54 Comments

I mostly write (and have published) short stories and have such a love for the form, you can do so much and the best stories have such a strong impact in such a short space of time!

Some of my faves include An Account of the Land of Witches by Sofia Samatar and Things with Beards by Sam J Miller.

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I have written short stories for many years. It's a go-to form, popular to use with writing groups for homework and feedback. It is a discipline in itself, like poetry, encouraging the writer to make every word count and tell a complete story to amuse, thrill, and engage the reader, if only for a brief moment in their day.

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My collection, Stoning the Devil, (Skylight Press, 2012) was longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, both in 2013. However, I don't think I'm the best short story writer ever! That may be Isak Dinesen (a.k.a. Karen Blixen). Every story in Gothic Tales is a masterpiece. I know no one else remotely like her.

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I wrote a novella a couple of years ago which was shortlisted in Mslexia's Novella prize.

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I love the form of the stories, and I have written a lot of them, as well as a novella, and published two collections so far. My favourite writer of short stories is Anton Chekhov, who is a real master of the genre.

I believe that it requires good talent to be able to attract the reader's attention in only few pages, as you do not have the space to expand as in a novel.

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Loving some of these suggestions. I love Jon McGregor... and Marc Haddon's collection The Pier Falls is also something I enjoyed and would recommend. I am a novelist but I will always continue to write shorts and I have to say I really enjoy editing them :)

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Am now discovering Neil Gaiman - reading his Trigger Warning - Short Fictions and Disturbances. The title is spot on - disturbed is how I feel after reading some of them. It is a good disturbance - his twisted way of slipping unwritten words in between the lines is an ingenious way to tell a story! and a good use of the short space to tell it!

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The Dead by James Joyce is my favourite but A swim in a pond in the rain by George Saunders is a must for anyone who loves writing them and/or reading them. That got me into writing them this summer and no sign of that fever abating yet.

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I have recently got back into reading shorts and am currently reading Twisted Tales - a collection of retellings of fairytales. Alongside this I am reading Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight which looks at the art of writing short stories. This year two of my stories have ben published. Starting to write shorts certainly requires a different mindset writing wise but it is a good exercise to get the story across within a certain word count.

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I am a devoted fan and have written 92 with a dozen published to date. My favourite short story author is Geoffrey Archer. I think I've read every one he has written. I prefer them to his novels. I'm also a fan of Roald Dahl's short stories, particularly because of the devilish use of the twist ending.. My most recently published short story[a month ago] is in Personal Bests Issue 4, published through Amazon. The editor David Gardiner invited authors to submit their best short story from which he has selected 26. My story is titled 'It Started With Breaking Glass, which is set in Munich, with the action moving to Paris during 1938. I'm a compulsive scribbler. A day never passes...

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I love short stories. Reading and writing them, and speaking and listening to them. My favourite one at the moment is called Escape from Spiderhead by George Saunders. I like the concept of it.

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My favourite is Nightfall by Isaac Asimov.

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I don't write them but I love to read them ... my favourite is A Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell.

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I love writing and reading short stories and flash fiction

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Susan asked which was my favourite short story. As a reader I find it difficult to say since there seems to be such a moving feast with new writers contrasting with older, more established writers, both clearly showing that the short story form is in safe hands. A few months ago I went on a cruise with Jo Jo Moyes and Penelope Lively. Not literally. Then again! I found Jo Jo's first collection of short stories-Paris for One, very uplifting. with the combination of romance, influence in relationships and lots of humour. Dame Penelope, thrice Booker nominated-won it once, has put together a collection of 26 stories, including a couple of new ones; under the title of Metamorphosis. While I had read the majority down the decades, immersing myself in the collection was most absorbing.

Someone made a comment about writing groups. I've derived valuable benefit from being a member of a couple of groups. At one meeting a few years ago, having read out a story, the first comment was 'It'a play' It wasn't, but it is now. Dialogue features prominently in my stories, whereas in contrast the sensory, descriptive content, so highly valued by competition judges, is less prominent. I have now redrafted five stories as plays which have been performed locally-a specific benefit from a writing group

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I recently completed a short story collection in various genres and voices but with a theme. My favourite short story writers seem to be mostly from the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries - usually with a dark twist and often with bitter humour: Saki, O Henry, Ambrose Bierce, WWJacobs. Also Roahld Dahl. There is something rebellious in all of these writers, questioning expectations and undermining reality, yet often gentle, understanding and loving with their protagonists.

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Aug 6, 2022·edited Aug 6, 2022

I don't have a great affinity with short stories, so I haven't read too many. However, one of my favourite authors, Dorothy Dunnett, wrote "The Proving Climb" which I like.

I am fond of essays, from Montaigne to Aldous Huxley. Hilaire Belloc's "A Conversation with a Cat" always sticks in my mind as a particular favourite.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S is probably my favourite novella.

I am also fond of reading plays, which are short reads. I have far too many "favourites" to name. Favourites among the favourites are probably:

THE LION IN WINTER

HAMLET

TWELFTH NIGHT

THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

RING AROUND THE MOON

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

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Yep... very cool article Debz* (thx 4 that) Love the last line = "never underestimate the power of short fiction" - Sooo... True*

Favorite Short Story: Rip Van Winkle

I confess <Prose Junkie>

In my case, I'm learning, trim it, thin it, keep the rhythm, live in the moment, dont loose sight of the big Pic...... With that said I did learn something recently. I got accepted on a mobile app that does 3 languages mostly in emerging markets (its an add on for network subscribers) = story line- Series = max 3000/w increments+ you have to intro where you left off at each level/series. = Brain Cramp-uff... But my demographics #'s hit the market target & the sponsored content category in a test run... (Q1 2023 start)...

So... after my work season cools here... I'm gonna have to come back, maybe send some flowers, beg a little to change the business model, go on a monthly/quarterly payment plan cause I need to be edited on a series.... (got the content, just needs some surgery)....... Thx Corner Stones* Keep'n us sharp here... All Good ;-)

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F. Scott Fitzgerald was a great short story writer - am something of a fan, similarly of James Joyce’s Dubliners.

I find the short form tricky, condensing a meaningful tale, with little room to expand on character and background. Am full of admiration for the published short story writer!

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You've probably heard this a thousand times, but NEVER GIVE UP!

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The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giorno.

This book calms me down when I sometimes believe that the whole world's gone mad!

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With reference to Charles Dickens and other classic writers of his era who 'invented' the episodic mode of journalistic story-telling, just remember:

Teach not thy parent's mother to extract the embryo juices of the bird by suction, the good old lady can that feat enact, quite irrespective of the kind instruction.

Good luck Kris in all your endeavours to re-invent the wheel through new technology and innovation. I salute you. Kind thoughts, Susan Pope.

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The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

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I love short stories and write them myself, especially between novels. My favourite short story writers include Colette (The Other Woman) and Kate Chopin .(The Story of an Hour). My favourite contemporary writer of short stoeies is Sarah Hall. Her short story, Mrs. Fox ,has haunted me ever since reading it for the first time. I've returned to it again and again to try analyse the metaphor.

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It's about love.

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My favorite short stories are tied and both written by O.Henry. They are "The Last Leaf" and "The Gift of the Magi."

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