Writing short stories is a different animal than writing a full-length novel. Though some elements are similar—both require a plot and a character to follow, preferably one who might learn something—other aspects are quite different. Most obviously is the time it takes to complete a work and get it to market.
It takes me anywhere from two to four weeks (and sometimes longer) to fully plan, write, and edit a short story until its ready for market. I know other writers who can knock them out in a week or two. Novels take years.
But like the market for novels, the market for short stories is highly competitive. There are publications that pay professional rates, others that pay token amounts, and even others that don’t pay at all, but every one gets flooded with submissions each open period. With a faster time to market come faster acceptances, which can be career affirming, and faster rejections, which can be soul crushing, particularly when receiving many of them back-to-back. Except for best-selling authors who are invited to submit, most authors only have a small percentage of submissions accepted.
That’s where these rules for writing come in. They are a helpful reminder that all writers face these issues, and these rules can help overcome the desires to quit and stop writing that a mountain of rejections can produce.
For those who don't know, Robert Heinlein is a foundational science fiction author of many outstanding novels, including Starship Troopers, Stranger In a Strange Land, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. He also won several awards, including four Hugo Awards and seven Retro-Hugos plus an additional six Hugo nominations and four Nebula Award nominations..
But lesser known are his five rules of writing speculative fiction, which I have outlined below. And, if I may be so bold, I’ve supplemented them with one of my own.
Rule 1: You Must Write
Straightforward enough. To be a writer, you must write. You can’t just think about writing or fantasize about big advances and long autograph lines. Your butt must be in the chair with you putting words to paper.
All types of writing is beneficial, but if you’re focusing on your novel, work on that. If you hit a blockage, write a short story. Want a short distraction? Write some flash fiction or a blog post. It’s like Malcolm Gladwell says: it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in something, which translates (at least to me) is practice is critical. All writing is writing practice, so continuing to write is important.
Rule 2: Finish What You Start
This rule also seems like a no-brainer, but it is harder than people realize. You’ll never get anything published if you don’t get anything finished, but there can be many obstacles to getting there. Maybe there’s a whole in the plot or an ending that is elusive. It can take some rumination to discover those challenges.
But I’ve also found some challenges resolve themselves while writing. Sometimes, the characters seem to know better about what is going on in the story than the author does. And that’s perfectly fine – it happens a lot! Don’t hold off waiting on perfection to get something down that is really good. Don’t let stories languish. Finish them. Learn from them, and keep going.
Rule 3: You Must Refrain from Rewriting, Except to Editorial Order
This rule is a little severe, particularly since many writers never receive editorial guidance as works are culled much earlier in the submission process. To me, every story needs some polish. Nobody writes perfectly right off the bat.
This is likely apocryphal, but I heard a story that said Michael Connelly, the best-selling author of the Bosch series of crime mysteries, said “every draft until the eighth is total crap!” This may or may not be true, but it drives home a point. Many stories need to be edited and re-edited. This is more so with novels than short stories, but it holds true for all works.
But be aware of diminishing returns, and know that they diminish pretty quickly. It’s no surprise that a first draft is pretty rough—in fact, most call it a 'rough draft' of the story. But two or three more editing passes are likely going to hammer out 80-percent or more of those issues.
The work is never going to be perfect. If you find yourself changing things and then changing them back, it’s time to let it go.
Rule 4: You Must Put Your Story on the Market
This is a lesser-obvious rule, but it makes sense. You won’t be published if publishers, whether that be book publishers, periodicals, or podcasts don’t know about your work.
Exposing our work to others can be a big hurdle for writers. Many of us love to write and want people to love our work (like we do) but surprisingly can be afraid to put it out there for fear of rejection.
But here’s the deal: it will absolutely be rejected. And rejected. It’s what happens. All accomplished writers have folders filled with rejections of their pieces, and many wear them as a badge of honor. It can be rough, but it’s a part of the process, and you’re certainly not alone.
Rule 5: You Must Keep It on the Market Until It Has Sold
This can be another big hurdle for authors. After three or four rejections of the same story, it can simply seem like that one is not good enough. But maybe it is. Finding the right publisher requires a lot of perseverance and some luck.
To get a story published, you have to find the right publisher who is looking for your style, your topic, your tone, and even your types of characters at the exact same time you have a story like that available. It’s a lot of hit and miss. Some stories may take twenty or thirty submissions before they sell.
Rule 6: You Must Keep Writing and Learning
This rule is my own, and it goes back in the 'obvious' column, but many writers get stuck focusing on one work at a time, and if that project bogs down, then so do they. There are times it may absolutely be necessary to shelve a project for a while—the ‘rumination’ to address certain challenges I mentioned earlier. Or, simply to spend some time out of those characters' heads.
What’s important is to not stop. Kick off another writing project. Try something different. At a minimum, jot all the crazy ideas that pop into your head while driving or showering (but hopefully not driving while showering) into a notebook that can be referred to later. I find it helpful when I hit a writing block to review old ideas or write something completely different. It sometimes takes a break or a different perspective to once again get a handle on a story.
But write all those novels. Write all those short stories. Get them out there. Pitch them to agents. Send out query letters. Send those short stories to magazine after magazine after magazine. Because you learn something with each attempt, with each experience. And, eventually, things will hit, and they will land in the best place for them.
Conclusion
It’s not easy being a writer, and especially hard making a living as a writer. But, hey, if it were easy, then everyone would do it! And, sometimes, it feels like everyone does.
But that is part of the process. These five helpful rules from Heinlein and one obvious one from myself will help keep you focused and remind you that perseverance is a big aspect of being a writer.
Stick with it. Stay positive. Get your work out there. Enjoy those rejections. Because at some point, you’ll be glad you did.
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