Though it is true that theoretically a student could write 52 consecutive wasted short stories, experience tells us otherwise, since, after every story, finite, complete, the student has usually learned something. In the case of the novel the student does not learn much until he has completed his long and arduous task and submits. Nothing Wasted Novels are rarely honed down to short stories. The reverse is not true. Short stories have been made into novellas, short stories made into novels, and short stories have been made into films.
Short stories contain all the major elements of good writing.
Beginning, middle and end, dialogue, characterisation, conflict and change. It hardly needs saying that a teacher cannot realistically ask students to produce a novel to do the same. Every single word he writes before he embarks on the precious expansion of that wonderful idea makes it more likely he is a competent writer and less likely that the fabulous idea be wasted. Cuckoo was published in the U.S. by St Martin s Press in 1995, and was nominated for an Anthony Award as best first novel. He is a Contributing Editor for The Internet Writing Journal .