Why I Chose Short Stories Over Novels

For years, people have asked me the same question:

“When are you going to write a real book?”

By “real,” they mean a novel—three hundred pages, hardcover spine, thick enough to double as a doorstop.

And for years, I’ve smiled politely, nodded, and said, “Maybe someday.”

But here’s the truth: I chose short stories instead. On purpose. And I don’t think they’re any less “real” than novels. In fact, I’d argue they’re more urgent—especially in the world we live in now.

The World of Scroll-Fast Attention

Let’s face it. We live in a scroll-fast culture. TikTok feeds us microbursts of story in sixty seconds. Instagram serves snapshots of people’s lives in perfectly curated frames. Our attention spans have been rewired for speed.

And while I love the immersion of a big, sweeping novel, sometimes it feels impossible to commit to one. Readers are juggling work, school, family, and a thousand notifications buzzing at them every hour. Sitting down for a 400-page book can feel daunting.

But a 40-page short story? That’s doable. That’s “finish in a coffee break” doable. That’s “I can read this before bed without staying up until 3 a.m.” doable.

Short stories fit the way we live now.

Brevity Doesn’t Mean Shallow

There’s a misconception that short stories are appetizers and novels are the main course. That shorter automatically means lighter, less meaningful, or somehow “unfinished.”

I disagree.

To me, short stories are distillation. They’re not a snack—they’re a shot of espresso. You get hit with intensity, emotion, and meaning all at once. There’s no filler, no meandering subplots, no chapters where you wonder why you’re still there. Every word counts.

Think of the poems that haunt us for decades, or the short films that go viral because they capture something so deeply in under ten minutes. Brevity doesn’t weaken the impact—it sharpens it.

Filter: Proof That Short Stories Hit Hard

Take my story Filter: A YA Short Story About Illness, Identity, and Going Viral.

At just 48 pages, it isn’t a doorstopper. You can read it over a latte. But in those pages, you’ll meet Lily, a seventeen-year-old TikTok queen who looks flawless online while secretly dealing with failing kidneys.

When she faints at school and the video goes viral, Lily has to decide: keep performing perfection, or finally show the messy, unfiltered truth.

It’s a small story, but it hits big themes—chronic illness, identity, family, what it means to be seen. I’ve had readers tell me they cried, laughed, and thought about it for days afterward.

That’s the power of brevity. It doesn’t waste your time. It goes straight for the heart.

Why Teens Need Short Reads

There’s another reason I chose short stories: my audience.

I write YA and NA contemporary fiction. And let’s be real—teenagers are busy. School, sports, part-time jobs, college applications, social media, family drama, friendships. Life moves fast at seventeen.

For many teens, the idea of a long novel is overwhelming. But a short story? That’s accessible. That’s a low barrier to entry. That’s a way to sneak in a full story, a full emotional arc, without demanding weeks of their life.

I want teens to know that their time matters, their feelings matter, their messy, complicated realities matter. And short reads give them a way to see themselves without another obligation on their crowded to-do list.

The Unfiltered Lives Series

Filter is part of my Unfiltered Lives series, a collection of YA/NA short stories and novellas about characters navigating illness, identity, and the chaos of being human.

Each one is designed to be read quickly—but linger long after.

You’ll meet Beck, a trans music teacher hiding his dialysis from his students until a viral duet calls him out. Marisol, a Filipina teen trying to survive her first Thanksgiving on a renal diet while relatives whisper about her future. Mrs. Lin, a grandmother who stitches love into embroidery gifts until her last breath.

These stories aren’t sprawling epics. But they’re real, raw, and powerful.

Because life doesn’t always happen in 400-page arcs. Sometimes it happens in small bursts, in moments that seem fleeting but define us forever.

Less Can Be More

So no—I don’t feel guilty about choosing short stories over novels.

In fact, I think short reads are exactly what we need more of right now.

Because not every reader has the luxury of long afternoons to get lost in a book. But everyone deserves a story that sees them.

Short fiction says: We see you, even in your limited time, your limited energy, your limited attention span.

Short fiction says: Your story matters too, even if it’s messy and brief.

And if you can be transformed in 48 pages instead of 480, isn’t that just as real?

The Last Page

That fifteen-year-old version of me, stuck at home with a typewriter and too many feelings, would’ve loved short reads. She would’ve devoured them, scribbled notes in the margins, carried them in her backpack like talismans.

So I write them now. For her. For the teens scrolling at 2 a.m. For anyone who needs a reminder that sometimes less isn’t less—it’s exactly enough.

✨ Filter: A YA Short Story About Illness, Identity, and Going Viral is available soon on Kindle. Part of the Unfiltered Lives series—where every story is short, sharp, and unfiltered.