Photo by Gary Barnes
Anthology of Short Stories and Poems II. Brian Clements’ book is a collection of short stories, all spanning multiple genres but resonating with every reader.
Despite being the initial bread-and-butter for many of modern literature’s foremost writers, Edgar Allan Poe, Ernest Hemingway, Arthur C. Clarke, Franz Kafka, and more, the short story is often ignored by the general public. In contrast, the novel generates a lot more buzz and discussion.
But the short story needs another shake, another look–it deserves much more than just being a reading assignment English teachers throw in to keep their students occupied.
The short story has all that a novel has and more, from compelling characters, dramatic tension, vivid language, an engaging plot, and more!
Now, how to define a short story?
Short stories are works of prose that are usually read in one go–meaning that, unlike a novel, you won’t need bookmarks to keep track of where you’ve been since you can easily finish a short story in a short amount of time (typically this goes from twenty minutes to little over an hour).
There is no maximum prescribed length for a short story, but most examples average around 1,000 to 7,500 words.
Some short stories are long enough that they can reach 10,000-15,000; anything more than that might be a novella, although it might not be clearly set in stone.
Generally, “longer” short stories possess at most 25 pages.
A “shorter” short story, on the other hand, is less than a thousand words–these are sometimes called “flash fiction.” Anything lesser than 300 words is “microfiction.”
What makes the short story worth a read?
Different from a novel, where the setting is fully fleshed out, short stories are more straightforward. This makes it easier to remember key and essential details in short stories. In novels, readers sometimes have to remember whole backgrounds and such. Because of its length, the short story has to be very economical with its words and sentences. Everything is working double time in a short story.
Instead of interconnected story arcs and plotlines, a short story shines more with a single, cohesive through-line. Filling in the cast is usually one or two main characters with some named side characters, who will, at most, be described by a single line or “pop out” through engaging and memorable dialogue.
The typical short story plot tends to follow the traditional narrative arc, beginning with exposition, then rising action before a climax, then proceeding with falling action toward a resolution at the end. Nowadays, though, contemporary short stories veer more towards beginning in media res, meaning that the inciting incident of the story’s premise has already happened, and the plotline has to begin with that. This means that the reader is placed immediately into the narrative, and the story can be more evenly paced.
The greatest worth of a short story is its quality of conveying a theme in a short amount of time. In the past, short stories often engaged with a clear and apparent moral lesson; now, ambiguity is more popular. Regardless, the short story allows writers to encapsulate ideas and perspectives through its restrictive specifications.
What makes short stories an important tool for writing is that it is a prime environment for experimentation and exploration for prospective writers. Because of its length, writers can easily play around with their writing, trying out new styles, voices, perspectives, narrative forms, and more. It is also the best place to start visiting genres that the writer has only begun to dip their toes in.
If you want to read good examples of short stories, try out this collection of short stories in Brian Clements’ book, Anthology of Short Stories and Poems II.
