How Writing Short Stories Made Me a Better Novelist (And Why You Should Try it Too)

When I first started writing, I did what most new writers do: I jumped straight into the deep end with a novel. I spent months (years, actually) crafting a 70,000-word manuscript, thinking I'd created a masterpiece. But when I recently revisited it after some time away, I found something surprising: the novel was glaringly flawed.

It was over-written, waffly, and my character’s voice —while present —wasn’t distinct enough to carry the story. I’d written in first-person, present-tense, which was fine in theory but felt awkward on the page. In short, I realized I had a long way to go.

But what had changed? In between finishing the first draft of my novel and now, I took a break to write a few short stories. I wasn’t trying to level up my skills or make any profound breakthroughs — I just wanted to have fun and get my mind off the novel.

And bam! My first short story, Mama's Boy, was easily the best thing I’d ever written up to that point. My second, Model Boss, was the most fun I’d had writing anything. The third, a mini-series I’m working on now, has pushed me to create a whole world in a limited space.

Unintentionally, these short stories taught me more about writing than I ever expected. They forced me to be concise, to play with different voices and perspectives, and to challenge myself creatively in a way my novel hadn’t. Suddenly, all the problems in my novel draft became clear: it was bloated, unfocused, and needed a complete overhaul.

I realize now that stepping away from the novel wasn’t a detour — it was the key to unlocking a better version of it.

My takeaway? If you’re feeling stuck in your writing, or if you’re struggling with a bigger project like a novel, give yourself permission to experiment with short stories. You might just stumble upon the breakthrough you didn’t even know you needed. You don’t have to have it all figured out right away — sometimes, the best learning happens when you're just trying to have fun.