There are two main modes of story-telling: the story-teller and the
writer. The story-teller mode mimics oral tradition and predates the
writer mode. There is much to be learned from each of these writing
modes regardless of the type of writing you do.
There are several story-teller modes (Navajo oral tradition is quite
different from, say, the Iliad). Modern story-teller writers
include recorders of folk lore and comedic writers. Modern
story-tellers have several traits in common. Modern story-telling
writings are great resources for people who want to study flash
fiction, short story, or longer narrative forms. This is partly
because the story-teller writing style tends to be conversational,
more concise, and have little description. Story-teller writing also
tends to be very brief and yet holds true to story structure.
The writer mode also comes in many flavors. What I mean here is a
writer who is trying to be “writerly”. For instance, lots of
description, bigger words, and formal or artificial language. I tend
to be write formally because that is my natural voice. This is fine
for blogs but I work to tone it down for my books.
As a rule of thumb, short works (such as flash fiction and short
stories) are typically done in the story-teller mode. This is because
there is no room for the descriptions that are expected in
longer works. (There are exceptions and I'd love to hear some of
yours.)
In novels, there is more room for the writer mode. There, narrative
voice runs the gauntlet from story-teller (like Terry Pratchett) with
a very informal style to writer (like Terry Goodkind) with a richly
descriptive and philosophical style.
I wouldn't say that one length of story is superior to the other,
just that different traditions and conventions are in place. And
isn't it fun to break those in works of any length?
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