Short stories can be just as powerful and moving as longer works of fiction; indeed, some argue that this form can be even more impactful because short stories deliver their central message in a single, resonant hit. If a novel is like lighting up a room using all the house lights, then a short story is like using a flashlight to illuminate a hidden corner.
Short stories are also an excellent place to take risks, to create things that interest you but which may not work in a whole novel. As the prolific novelist, short story writer, and comic book author Neil Gaiman says: “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They’re journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”
