My theory on why professional writers avoid writing short stories is because the world of writing has changed so quickly. Even just a few years back, people wrote short fiction for literary magazines — for prestige, in other words.
You never expected to make money from them; perish the thought. But you privately hoped that a new York Literary agent might approach you asking whether you were working on a novel.
Of course you were, and when that novel was eventually published, it had a small print run and was remaindered toute de suite. Your consolation prize was the knowledge that you were “published” and had an entrée into academia.
Today, the world of writing’s different, and it can be challenging to keep up. So let’s look at powerful ways in which you can use short stories.
Experiment with your short stories; what works for others may not work for you. Equally, what goes gangbusters for you may be a total bust for someone else.