--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, as a short-story writer, I don't…" description: "\"Well, as a short-story writer, I don't think there are any weaknesses to the genre itself. I guess I would say that the difficulty of the form is that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/zz-packer-64818_difficulty_well-as-a-short-story-writer-i-don-t-thi_796239.jpg" --- # Well, as a short-story writer, I don't think there are any… ![“Well, as a short-story writer, I don't think there are any weaknesses to the genre itself. I guess I would say that the difficulty of the form is that one must create an entire world in five to 30 pages, as opposed to 300. There is very little room for fat - you must be economical. And you must…” quote by ZZ Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/zz-packer-64818_difficulty_well-as-a-short-story-writer-i-don-t-thi_796239.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/zz-packer-64818_difficulty_well-as-a-short-story-writer-i-don-t-thi_796239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/zz-packer-64818_difficulty_well-as-a-short-story-writer-i-don-t-thi_796239.jpg) > “Well, as a short-story writer, I don't think there are any weaknesses to the genre itself. I guess I would say that the difficulty of the form is that one must create an entire world in five to 30 pages, as opposed to 300. There is very little room for fat - you must be economical. And you must begin as close to the end as you possibly can.” [ZZ Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zz-packer-64818/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short stories demand concise world‑building and early climax, forcing writers to be economical and purposeful. **In simple terms:** Short stories require tight, purposeful writing. Key Takeaway Focus on economy and early climax. Themes conciseness economy structure storytelling craft Mood analytical instructive Type educational craft‑focused When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing drafts - teaching writing - publishing short fiction Key Concepts narrative economy structural pacing creative constraint Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance depth with brevity? - What techniques ensure a complete world in few pages? A Different Perspective The pressure for brevity may limit depth of character development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [30 Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/30-pages-1974359/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fats/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-writer-661112/) [Story writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-writers/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Weaknesses Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weaknesses-genre-6105415/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I was trained mainly as a short story writer and that's how I started writing, but I've also become very interested in non-fiction, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-was-trained-mainly-as-a-short-story-writer-and-that-s-how-i-started/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [The more original a short-story writer, the odder looking the assortment of things he or she puts together for a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bly/the-more-original-a-short-story-writer-the-odder-looking-the/) [Carol Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bly/) > [For a short-story writer, a story is the combination of what the writer supposed the story would likely be about - plus what actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-bly/for-a-short-story-writer-a-story-is-the-combination-of-what-the/) [Carol Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-bly/) > [The short-story writer knows that he can't proceed cumulatively, that time is not his ally. His only solution is to work vertically, heading up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/the-short-story-writer-knows-that-he-can-t-proceed-cumulatively-that/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [I didn't intend to become a short-story writer. I became one because I finished a couple of short stories and realized that's what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-didn-t-intend-to-become-a-short-story-writer-i-became-one-because-i/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/short-stories-are-designed-to-deliver-their-impact-in-as-few-pages-as/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think it's a short story writer's duty, as well as writing well about emotions and characters, to write story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-brown/i-think-it-s-a-short-story-writer-s-duty-as-well-as-writing-well/) [Eric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-brown/) > [I love the necessary ambiguity of short stories - there simply isn't time to render every detail, so much of the story that orbits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-healy/i-love-the-necessary-ambiguity-of-short-stories-there-simply-isn-t/) [Matthew Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-healy/) > [I think most short story writers, at one time or another, over the course of several books, naturally skirt near the edge of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-think-most-short-story-writers-at-one-time-or-another-over-the/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Find the key emotion; this may be all you need know to find your short story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/find-the-key-emotion-this-may-be-all-you-need-know-to-find-your-short/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/you-learn-by-writing-short-stories-keep-writing-short-stories-the/) [Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/) > [One of my favorite writers is short story writer/essayist Jorge Luis Borges, who was blind. I'm not claiming to be anything remotely resembling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-howes/one-of-my-favorite-writers-is-short-story-writer-essayist-jorge-luis/) [Larry Howes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-howes/) > [I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [Poetry died as a commercial form and then it died as a serious art form. No one serious touches it. It used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/poetry-died-as-a-commercial-form-and-then-it-died-as-a-serious-art/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. 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