The Power of a Short Story
Yesterday, I set out on a shopping expedition, thoroughly expecting to come home with some seriously awesome fashion finds. Several malls and shopping centers later, with very sore feet I returned home with nothing but a sports bra and neon-colored, floral-explosion flashbacks that had me wondering if I'd just relived the early 90's. I found solace in the internet, where after half an hour's browsing I found exactly what I wanted, and in colors much more flattering to my complexion than day-glow yellow and blinding fuschia. The internet gives us so many choices, and affords so much variety and convenience. And not just when it comes to clothing.
I'd like to leave certain fashion fads in my childhood years where they belong, along with 'eaten' cassette tapes.
A few years ago I thought of short stories as something to be found between the pages of magazines, or perhaps grouped together in the occasional anthology. With the emergence of the e-reader though (love my kindle!) I find good stories of all lengths at my fingertips, and I've been reading a variety of novels / novellas / short stories. A few years ago, I read virtually nothing but novels. But you know what? I like the diversity on my (virtual) bookshelves, and I think that short stories can be just as powerful as longer works.
In fact, I still vividly remember a short story that I read one day during my English class period in my junior year of high school. (It was a strange story. Wish I remembered the name or author.) For one normally really boring hour or so, I was able to escape my mundane English class and be caught up in a fictional world. I think that's the beauty of short stories - they're quick, engagingly paced (because at that length, they have to be) ready-made escapes.
And I know I'm not alone in my appreciation of short stories. My best-selling title (in several venues, and overall) is actually my short story, Party Girl. When I got the idea for a story about a party planner who gets (accidentally) roped into planning a bachelor party and falls for the host, I had no idea the little 47-page tale would become so popular.
Conclusion: short stories are here to stay. Recycled 90's fashion is hopefully not!
What do you think? With the popularity of ebooks, do you find yourself reading a wider variety of story lengths than when print dominated?
I'd like to leave certain fashion fads in my childhood years where they belong, along with 'eaten' cassette tapes.A few years ago I thought of short stories as something to be found between the pages of magazines, or perhaps grouped together in the occasional anthology. With the emergence of the e-reader though (love my kindle!) I find good stories of all lengths at my fingertips, and I've been reading a variety of novels / novellas / short stories. A few years ago, I read virtually nothing but novels. But you know what? I like the diversity on my (virtual) bookshelves, and I think that short stories can be just as powerful as longer works.
In fact, I still vividly remember a short story that I read one day during my English class period in my junior year of high school. (It was a strange story. Wish I remembered the name or author.) For one normally really boring hour or so, I was able to escape my mundane English class and be caught up in a fictional world. I think that's the beauty of short stories - they're quick, engagingly paced (because at that length, they have to be) ready-made escapes.
And I know I'm not alone in my appreciation of short stories. My best-selling title (in several venues, and overall) is actually my short story, Party Girl. When I got the idea for a story about a party planner who gets (accidentally) roped into planning a bachelor party and falls for the host, I had no idea the little 47-page tale would become so popular.
Conclusion: short stories are here to stay. Recycled 90's fashion is hopefully not!
What do you think? With the popularity of ebooks, do you find yourself reading a wider variety of story lengths than when print dominated?
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