Short Story Appreciation

Just like a good book, I appreciate a good short story that keeps me engaged and even surprises me. I enjoy writing them, too. One thing I appreciate about a short story is that I can read it within a reasonable timeframe. This type of story is great for readers who read on the run or have attention issues. I'm too tired to run so you know which one pertains to me. 

I became a fan of the short story in my high school English class. As you might imagine, our teacher assigned all kinds of short stories for her students to read. She was a tough teacher, but I really enjoyed her teaching style. After that, I read short stories in magazines  such as Redbook and McCalls.

A couple of years later, I began writing short stories. I sent my stories to magazines by way of postal mail, but not nearly enough. At that time, there was no internet so I subscribed to Writer's Digest Magazine for their monthly markets and articles. And I used a book filled with markets, I think its title was Writer's Digest Markets.

There are still markets for short stories. Some you might use to get your name out there and don't pay, but there are paying markets, too.

The range of words for a short story can be from a few words to thousands. In addition to writing short stories for specific markets, writers use short stories as a marketing tool to point to an upcoming novel. Others write them to use in a compilation. There are also short story contests and anthologies looking for good short stories. Twenty years ago, I'm not sure you could find a short story online. Today, they are all over the web world. Recently, I read a short story written in 100 words, then wrote one for the fun of it. You should try it. 

A couple of short stories stand out in my mind, some from years ago. One of those was published in Redbook Magazine, October 1987, titled Stranded by Deidre Mardon. The first line reads, "The Volvo stopped dead without warning." This story had a great twist and made me think about it again and again. This was the author's first short story in the magazine, and if I remember right, first published anywhere. The title hints and the first line sets up the main character for a night of danger.

Other short stories that I've read more than once and own a copy of are:  

The Old Wife's Tale by Gillian Roberts (appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in 2007)

Birnam Wood by T. Coraghessan Boyle 

I Hate To See The Evening Sun Go Down by William Gay from his book of shorts with the same title. (I LOVE this story)  A Death in the Woods and The Paper Hanger are close seconds from this book. 

Articles of interest:

Using Short Stories or Articles to Market Your Book 

5 Ways To Use Short Stories To Grow as a Writer

If you like early writing look here: Classic Short Stories

T.