Monday, April 2, 2012

The Short Story: Set it Free

We all know that old saying, “dynamite comes in small packages.” That is exactly the phrase that comes to mind when I think of a short story.

Some of the old short story masters like Hemingway, Poe, and Steinbeck could integrate a multifaceted world with complex characters, crisp setting and imagery, and an ensnaring plot, all within a mere few thousand words.

That is why I have always been fascinated with the short story medium. I’m able to read, in a single sitting, something that can entertain and whisk me away, and without taking a significant amount of time away from my busy day of scribbling.

With the advent of electronic self-publishing, the short story has undoubtedly resurfaced. We are no longer limited to reading just the famous aforementioned authors, although I still enjoy doing so.

Many people, including myself, have taken full advantage of the eBook market, which allows writers the opportunity to offer their work on a level of exposure that was once, otherwise left to the famous and the elite writers. Now there is a sea of new writing talent, and many are popping up on the radar every day.

The writing world of today is a different place due to electronic self-publishing. The reality is that there is no better time than right now to be a writer.

So what are you waiting for? Write your short story masterpiece and set it free.
   

5 comments:

  1. I love short stories as well; I'm currently reading The Complete Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. I also enjoy writing them, especially at times when I don't have the patience to work on something more substantial. If you want to read some of my short stories, check out Bouffon Stories 2011 (it's available for free on Smashwords; I'd give you a link, but the site seems to be down at the moment).

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    1. Haggis,
      Thanks for mentioning your short stories. As soon as Smashwords is up and running again, I will click over and check them out. As for Poe, you can’t go wrong there; "The Tell-Tale Heart" is one of my favorites. Poe was the master at setting tone and tension within a story.
      Thanks for stopping by.
      JP

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    2. Thanks! I'd love to hear your thoughts when you've read them.

      So far I'm almost halfway through Poe's stories, I haven't gotten to The Tell-Tale Heart yet, but I have seen this brilliant animated short based on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9V8aQu4c

      My favourites so far are The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (which is admittedly not at all short, but delightfully mysterious) and How to Write a Blackwood Article, along with A Predicament, because it's so educational for writers. But it's hard to pick a true favourite.

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    3. Haggis,
      I took a peek at a few of your stories, and I have to say they were quite entertaining and fun to read. Your narrative style is sleek, and your dialogue is catchy. I particularly enjoyed "The Talking Rat" and "Somewhere over the Artic."
      Good stuff.
      JP

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