“Brevity is the soul of wit.” —William Shakespeare
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We’re all familiar with Shakespeare’s take on the subject of brevity. But in the 21st century, brevity may be the soul of more than wit as attention spans contract and readers look for instant gratification in their reading material.
An article on wordsrated.com states what we all suspected:
The digital age brought a huge increase of various types of content fighting for people’s time and attention. People have more options than ever on how to spend their time. This variety of things to do alone is one of the reasons why reading time is in decline over the years.
With these factors in mind, our hypothesis was that readers are choosing to buy shorter books as the years go by. Results of our analysis suggest that this is the case, as best-selling books got 11.8% shorter over the last decade.
So, if readers are looking for shorter fiction, why not try writing short stories? There’s a post on Jane Friedman’s site entitled 20 Reasons Why Everybody Should Write Short Stories by Elizabeth Sims that addresses that very question.
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If a novel is a marathon and a novella is a half-marathon, I’d define a short story as a 400-meter race. Even though it’s only once around the track, the runner can’t run at full speed because he/she will slow down dramatically in the home stretch. The race requires a strategy and a punchy ending just like a short story.
And just how short is a short story? It can be anywhere from 1K to 10K words, depending on who you ask. Some say they can even be longer. But whatever the length, the story has to impact the reader in a forceful way.
TKZ’s own James Scott Bell wrote a book entitled How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career. In his book, Jim identifies the one thing a short story must do: “The most important part is emotional impact.”
To that end, here are a few of my favorite short stories that pack an emotional punch:
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry – This story is probably on most people’s lists of favorites. With a theme of selfless sacrifice that defines true love, the story ends with both a surprising and satisfying twist for the reader.
The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth – This Christmas story keeps the reader engaged by following the lonely flight of a fighter pilot as modern technology fails and he finds help in a very untechnical form. The surprise ending delivers an emotional jolt the reader won’t forget.
The Apple Tree by John Galsworthy – This is perhaps my favorite, although it comes in at around 17K words which is approaching novella territory. Still, it tells the poignant tale of young love and, sadly, betrayal.
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Here are some short stories I’ve written:
Lady Pilot-in-Command, the Short Story – A young pilot decides on the airway less taken and does the right thing, even though it’s dangerous.
The Clutter Busters – A woman begins to clean her attic, but with the help of some uninvited guests, finds the real clutter is in her own mind.
The Money Tree – A prideful woman learns humility and finds a new purpose in life when the easy money disappears.
Willow Tree Farm – This story is based on the Biblical proverb “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” —Proverbs 25:21-22
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So TKZers: What are your favorite short stories? Have you written any? Tell us about them.
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Cassie Deakin is a talented and experienced private pilot who loves being in the air. But when she agrees to fly a handsome stranger to a meeting in the Nevada desert, she lands in the middle of a drug bust gone wrong, and she’s the only one who can save the day.
Should she fly away from danger? Or listen to the memory of her father’s words to “Never stand idly by when you see another pilot in trouble.”
Click the image to go to the Amazon page and grab a copy of this 99¢ short story.
My favorite short: Keith Roberts’ “The Signaller,” one of seven stories in the anthology “Pavane,” wherein the Armada sank the English fleet. It opens:
“On either side of the knoll the land stretched in long, speckled sweeps, paling in the frost smoke until the outlines of distant hills blended with the curdled milk of the sky. Across the waste a bitter wind moaned, steady and chill, driving before it quick flurries of snow. The snow squalls flickered and vanished like ghosts, the only moving things in a vista of emptiness.”
I’ve written quite a few, the first lot published as “Tales For a Blue Moon”:
Green-horn meets Desperado in the desert in “Unforsaken.”
Two Franciscans are the last of their order in “Observance.”
“Bus boy” wages his own private war in “Arma Virumque Cano.”
Wounded WWII vet returns to his family in “Welcome Home.”
Planet’s culture is dying in “The Eight Times Cut Stone.”
A wizard’s apprentice suffers in “Peterby & the Magician.”
Private eye has an odd client in the noir “Mike Sledge’s Christmas Carol.’
Man sells “The Secret of the Universe” for $9.80.
Gigantic entity broadcasts its story in “The Song of Jorex.”
Learn to live like a cowboy in “Bunkhouse Rules.”
Church announces its annual “Blessing of the Animals.”
Poet meets a special woman in “Tenirax’s Wounded Dove.”
Coed works at “the Woo-Woo store” in “Incense Summer.”
Gullible person gets scammed in “My Last Rhinoceros.”
Young boy works hard to buy a bicycle in “Tom’s Worst Day.”
Last librarian on Earth is retired in “The Day the Library Died.”
Woman destroys a museum piece in “Between the Universe.”
Man seeks wisdom in “The Search for Baba Gondahara-Ji.”