I think a story should take as long to tell as it is appropriate to that particular story.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think it's much more natural as a writer to want to tell one story rather than lots of small stories that are half an hour long.
I try to tell a story the way someone would tell you a story in a bar, with the same kind of timing and pacing.
If I can tell you the story from beginning to end in five minutes, I'm ready to start writing. Then it's a constant spreading out of that five minutes.
Whatever story you want to tell, tell it at the right size.
I would not send a first story anywhere. I would give myself time to write a number of stories.
There might be a proper age to know how to tell a story, but there's no proper age to start telling them.
A story really isn't truly a story until it reaches its climax and conclusion.
If the story wasn't overly long, I'd type it out. And I'd carry it around with me for a week and jot notes on it, and then I'd throw it away and do another one.
I believe that the writer should tell a story. I believe in plot. I believe in creating characters and suspense.
I don't ever want to impose something on the story. I want the story to tell me.