This year for uni I’ve been writing a lot of short stories. It’s been a bit of a shock to the system, and is something I still need to practice to get right. Ever since I was young I’ve always written long stories, enjoying building the world or setting up character arcs. I’ve been in awe of those who write short stories, and love reading them. But they’ve never really been for me, writing wise.

Now that I’ve had to push my comfort zone and work on short stories I’m learning a lot, including some things I will take with me into my novel writing. Today, I’m sharing what writing short stories can teach you about writing a novel.

Sometimes, less is more
Nothing teaches you more about keeping unnecessary words to a minimum than writing a short story, particularly one with a set upper word limit. You’ll learn to…