In Search of the Romance Short Story

In spite of my best intentions, the promises I made to myself that I simply would not press that "buy" button, I did it again: I purchased another e-text-only short story by a romance writer whose novels I admire. And yes, yet again, said short story did little but disappoint, failing to meet the standards set by said author's previous books. And, just as important, failed not only to acknowledge the differences between the short story as a form and that of the novel, but also to take advantage of the similarities between the two genres.

In many ways, a short story seems completely the wrong form to convey the pleasures promised by romance. Readers read romance in large part for the slow build, the push forward-pull back tension, the repeated pattern of desire escalated then frustrated, only to culminate after that frustrated desire reaches the point of explosion. In contrast, the short story is all about tightness, focus, honing in on one key scene or, in the words of its first practitioner, Edgar Allan Poe, "a certain unique or single effect."* A short story often begins at the climax, or close to it, rather than slowly building toward it as does the novel; a romance only about the climax is hardly a romance at all.

One of my "click too often" disappointments...

Other e-romances are being published as "novellas," linking them more closely to their more lengthy printed forms. But in general I've found most of the romance novellas I've read just as disappointing as the short stories; without the time to gradually construct a romance arc, the declarations of love between novella protagonists often feel false, unearned. The ones that I've found the most successful (see this post) often focus on an already-established couple struggling through a difficult point in their relationship, rather than depicting a new love being built from scratch.

During the days of print-only books, few publishers found it profitable to publish short stories or even novellas. How could you print and bind a single story? Who would spend even a dollar to purchase a novella with a spine narrower than a pinky finger? How would such slim books be shelved in bookstores without becoming lost?

But with the advent of e-publishing, the tables have been turned. During the past year or two, both romance publishers and self-publishing authors have released a plethora of short stories and novellas, priced lower than a full-length novel but promising the same pleasures as their longer counterparts.

I'd hail the e-book revolution, and the opportunity it presents for authors to experiment with different, shorter, forms, if the resulting experimentation resulted in innovative, or even interesting, work. But far too often the short story or novella is simply a marketing gimmick, a way for a writer with an established reputation to make more money by building on her brand, churning out a bad novel, a text lacking both the novel's development and structure and the tight focus and honed theme of a true short story or novella.

And another, both by favorite authors...

At this past July's Romance Writers of America convention, a successful e-book author advised writers to have at least five works ready to be published before they attempted to make a name for themselves in the market, with a new work ready to be published following each month. Short stories, novellas, and yes, the occasional novel. Only by creating a constant flow of content would authors be able to elbow their way onto romance readers' overcrowded radar screens.

How many writers do you know who can churn out work at such a pace and actually write stories worth reading? Yet as long as fans keep click, click, clicking away, purchasing small slivers of story that they'd never have forked over hard cash for if they could pick them up in their hands and have a physical reminder of how little they contain, the flood of underdeveloped novels will continue. Please, keep my finger away from that mouse...


Do you agree that for romance readers, the novella/short story boom is more of a bust? Or have you read and admired a short story or novella issued since the advent of the e-book revolution? Did it take into account both the different demands of their forms and still provide the satisfying romance kick of a full-length novel?



* from Poe's review of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales, 1842. Qtd. in M. H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, A Glossary of Literary Terms, 8th ed. Boston: Thompson Higher Education, 2005.