Which Is Harder to Write, Poetry or Stories?

"I don't know what else to ask. Which, in your opinion is harder to write, poetry or fiction? Thanks. Budding Writer."

Okay, budding writer, I'll bite at this trick question.

First, let's rephrase the question: which is harder to write well, poetry or fiction?

If you ask this question, you are probably thinking that you have some poetic talent, but that short stories and novels seem so long and therefore must take so long to write. If you are a poet and you want to write stories, just go ahead and learn to write them. Stop focusing on length.

I know, I know, I know, dear poet, you are used to beginning a project in the morning and seeing the finished project in the evening. Get over it. If you want to write stories and novels, prose fiction, you are going to have to stop being intimidated by major investments of time.

Now to get back to the question. Which is harder to write well, poetry or stories?

I'm going to surprise you. I think novels are easier to write well, short stories are the next easiest, and poetry is probably the hardest of the three to write well. With the emphasis on well.

Think about it like this:

A novel can have a few bad chapters and still be considered a great novel. As novelist E.M. Forster put it: "A novel is a loose, baggy monster."

A short story is harder. If it has a bad chapter--the thing fails. Think about it--a short story sometimes is the length of a novel chapter. But a short story can have a few bad sentences, maybe even a bad paragraph, and still be considered great.

A poem can't even have a bad line or a poorly chosen word. It is a denser work. Every word must be carefully chosen. Every word counts.

I hope that helps.

Thanks for the question, Budding Writer.

Preston