“Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.”

—  Ray Bradbury

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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American writer 1920–2012

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“When you write a short story … you had better know the ending first.”

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, known for his works of science fiction …

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“I have huge respect for short stories—I just find them much harder to get right than a novel. A novel is a lot baggier and it gives you more leeway to go on for too long or to make mistakes. Whereas in a short story, every sentence, every word, matters—and that’s very hard. I think it’s easier to write too much than it is to write exactly the right thing.”

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“The writing of a novel or short story or poem or whatever should elevate the audience, not drag the writer down to some level beneath herself.”

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“I write short stories. They may appear big in size, but when you consider it, they're four or five novels in one.”

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