"If the story were longer, I don't think it would have worked as well. It was the perfect length for this type of story."
On the Rocks and my other short erotic story Truth or Dare? have on the odd occasion received reviews and comments stating that "it was a shame they weren't longer." I can completely understand and respect a reader saying that since well, sometimes you do want to learn more about the characters and having readers state they would like one of my stories to be longer is a compliment - most of the time - because to me it means that the reader wants more, but I am very glad to hear that some readers do feel that these books are the perfect length for their type of story.
You see, both On the Rocks and Truth or Dare? are what I like to call brain nibbles. Gross, I know, but every now and again - and it is literally once in a blue moon - I get a story idea that is well, short and hot, straight to the point, and it doesn't have my brain working in over drive. Stories like these are a refreshing little break from other ideas that are huge and taking over my brain. You know the ones that are complicated and never ending; like the Blood Series. My Urban Fantasy series is big. The world is big. The cast of characters is big, and there are so many layers and things I'm still discovering as I go. Whereas On the Rocks and Truth Or Dare? were a bit of fun that didn't require too much thinking. They were a refreshing break.
Sometimes it is hard as a writer to know when to stop a story. I could quite easily extend both of these shorts and make them longer, but that isn't how I wrote them.
On the Rocks was a fun, sexy, twisted idea that I had and I love how the story flows and ends, and Truth or Dare? was a bit of hot, funny fun, which also shows that not everyone has to be in love or be charming and go about "asking someone out" the right way; there's no right way of expressing your feelings for someone. There is only the way that works for you as an individual, and Cameron and Dani had a pretty intense, crazy way of going about such things.
It's the same for my novella, Creak. It's not quite a horror/thriller. I don't really think it would fit in that genre because I don't, personally, think that it has the correct formula to be classed as a horror/thriller. I'm happy with the book, but even when I was going through the edits I found myself wondering if it should be longer, if more should happen, but then the characters would have shown me if there was more, it wouldn't have played out the way it did if there was meant to be more. So, I stick by that book, the way the story plays out and the length. I think it could be extended, but then it would feel like I was adding scenes for the sake of trying to make it fit with the formula of an actual horror book, and well, I'm happy to state that it is more of an erotic horror then an actual mainstream horror/thriller book.
So yes, sometimes stories are meant to be short because that's what is right for the characters. Not every story has to have a huge plot with tons of drama, or twists and turns. Sometimes it's good to have a little nibble and read something that you don't have to concentrate on so heavily. Sometimes you might find that the perfect length is 20 pages and that a short story can be a perfect read simply because it is a short story.
Have a great week!
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