Short story vs. The Novel

If you like writing short stories, then write short stories. Besides, novels also is made of subplots and subtexts where each chapter could be considered a short story that is interconnected to main story theme. Also, it is comparatively easier to get your short story published in some publication compared to publishing a novel by itself. Good luck writing! :)

I never made a dime from my short stories - yet. They did help, in a big way, get me noticed for my novel though. I maintain a portfolio at www.writing.com and my publisher had a very thorough look at some of my short stories before expressing interest in my novel. They have said that they would like to see a novel expanding on one of the stories I wrote. I'm hoping to start on that one before the year is out. Basic membership on that site is free. I never paid for anything there. You can earn points for reviewing other writer's work there. You can pay for an upgraded membership there with those points. I did that. I learned a lot from reviewing the work of others. That too played a huge role in getting me noticed. I made friends with another wannabee writer that way. She led me to additional resources including the company which is now my publisher. The publisher found her through a group on Facebook called Book Junkies. I'm a member there as well. I still write short stories and if I make a name for myself in the future I will find themes connecting stories to publish a few anthologies. I have other ideas of how to use them to promote my writing but I'm still learning as I go.