Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time learning how to write short stories—and it’s changed the way I think about my work.
For a long time, I didn’t fully understand how important short fiction is to an author. I used to think of it as something smaller, almost secondary to longer projects. But the more I write in this form, the more I realize how much it matters. Short stories ask you to be intentional, to say exactly what you mean, and to trust the reader with the rest. Every sentence has to pull its weight.
I’ve written several short pieces recently, and each one has taught me something different—about pacing, voice, and how much emotion you can fit into a very small space. While not all of them have found a home yet, two have been accepted, which has been incredibly encouraging as I continue figuring this form out.
One of those pieces is a flash fiction story called The Voice I Kept, featured by Anomaly. It’s a quiet, speculative piece about grief, memory, and the ways we try to hold on to what we’ve lost. Seeing it published there felt like a real milestone for me—not because it’s big, but because it’s precise.
👉 Read The Voice I Kept here:
I’m learning that short stories may be brief, but they play a big role. They shape the larger body of work in quieter ways—by sharpening instincts, strengthening voice, and reminding me why I write in the first place.