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.
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.
Thats exactly it Susan*.... I think it, I feel it, I know it, I see it.... but I couldn't write it, or describe as eloquently as you just did herein.... I'm clipping your Para & hanging it on the wall.... kinda like a bit of gospel for me... (hand up-knee down) appreciate it..... you just made my day*....
Susan_ since you lead a Womans community writing group...... Heres a quick one = I learned dealing w/ this story/content app.... my demographics are just over just over 65% woman (AI, vertical markets+math, age, avg income, geo-location+)= they got this to a science .... In a Con-call they actually suggested to get a woman editor(s)....
They said straight out... "Being a man, dont loose touch with the base, get a female editor).... I almost peed my pants on that one.... but recovered now...... (smile ;)
Hi, You lost me at w/this story/content app... Short stories are a brief moment in time but I draw the line at abbreviated text-speak in comment boxes. I'm 78 and was taught to speak and write in complete sentences with all the correct grammatical parts. Today's 'snowflake' generation thinks and writes a shorthand I don't fully understand. Not sure which of us is the alien. Regardless, Thank you for commenting.
As the publishing business changes with technology, there are some new Companies that publish stories for primarily mobile phones and e-tablets, more exclusively. This is targeted to a group or set of demographics that usually reads while on commute for work, on holiday, or has no other connection or means to access content/literature other than mobile phone. Most of these subscribers/readers are in emerging markets.
Key Points:
*The Mobile Phone story App's are usually included with a network subscriber package, like a cable TV bundled package similar to Netflix, Amazon, normal TV broadcast & News Channels. (I know allot about this business model)
* The network provider in these markets, liken to; O2, AT&T, Vodaphone, T-Com, in Western markets, etc, also provides payment systems like bank-debit, Visa, Master Card, etc.
*The trend in these network apps, story & content providers is; they like a series like a Netflix series, in written story/episode form. Many times they have software developers that will do the graphics, pictures, film clips, animated, etc. and/or create an interactive affect to the story series.
* This is the first stage of the evolving technology of the 'Meta Verse', in the sense the authors story line/series may become interactive on screen, and now even with special glasses, that will immerse the reader.
Economics:
These Network Operators, as a whole, have several billion subscribers. For example in English speaking Common Wealth countries, Africa and Asia +.
In business development, new market terms, it's what they call "a white hot expansive vertical market".
In my case they took an Introduction, summary, of the story and several chapters (reworked-Re-edited), they call them 'episodes' and did a test marketing in an targeted set demographics readers/subscribers. Those results or numbers were then measured and matched to advertisers, content sponsors. Hence, they know the acceptance or distribution before publishing. For the publisher, App-Provider & Network provider, that takes the risk out of sales & marketing and they know where the money is. Allot of this is done with artificial intelligence (AI), they know their users/customers, what they buy, where they live, what searches they look for and their social network connections, etc. = Data Profiling.
In my case on a 30 day test run, in 3 languages I had just over a million reads, allot of likes, some dislikes that prompted a heated social media discussion, on their App, as I touch on some sensitive politcal and social issues in the adventure story line. Content sponsors/Advertisers like that........
Fact is; my story will never be a properly published hit in the UK or North America.
I'll never have an agent that gets me a cushy publishing deal and I'll never do book store sighing, etc. bling, bling and thats fine by me anyway, I don't seek any status or glory in the literature world. But in other markets, in other technology formats it works..... I'll take the € 0.01 to 0.02 cent kick back per-subscriber + a micro % of sponsored content in those emerging markets. Plus the other marketing strategy, in my case, is keep the author a mystery, like a Bansky, sell the mystery, etc..... In those cultures, in those emerging markets, that really sells.....
On final note here Susan;
I appreciate your feed back and clarity. My real job is; I lead a Lifeguard/Search & Rescue Squad in the Med. I confess, I write short, half the time I'm a bit burned out, us rescue Paramedics had no break for 2yrs as we were transferred to Covid duty, especially those with respiratory therapy certs, I lost half my crew that I trained to burn out, Covid, related losses in family and friends, Long Covid and now we have a surge in Holiday travel, we call revenge travelers, the migrant situation is at records never scene before & the traffickers/smugglers = pirates are more brazen than ever + we dont enough staff........ I'm NOT looking for any pity. If I cut short my messages, miss-spell, don't make sense here, by all means, be so kind to let me know or correct me, with kit gloves & a little mercy ;-)
Again, Thank You Susan........
Enjoy the rest of the Summer & Stay Safe.......
Questions & comments are welcome.....(when I get to them)
OMG*.. Susan... I just re-learned from you, i.e. I Forgot, The light Just turned on!
Your quote; "Dickens and his cronies wrote in episodes too tempting buyers with cliffhangers to subscribe to future editions"....... I totally blanked out about that..... Hand-up.... in all my busyness, + wrapped up in tech, opportunities, analyzing markets, distribution models, bla, bla, bla,...... It actually goes back to the basics..... from 1 of the classics.......
I learned, and re-learned something here today.....
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.
Isak Dinesen! Made more famous by Meryl Streep's first line " I had a farm in Africa . . ." in the movie "Out of Africa," based on Dinesen's novel of the same title. And Robert Redford was so very easy on the eyes in the same film! I am going to watch that movie again soon!
Theresa, I enjoyed the film too but the book (actually a memoir rather than a novel) is in my opinion far superior. And cute though Redford doubtless was to feminine eyes, he was really nothing like Denis Finch-Hatton, Blixen's lover, who was an upper-class Englishman. Streep didn't look anything like Karen Blixen either, though of course she got the accent down perfectly. But do read the book! It's very good, though not even my favourite of her works.
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.
Thanks for liking my comment. Waterstones, as well as Amazon, but also indie bookshops have several editions of Anton Chekhov short stories, the most known be
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 :)
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!
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.
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.
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...
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.
Thank you for this. I'll look for that one. It sounds like it's right up my alley. I like courtroom drama. And like you, I have not yet written a complete short story, but I am working on one.
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
I've never heard of these authors. Thank you so much for the information. I love short stories, but lately have yet to find a collection that holds my interest. Just give me a good novel and I'm set. I hope your cruise experience was a healthy one as we continue to move through the ever looming threat of Covid!
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.
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:
My goodness! You named some great plays! I'm not familiar with "The Lady's not For Burning" or "Ring Around the Moon." I so enjoy going to the theater for a good play. My last most memorable three times in the theater were to see "Hamilton" in three different cities: Broadway in New York, Chicago, and San Juan, Puerto Rico with Lin Manuel Miranda in the cast! And of course my annual trip to the Alliance Theater in Atlanta for "A Christmas Carol."
THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING is by Christopher Fry, a 20th-century English playwright. Fry was notable for writing a number of his plays in blank verse, so there's a poetic aspect as well as dramatic aspect to his works. It's a little like reading Shakespeare, but the language is more modern. The characters and their discourse are frequently comedic, which juxtaposes brilliantly with the sometimes heart-wrenching circumstances they find themselves in or the ways they are looking at life.
RING AROUND THE MOON is actually Christopher Fry's translation of a French play by Jean Anouilh called INVITATION TO THE CASTLE. I've never read the French. The plot is pretty slight, like Oscar Wilde or MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, with characters scheming and manipulating each others' relationships. But on a deeper level it's about class consciousness and conflict, using people, and issues of family. And the writing is very good at dealing with and expressing heartbreak within the comedy.
I'm afraid I didn't like HAMILTON, really just because I don't like the music. :-( It's a great story, interestingly explored.
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 ;-)
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!
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.
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.
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.
Oooh! I love these titles. I'll have to find them!
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.
Thats exactly it Susan*.... I think it, I feel it, I know it, I see it.... but I couldn't write it, or describe as eloquently as you just did herein.... I'm clipping your Para & hanging it on the wall.... kinda like a bit of gospel for me... (hand up-knee down) appreciate it..... you just made my day*....
Susan_ since you lead a Womans community writing group...... Heres a quick one = I learned dealing w/ this story/content app.... my demographics are just over just over 65% woman (AI, vertical markets+math, age, avg income, geo-location+)= they got this to a science .... In a Con-call they actually suggested to get a woman editor(s)....
They said straight out... "Being a man, dont loose touch with the base, get a female editor).... I almost peed my pants on that one.... but recovered now...... (smile ;)
Hi, You lost me at w/this story/content app... Short stories are a brief moment in time but I draw the line at abbreviated text-speak in comment boxes. I'm 78 and was taught to speak and write in complete sentences with all the correct grammatical parts. Today's 'snowflake' generation thinks and writes a shorthand I don't fully understand. Not sure which of us is the alien. Regardless, Thank you for commenting.
Apologies Susan....
I'll try to clarify.... <Story/Content- App>
As the publishing business changes with technology, there are some new Companies that publish stories for primarily mobile phones and e-tablets, more exclusively. This is targeted to a group or set of demographics that usually reads while on commute for work, on holiday, or has no other connection or means to access content/literature other than mobile phone. Most of these subscribers/readers are in emerging markets.
Key Points:
*The Mobile Phone story App's are usually included with a network subscriber package, like a cable TV bundled package similar to Netflix, Amazon, normal TV broadcast & News Channels. (I know allot about this business model)
* The network provider in these markets, liken to; O2, AT&T, Vodaphone, T-Com, in Western markets, etc, also provides payment systems like bank-debit, Visa, Master Card, etc.
*The trend in these network apps, story & content providers is; they like a series like a Netflix series, in written story/episode form. Many times they have software developers that will do the graphics, pictures, film clips, animated, etc. and/or create an interactive affect to the story series.
* This is the first stage of the evolving technology of the 'Meta Verse', in the sense the authors story line/series may become interactive on screen, and now even with special glasses, that will immerse the reader.
Economics:
These Network Operators, as a whole, have several billion subscribers. For example in English speaking Common Wealth countries, Africa and Asia +.
In business development, new market terms, it's what they call "a white hot expansive vertical market".
In my case they took an Introduction, summary, of the story and several chapters (reworked-Re-edited), they call them 'episodes' and did a test marketing in an targeted set demographics readers/subscribers. Those results or numbers were then measured and matched to advertisers, content sponsors. Hence, they know the acceptance or distribution before publishing. For the publisher, App-Provider & Network provider, that takes the risk out of sales & marketing and they know where the money is. Allot of this is done with artificial intelligence (AI), they know their users/customers, what they buy, where they live, what searches they look for and their social network connections, etc. = Data Profiling.
In my case on a 30 day test run, in 3 languages I had just over a million reads, allot of likes, some dislikes that prompted a heated social media discussion, on their App, as I touch on some sensitive politcal and social issues in the adventure story line. Content sponsors/Advertisers like that........
Fact is; my story will never be a properly published hit in the UK or North America.
I'll never have an agent that gets me a cushy publishing deal and I'll never do book store sighing, etc. bling, bling and thats fine by me anyway, I don't seek any status or glory in the literature world. But in other markets, in other technology formats it works..... I'll take the € 0.01 to 0.02 cent kick back per-subscriber + a micro % of sponsored content in those emerging markets. Plus the other marketing strategy, in my case, is keep the author a mystery, like a Bansky, sell the mystery, etc..... In those cultures, in those emerging markets, that really sells.....
On final note here Susan;
I appreciate your feed back and clarity. My real job is; I lead a Lifeguard/Search & Rescue Squad in the Med. I confess, I write short, half the time I'm a bit burned out, us rescue Paramedics had no break for 2yrs as we were transferred to Covid duty, especially those with respiratory therapy certs, I lost half my crew that I trained to burn out, Covid, related losses in family and friends, Long Covid and now we have a surge in Holiday travel, we call revenge travelers, the migrant situation is at records never scene before & the traffickers/smugglers = pirates are more brazen than ever + we dont enough staff........ I'm NOT looking for any pity. If I cut short my messages, miss-spell, don't make sense here, by all means, be so kind to let me know or correct me, with kit gloves & a little mercy ;-)
Again, Thank You Susan........
Enjoy the rest of the Summer & Stay Safe.......
Questions & comments are welcome.....(when I get to them)
Kind regards,
Kris
Hi Kris,
I do applaud your way with word / though of AI I'm wary
I'm techno phobe, and write my blurb / in words a little smarmy
I see where you are coming from / to please a time-short generation
Whose only downtime for reading pleasure/ is stolen at the station.
But what you do, though very clever, is not a concept new
Dickens and his cronies wrote in episodes too
tempting buyers with cliffhangers to subscribe to future editions
where stories would continue and their income be continuous.
I thank you for your courtesy explaining market strategy
While I wish you well in your Brave New World / I remain yours, in ignorance happily.
Best regards,
Susan Pope X
OMG*.. Susan... I just re-learned from you, i.e. I Forgot, The light Just turned on!
Your quote; "Dickens and his cronies wrote in episodes too tempting buyers with cliffhangers to subscribe to future editions"....... I totally blanked out about that..... Hand-up.... in all my busyness, + wrapped up in tech, opportunities, analyzing markets, distribution models, bla, bla, bla,...... It actually goes back to the basics..... from 1 of the classics.......
I learned, and re-learned something here today.....
A sincere, heartfelt, Thank you.....
You just made my day*
Kris
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.
Isak Dinesen! Made more famous by Meryl Streep's first line " I had a farm in Africa . . ." in the movie "Out of Africa," based on Dinesen's novel of the same title. And Robert Redford was so very easy on the eyes in the same film! I am going to watch that movie again soon!
Theresa, I enjoyed the film too but the book (actually a memoir rather than a novel) is in my opinion far superior. And cute though Redford doubtless was to feminine eyes, he was really nothing like Denis Finch-Hatton, Blixen's lover, who was an upper-class Englishman. Streep didn't look anything like Karen Blixen either, though of course she got the accent down perfectly. But do read the book! It's very good, though not even my favourite of her works.
I wrote a novella a couple of years ago which was shortlisted in Mslexia's Novella prize.
Hi Anita
Where can I read this?
Sadly, I am still looking for an agent. Three books written so far ...
Congratulations! That's an awesome accomplishment.
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.
I've been meaning to find something by Anton Chekhov! Thank you so much for reminding me.
Thanks for liking my comment. Waterstones, as well as Amazon, but also indie bookshops have several editions of Anton Chekhov short stories, the most known be
"The lady with the dog." Good reading!
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 :)
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!
I think I'd like these. I love his novels. Thank you for mentioning them!
I like Neil Gaiman. My favorite novel of his so far is "The Graveyard Book."
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.
"The Dead!" Wow! I wonder what this is about. LOL!
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.
Thank you for this! I love fairy tales. I can imagine that Twisted Tales are full of surprises. I'll have to check them out!
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...
I like Roald Dahl too!
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.
"Escape from Spiderhead" sounds intriguing. I'll have to look for it!
My favourite is Nightfall by Isaac Asimov.
Love this suggestion! I'll check this one out. I really like short stories!
I don't write them but I love to read them ... my favourite is A Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell.
Thank you for this. I'll look for that one. It sounds like it's right up my alley. I like courtroom drama. And like you, I have not yet written a complete short story, but I am working on one.
I love writing and reading short stories and flash fiction
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
I've never heard of these authors. Thank you so much for the information. I love short stories, but lately have yet to find a collection that holds my interest. Just give me a good novel and I'm set. I hope your cruise experience was a healthy one as we continue to move through the ever looming threat of Covid!
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.
Yaaaaaaaay!! Another O. Henry fan. He was the best! His stories are always good for a good cry.
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
My goodness! You named some great plays! I'm not familiar with "The Lady's not For Burning" or "Ring Around the Moon." I so enjoy going to the theater for a good play. My last most memorable three times in the theater were to see "Hamilton" in three different cities: Broadway in New York, Chicago, and San Juan, Puerto Rico with Lin Manuel Miranda in the cast! And of course my annual trip to the Alliance Theater in Atlanta for "A Christmas Carol."
THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING is by Christopher Fry, a 20th-century English playwright. Fry was notable for writing a number of his plays in blank verse, so there's a poetic aspect as well as dramatic aspect to his works. It's a little like reading Shakespeare, but the language is more modern. The characters and their discourse are frequently comedic, which juxtaposes brilliantly with the sometimes heart-wrenching circumstances they find themselves in or the ways they are looking at life.
RING AROUND THE MOON is actually Christopher Fry's translation of a French play by Jean Anouilh called INVITATION TO THE CASTLE. I've never read the French. The plot is pretty slight, like Oscar Wilde or MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, with characters scheming and manipulating each others' relationships. But on a deeper level it's about class consciousness and conflict, using people, and issues of family. And the writing is very good at dealing with and expressing heartbreak within the comedy.
I'm afraid I didn't like HAMILTON, really just because I don't like the music. :-( It's a great story, interestingly explored.
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 ;-)
Good job! We shall never forget Rip Van Winkle!
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!
I agree. But I'm trying my pen, or keyboard if you will , at writing a short story.
You've probably heard this a thousand times, but NEVER GIVE UP!
The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giorno.
This book calms me down when I sometimes believe that the whole world's gone mad!
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.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
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.
It's about love.
My favorite short stories are tied and both written by O.Henry. They are "The Last Leaf" and "The Gift of the Magi."