Do you know something is going to be a one shot before you start to write it? Do you ever intend for your one shot to be a novel but then realize it works better as a shorter story? Or maybe it's the other way around. Have you ever written something you thought was only going to be one chapter and then decide to make a full blown novel out of it?
I always know before I start to write a new story whether it's going to be a one-shot, novella, or novel. I don't think I've ever switched between a one-shot and a novel. The most I've done is turn what might have started as a one-shot into a short story with several chapters instead of just one. My pandaskunk story was like that; I knew it was going to be a short story, but it just worked better in parts, so I broke it up into ten short chapters instead of one long one.
Up until this summer, I had never turned a one-shot into a novel, but the new story I started writing last week is sort of a continuation of the slash one-shot I posted not too long ago. I got the idea for the novel after I got the idea for the one-shot, and the reason I went ahead and wrote the one-shot was to see how that came out and how it was received before I decided whether or not to proceed with a longer story. The jury's still out on the novel; I've written three chapters of it, but it's definitely in that "crossing the line" territory I talked about in my answer to the last question, so I'm not sold on it yet.
What are some of your inspirations when writing a one shot as opposed to a long novel?
These days, most of my one-shots are for challenges. I've never been a big fan of writing them, but occasionally I will get inspired by a song or something (like a random flying pandaskunk in a Christmas music video), or I look at the calendar and realize April Fool's Day is coming up and I have no idea what to do for my site. Six out of the eight short stories I've written in the last five years have been for challenges or holiday-related jokes.
Which of the two do you prefer to write?
I prefer novels because I like being able to really get into a story and let it develop over time, but it's fun to take a break from them and write a one-shot every now and then. I love all of the one-shots I've written in recent years.
Do you ever set chapter limits on yourself when writing? What about reading? Do you tend to enjoy reading shorter stories or novels?
I don't set limits for myself, although I do like to end stories on nice, round numbers of chapters whenever possible, and I will put pressure on myself to make those goals.
As far as reading goes, I prefer reading novels to short stories for the same reason I prefer writing them - I enjoy being able to get into a good story and see how the characters change from the beginning to the end. A good, long novel is like an epic, cross-country journey, compared to the trip across town you get with a short story. Both can be enjoyable, but the payoff of finishing a novel is bigger and more rewarding to me.
