Short story writing is fun! Importantly, it allows the writer to express creative ideas which may not be appropriate for inclusion in a novel.
Short stories can take a lot of time to complete. The restricted number of words can be frustrating, leading to a lot of rewriting and struggles with paragraphs. The Galahad Porter debut novel At Reception started life as a short story. Alas, the personality of the lead character, Sally, could not be explored in enough depth, and the short story expanded to a novella, and eventually was published as a full blown novel.
To date, Galahad Porter's short stories have been written specifically for competitions and remain unpublished. Unless they are published in the meantime, the intention is to include a selection with the next novel, about pregnant bar worker Lucy, planned for publication in 2019.