We welcome guest blogger Jennifer Wylie to our pages today!
Short can be good too…
Sorry, I couldn’t resist that title.
Many people write short stories, many people read them. Probably just as many don’t. I didn’t pay much attention to the comments of those who don’t until I wrote one and it became published. Now I scratch my head a lot.
Yes, I do understand a short is NOT a novel. They each have different benefits. However a short story most certainly has its uses. First of all, they are often cheaper (or free). They are a great way to test out if you like the way an author writes. They are wonderful for filling in little gaps in larger series or works, or showing something from the view of another character or even a minor character’s back story.
My favorite reason is that they are short. I don’t always have time to hunker down and real a full length novel. However, I want to read something, and be able to finish it as well. Ever start a book, get busy, set it aside and when you do make it back you don’t remember all that you read? Ya, like that. They are of course, perfect for short car/bus rides, waiting room reading and for those times you’ll be more than a minute in the bathroom.
One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about short stories lately is that they want more! Definitely true with a short story… however shouldn’t this also be true with a novel? If the story is written well you always want more, you never want it to end.
My short story Jump I wrote in just a couple of days. The idea came after I’d been talking to my parents on the phone, and gotten a few lectures. 
Though, “If someone asked you to jump off a bridge would you?” wasn’t one of them, for some reason that phrase popped into my head and the story was born. I was in a rather silly, sarcastic mood at the time, which lent to the humorous aspects of the story.
What is your favorite thing about short stories? Leave a comment for a chance to win a free Omni-Lit eBook of JUMP!
Jump by Jen Wylie
Debut Short Story
Description:
If you were told to jump off of a bridge would you?
Perhaps it would depend on who was doing the asking. Our heroine has spunk and a sense of humor, however suffers from an extreme case of inappropriate clothing. When things take a turn from dangerous to worse what will she do when fantasy becomes reality? Warning: May include hot leather-clad men, singing and demons.
About the author:
Jennifer Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.
Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.
Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. Sweet Light is her debut novel to be published in 2011.
Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her husband, two boys, Australian shepherd, a flock of birds and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.
My website: www.jenniferwylie.ca
My blog: http://jlwylie.wordpress.com/
Buy Links for Jump :
OmniLit
