So how short is short?

I am often asked ‘How long is a short story?’ Well, perceived wisdom is that short stories can be anything from 500 to 6,000 words.

Anything under 500 words tends to be labelled ‘flash fiction’ or ‘micro fiction’, still a short story, of course, but now very much a distinct genre of its own.

Most writers contend that a short story is something that can be read comfortably in one sitting (it‘s why they were invented in the mid 19^th Century). Anything over 6,000 is seen as moving into novelette or novella territory

Popular magazines, long supporters of short stories, tend to accept work of between 1,000 – 2,000 words, more literary ones go for longer and competitions vary (the Global Short Story Competition has a top limit of 2,000 words, for example).

Best answer to the question, though? The story is as long or as short as it needs to be, not a word less and certainly not a word more.
* You can enter this month's Global Short Story Competition at www.inscribemedia.co.uk)

John Dean