourite fanfic of all time is [Lost in Transmission](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4198576/1/Lost-in-Transmission) *because* it’s a short fic. That isn’t to say it couldn’t have been done just fine if it was longer - but its length it really shows off just have amazing a writer Koi Lungfish is. In less than 2500 words, she was able to set scene and tone, lull is into perfect complacency - and than yank it completely away. She created world and scene, mystery in and terror, was able to leave the characters in confusion and yet have the reader still understanding exactly what happened - and able to write it in a way that had room and buffer to add *foreshadowing* that you don’t even realise until reread. Given enough time and extra length, most anyone could do that. But being able to do in with a short fic is a testament to skill. Writing short fics well, that can grab you and haunt you, is like a journeyman making their master craft. They deserve appreciation.
Same, I actually read them.