The Difference in a Novella and Short Story

Recently, I’ve mentioned short stories and talked about a few novellas.  However, there is a big difference in the two types of stories that could impact how you read them and which to choose, if you are so looking for shorter fiction.  While these types of writing are very similar, they differ in more than just length.

While, yes, the page count of a short story and novella is one big factor in their differences, it’s more to do with content, time, and detail that makes shorts and novellas differ.  While these things are not universal, I’ve found that novella and short stories read a lot different and can bring you different kinds of stories despite being shorter works.

Mind you, when I say “kinds of stories” I don’t mean there are only certain genres that fit into these categories, but there is a different rhythm to them.  While a literary short or novella will likely be much more similar, a lot of genre fiction in these two types of works are good examples of where they differ.

As I’ve mentioned, short stories are typically faster in tone and have to capture and keep you attention throughout.  These types of fiction are short on time so there can’t be as much meandering with you story and wasting words is an absolute no-no.

Yet, with a novella, we are able to get a little more detail and take a bit of a trip, but in some cases, we rise slowly in a novella but tend to pick up a lot of speed on the way down toward the conclusion.  

Again, this is not a universal truth but short stories are going to appeal more to readers that are looking to get into the whitewater of the river, get tossed, and driven down the current in a fast manner.  Novellas allow for a more calm trip in some cases, but do require the action to be faster moving until they too hit the rapids of the story and carry us on through.

This can really dictate where you fall in terms of the type you read but it’s important to know that a collection of short stories and even a collection of novellas are going to bring you very different journeys as you read.  While, again, a novella doesn’t require the commitment a novel would, they also can take their time with a story, unlike most short stories.

However, when it comes to shorter works of fiction, if you are finding authors that really understand these genres, you’re going to have a fun reading experience no matter what you pick up because the good writers that understand the craft of short fiction can create absolute magic in the span of a few pages.