hazelaudrin's blog

There are several similarities between novels and short tales. They must be well-written, grammatically correct, and spell-checked. They must also tell a tale, regardless of length.

That means they must both contain the following elements: the inciting incident, the rising action (increasing complications), the climax, and the falling action.

Nonetheless, the two formats are distinct.

According to book marketing team short authors must work within the limits of the word restriction they are given, unlike novelists who can choose the length of their books. They have to reduce their stories down to the bone, removing all fatty detail, in order to deliver a whole story on a smaller scale. They also have a tight deadline to meet.

This is why, unlike novels, short tales normally center on a single part of a character's life or a single component of an issue or relationship in a character's life.