Why many authors like short stories and many readers do not

Drawing on the comments of over 100 short story writers, this article argues that many authors like short stories largely for the same reasons that many readers do not – primarily because what constitutes the ‘life’ of the short story is not merely reflected by its content, but created by its pattern and form. Most writers agree that the short story’s poem-like emphasis on language and form and its concern with basic human mystery rather than time-bound social issues makes different demands on readers than the novel does.