Tuesday, January 15, 2013

What the masters think of short stories...

If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, a short story can be just the ticket to take you away on a mini-vacation. The art of the short story is often overlooked. But it takes real talent to fit a full story into a small space.

What do writers think about short stories? Here are a few quotes from a few great authors:

“A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it.” ~ Edgar Allen Poe

“A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” ~ David Sedaris

“Short fiction seems more targeted - hand grenades of ideas, if you will. When they work, they hit, they explode, and you never forget them. Long fiction feels more like atmosphere: it's a lot smokier and less defined.” ~ Paolo Bacigaliupi

"I used to take my short stories to girls' homes and read them to them. Can you imagine the reaction reading a short story to a girl instead of pawing her?" ~ Ray Bradbury

"I decided to write short stories because they got rejected quicker." ~ Caroline B. Cooney


In short, short stories are fun!



Check out a new website, Lunch Time Reads, to browse through a variety of fun short stories that are available for your kindle!

2 comments:

  1. Love it, Dorothy! Thanks for sharing these great quotes. :)

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  2. I love your quotes. Especially Carolyn Cooney's. And I'd forgotten how much I loved Ray Bradbury's short stories!

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