Why Write Short Stories?
Hong Kongs unique market position makes it difficult for English Language writers to choose which form of writing is best for them. Dimsum magazine comes out once a year and does not pay its contrinbutors. Even The Wild East, which comes out six times a year does not pay. If Asia 2000 accepts a novel from you, it is likely to offer payment as a percentage of profits or sales. If Chameleon Press accepts a novel, it is likely to be on the basis of a subsidy from the authors. Since those are the only outlets for English language prose fiction in Hong Kong, the short story is an important local literary product largely because, as far as the local market is concerned, it is hardly worth spending time writing anything longer! On the whole, short stories are merely the amateur form. The established writer might be persuaded to write one, but most short stories are written by workshop members, often for competitions or small magazines like The Wild East that rarely pay. The paying market for
