Length Confession

I've talked about this a little before, I think on my other blog, but I'm going to post this bit of confession/truth here. Also, I couldn't find it. I remember it was after a story was rejected but that's all I remember. So, on to the confession...

I am not a short fiction writer.
I write long fiction.

The funny part is: when I first started on Writing.com almost 5 years ago, I didn't know that. This post is about not only my inability to write short fiction but also a small story about my journey so far in becoming a writer. I wasn't active my first year, but years two and three in particular (2006 and 2007) I started to take part in writing activities and contests on the site. For me, it wasn't about winning or even making great stories, however. It was just to get me to write. Contests have deadlines and that meant I got stuff done.

So, for most of my story entries, when the reviewer would say "this seems like a bigger piece and not a full short story" my response was "Yes." I would use prompts to write scenes for potential books. That was back when I'd never written a full book before.

And I still plan to use some for books. Thomas/Kyle romance/erotica novella is one that is being written scene by scene, at least the erotica portion. The rest will piece things together later. And I use 14-7-1 and a couple other contests on the occasion to get a certain scene or chapter written.

There were occasional stories that I never planned anything more. They were just supposed to be a flash fiction or short story with nothing else beyond it. This is part of where I get the reason for this post.

My first sci-fi flash fiction story was written based on that. It was a little story with no idea for any addition. Reviewers, including those from a publishing group where about 3/4 the review board, mentioned the idea was too big for flash fiction. One even sait it would be better as a novelette or even a novella. I really had no plans of the sorts. Yet my idea was too big.

But that's not all.

I don't just write novels instead of short stories. I write series. Why? I have no clue. My initial idea for writing novels would be to have a stand alone novel first because that might be better than a long series idea. Yet, each idea seems to want to expand itself into more than a single book. Even the romance/erotica novel I finished thanks to NaNoWriMo 2008 threatened to have a sequel, which I will not allow.

Sure, Tattle Tell could be seen as a single book, the YA one. But the truth is it's book one of a series that intertwines with another set of books.

Also, I have a Sekrit Project. Though, I should call it Sekrit Novel since we all know the project is going to be a book. I won't say more but once I imagined the end of the idea, knew the last page, I realized something. It's just the start. Yep. Another series.

Goodness Glaciers!

So, the full confession.

I am a series novel writer.

There. Now I feel better. What about you? Can you write short fiction? What about stand alone books that go no further? Series?