High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas (in the 20th and 21st century sense) and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because of the fragmentation of the medium into genres. Since the short story format includes a wide range of genres and styles, the actual length is determined by the individual author`s preference (or the story`s actual needs in terms of creative trajectory or story arc) and the submission guidelines relevant to the story`s actual market. Guidelines vary greatly among publishers.