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The Story Behind the Story: 26 Stories by Contemporary Writers and How They Work
In a splendid display of show-and-tell, 26 writers tell a story and lift the curtain to reveal how they did it. This big, beautiful anthology of short fiction is for readers, writers, and anyone curious about the mysterious processes of literary minds. All contributors have been recent faculty members of the prestigious Warren Wilson Low Residency Program, including such literary favorites as Margot Livesey, Charles Baxter, Robert Boswell, Jim Shepard, Antonya Nelson, David Shields, and the editors themselves.
Each writer was asked to submit an original story, accompanied by an essay describing the challenges of the story and how they were met. Since writers resist herding, the editors were happily surprised by the wide range of essays―"fiction writers, when given the space, think about their work very differently." We learn about the genesis of a story, how story evolves, what was eventually relinquished and why, and how a story―surprisingly―might "insist" on changing.
Arranged alphabetically by author, and beginning with Richard Russo's cogent introduction, this volume is a treasure throughout.
Each writer was asked to submit an original story, accompanied by an essay describing the challenges of the story and how they were met. Since writers resist herding, the editors were happily surprised by the wide range of essays―"fiction writers, when given the space, think about their work very differently." We learn about the genesis of a story, how story evolves, what was eventually relinquished and why, and how a story―surprisingly―might "insist" on changing.
Arranged alphabetically by author, and beginning with Richard Russo's cogent introduction, this volume is a treasure throughout.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
6 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Barrett
42 books333 followersAndrea Barrett is the author of The Air We Breathe, Servants of the Map (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), The Voyage of the Narwhal, Ship Fever (winner of the National Book Award), and other books. She teaches at Williams College and lives in northwestern Massachusetts.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 15, 2011
This is too good for me to have invented it, but I don't know where it comes from (anyone?)
A short story is a novel on its way to becoming a poem
Well, maybe. Reading short stories is not everyone's favourite form of entertainment. You have to do many things, and you might not be bothered to do them, because you only have 30 pages to do 'em in. Whereas if you were in the middle of a 400 page novel, you would do 'em. You know, like figure this, deduce that, love this, hate that, sneer, bark.
This anthology uniquely partners each story with a couple of pages about the story by the author. Unhappily, these mini-essays can’t help being rather too self-congratulatory. Of course all these authors think their included story works rather well, otherwise they would not be included. But still, these sel-back-patters grate a bit. For instance :
Margot Livesey’s “struggles” with “The Flowers of the Forest” taught her (she says) important lessons about fiction, including the one where she learned that
The familiar, far-fetched plot could work if the prose was sufficiently lustrous and precise and atmospheric
meaning that she thinks her story is indeed sufficiently lustrous and precise and atmospheric. David Shields says that in writing his story
I could call upon my strengths (meditation and analysis), hide my weaknesses (plot and plot) and be as smart on the page as I wanted to be. I’d found a way to write that seemed true to how I am in the world.
Charles Baxter says
I am proud of it…this is a one-time-only story. Sometimes I can’t believe I did it.
Get a room, you shameless authors, where we don’t have to watch you making sweet love with yourselves.
But still, there are some corkers in here, so, as per usual, I would urge you to read the good ones and skip the rubbish.
A short story is a novel on its way to becoming a poem
Well, maybe. Reading short stories is not everyone's favourite form of entertainment. You have to do many things, and you might not be bothered to do them, because you only have 30 pages to do 'em in. Whereas if you were in the middle of a 400 page novel, you would do 'em. You know, like figure this, deduce that, love this, hate that, sneer, bark.
This anthology uniquely partners each story with a couple of pages about the story by the author. Unhappily, these mini-essays can’t help being rather too self-congratulatory. Of course all these authors think their included story works rather well, otherwise they would not be included. But still, these sel-back-patters grate a bit. For instance :
Margot Livesey’s “struggles” with “The Flowers of the Forest” taught her (she says) important lessons about fiction, including the one where she learned that
The familiar, far-fetched plot could work if the prose was sufficiently lustrous and precise and atmospheric
meaning that she thinks her story is indeed sufficiently lustrous and precise and atmospheric. David Shields says that in writing his story
I could call upon my strengths (meditation and analysis), hide my weaknesses (plot and plot) and be as smart on the page as I wanted to be. I’d found a way to write that seemed true to how I am in the world.
Charles Baxter says
I am proud of it…this is a one-time-only story. Sometimes I can’t believe I did it.
Get a room, you shameless authors, where we don’t have to watch you making sweet love with yourselves.
But still, there are some corkers in here, so, as per usual, I would urge you to read the good ones and skip the rubbish.
December 11, 2016
I used this anthology as a required text in an intermediate workshop. Wanted a collection that offered short fiction paired with commentary about craft (in this case from the authors themselves). The commentary provided for some interesting discussions, but overall many of these are middling stories by excellent authors who have produced better fiction elsewhere. Some stories worked and were compelling. Quite a few, however, seemed to fall apart under the weight of their authors' objectives.
December 30, 2017
This book was a mixed bag, but a great idea. There’s one story by Steve Schwartz that I’m going to study. There are a lot of throw away stories, even though sometimes the behind the story essays about them contain interesting nuggets of insight about how stories get made. The biggest problem is the whiteness of the book. The editors clearly have a preference for white people writing white working class and white collar stories, as if no one else in the world exists. After a while, the book felt repetitive, like they were all telling a story from the same prompt, over and over.
Also, wow, almost 500 pages!
Also, wow, almost 500 pages!
March 22, 2009
Some of these stories were really great (Christopher McIlroy's, Jim Shepard, Robert Boswell), some were solid, and some left me a bit cold. But I liked all the essays that followed the stories, and I have high hopes for using this as a course text for the upcoming beginning short story writing class I'm teaching. We will see....
October 9, 2019
For a short story collection that touts itself as containing some of the best MFA faculty's works in the country, this collection proved utterly disappointing. There are some good stories in the collection and some truly bad stories but no great stories. Given that the writers include multiple major award winners and upon noticing that the majority of the stories hadn't been published elsewhere, I wonder if this was not an academics vanity project. It appears to be a collection of short stories loved by the writers who wrote them but possibly no one else. The essays are the better part of this collection but not worth wasting your time with many of the stories.
Typically, I would expect the first story in a collection to be a solid offering and one of the best in the collection but not here. Perhaps the editor was attempting to set the bar low. If so, mission successful. The introductory story, Strike Anywhere by Antonya Nelson, was so dismally constructed as to be actually painful to read. This story appears to be a first draft that was not proof-read by the writer or the editor. It contains a myriad of badly placed phrases, horribly confusing sentences, catastrophic sentence structure, fragments, bad grammar, and pointless metaphors none of which seem to be intentional. I can't believe anyone would even attach their name to such a story, It's that bad. The good news is the stories in the collection do improve from there but then, there was only one place to go and that was up.
The next few stories are better but still bad and contain typos, poorly planned sentence structure, misplaced phrases, run-ons, and bad transitions but in the mix, I did discover a few gems.
The fifth story in the collection, The Varieties of Romantic Experience by Robert Cohen, is essentially a monologue but it displays a strong writer's voice and is one of the best stories in the collection.
And then the collection goes right back to bad. The next few stories contain grammatical errors, unwelcome and not-so-clever plot twists, poor POV choices and disappointing endings. As you read further, the collection becomes more a lesson in how NOT to write. Was that the point?
And then you discover story number eight, Ice-T by Christoper McIlroy, which provides an outstanding example of how to write short but effective fiction.
And then the reader once again encounters a barrage of bad and begins to brace herself for an onslaught of awkward POV choices, badly drifting transition challenges, horribly unbelievable characterization, tediously rambling prose, and overall flat writing.
But of course, a pattern is emerging and a few more hidden gems appear. Two solid stories followed by two of the most helpful essays in the collection. Part of the Story by Stephen Dobbyns showcases effective plotting techniques and Morton and Lily, Dredge and Fill by C.J. Hribal is packed full of soid dialogue.
There is some slight improvement in the collection after that with a multitude of solidly mediocre stories. Readable but not fantastic with a few awkward meandering works sprinkled amongst them.
As the end approaches, three nice examples of first-person POV, all written in different styles and voices show themselves: The People Who Own Pianos by Kenin McIlroy, Maria Elena by Debra Spark, and one of the stories I enjoyed the most, The Moon Over Wapakoneta by Michael Martone. If you are a writer and pick up this collection looking for insight then these are the three must read stories of the anthology.
The third to last story in the collection also bears special mention for its unique treatment of the Hindenburg disaster. Love and Hydrogen by Jim Shepherd is a uniquely creative piece of historical fiction with just a whiff of romance built in to it. It's one of the few stories in the collection that's well worth the read.
Typically, I would expect the first story in a collection to be a solid offering and one of the best in the collection but not here. Perhaps the editor was attempting to set the bar low. If so, mission successful. The introductory story, Strike Anywhere by Antonya Nelson, was so dismally constructed as to be actually painful to read. This story appears to be a first draft that was not proof-read by the writer or the editor. It contains a myriad of badly placed phrases, horribly confusing sentences, catastrophic sentence structure, fragments, bad grammar, and pointless metaphors none of which seem to be intentional. I can't believe anyone would even attach their name to such a story, It's that bad. The good news is the stories in the collection do improve from there but then, there was only one place to go and that was up.
The next few stories are better but still bad and contain typos, poorly planned sentence structure, misplaced phrases, run-ons, and bad transitions but in the mix, I did discover a few gems.
The fifth story in the collection, The Varieties of Romantic Experience by Robert Cohen, is essentially a monologue but it displays a strong writer's voice and is one of the best stories in the collection.
And then the collection goes right back to bad. The next few stories contain grammatical errors, unwelcome and not-so-clever plot twists, poor POV choices and disappointing endings. As you read further, the collection becomes more a lesson in how NOT to write. Was that the point?
And then you discover story number eight, Ice-T by Christoper McIlroy, which provides an outstanding example of how to write short but effective fiction.
And then the reader once again encounters a barrage of bad and begins to brace herself for an onslaught of awkward POV choices, badly drifting transition challenges, horribly unbelievable characterization, tediously rambling prose, and overall flat writing.
But of course, a pattern is emerging and a few more hidden gems appear. Two solid stories followed by two of the most helpful essays in the collection. Part of the Story by Stephen Dobbyns showcases effective plotting techniques and Morton and Lily, Dredge and Fill by C.J. Hribal is packed full of soid dialogue.
There is some slight improvement in the collection after that with a multitude of solidly mediocre stories. Readable but not fantastic with a few awkward meandering works sprinkled amongst them.
As the end approaches, three nice examples of first-person POV, all written in different styles and voices show themselves: The People Who Own Pianos by Kenin McIlroy, Maria Elena by Debra Spark, and one of the stories I enjoyed the most, The Moon Over Wapakoneta by Michael Martone. If you are a writer and pick up this collection looking for insight then these are the three must read stories of the anthology.
The third to last story in the collection also bears special mention for its unique treatment of the Hindenburg disaster. Love and Hydrogen by Jim Shepherd is a uniquely creative piece of historical fiction with just a whiff of romance built in to it. It's one of the few stories in the collection that's well worth the read.
March 14, 2020
The stories themselves are somewhat uneven (although some are truly brilliant), and the accompanying essays on the varied experiences of writing them are even more so, but the pairings are together what make reading this collection worth your time. Recommended, particularly for writers, but also for anyone wondering what the heck might have been going through their favorite author's mind when they wrote any given fiction.
couldn-t-finish
November 21, 2020As much as I loved the premise behind the book. the stories didn't hold my attention.
September 26, 2021
Some great stories, some terrible ones. Love the idea of a story then author reflection though, definitely recommend if you’re trying to learn about the ‘how to’ behind a short story.
June 21, 2023
Sort of interesting, but I wasn't familiar with enough of the writers to fully appreciate it.
February 11, 2015
For any writer or aspiring writer of short fiction, this book is a gem. Not only does it present 26 beautifully crafted stories for your reading pleasure--which would be enough to make this book worth your time--but it then gives us a glimpse of how each story was constructed.
What considerations went into the structure of the story? How did the author develop the characters? Why was this particular point of view chosen? How did the setting come into play in the writing of the story? Things most readers never think of when they're reading short stories (and many new writers fail to consider when they're writing them) are unveiled and clarified.
This book gave me new ways to think of short fiction.
What considerations went into the structure of the story? How did the author develop the characters? Why was this particular point of view chosen? How did the setting come into play in the writing of the story? Things most readers never think of when they're reading short stories (and many new writers fail to consider when they're writing them) are unveiled and clarified.
This book gave me new ways to think of short fiction.
May 13, 2013
A fantastic anthology of amazing writing from exceptional authors. This book is a must read for any literary major or anyone with hopes of becoming a writer themselves one day. What makes these stories great is the discussion after the story with the author. The authors go into great detail about their inspirations, writing style, and the evolution of the stories. Boasting a wide array of authors and each story having its own unique voice The Story Behind the Story is as close as a reader can get with having the author in the room with them discussing the story with them.
November 10, 2011
I wasn't thrilled with this particular book. I felt like some of the stories were written, maybe even still in draft format at this point, solely for the book. They didn't strike me as stories that would succeed generally, with the exception of A Walk in Winter, the last story. I think there are probably better instructive books on short story writing. Better yet, just go buy books of short fiction by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.
November 12, 2013
As a reader, I admire the selections, especially Charles Baxter's "The Old Fascist in Retirement," based on the late days of Ezra Pound. In fact, I liked that story so much that I have ordered Baxter's collection, A RELATIVE STRANGER, because I want unlimited access to this story. As a writer, I value the commentary from the authors that follows each story. An excellent book with which I spend many good hours.
July 2, 2016
When I came across this at the AWP W.W. Norton booth I expressed delight and wondered why I'd never seen this book before. The young twit working the booth sniffed "It's been around forever." Well, excuse me. The idea of this book is marvelous--though the stories are dated and a little soft, IMHO. Also, several glaring typos. BUT... if you teach or love short stories, this book is indispensable.
February 16, 2021
Anybody who wants to write short stories should get this book. One of my fascinations is to hear how other writers go about the process of creating a short story, and this book gives you glimpses into several authors' creative minds. Twenty-six short stories by unique writers, followed by an essay on the birth of each story by its author: priceless.
April 23, 2008
Not every story in this book is good. That's part of what makes it so excellent. This is a great book for an aspiring writer. The mix of good and bad stories is great for learning what does and doesn't work in writing.
Currently reading
April 16, 2011Well, I bought it because it sounded interesting and "City Codes" closed the deal when it looked like it was going to actually discuss the building code--which it didn't.
We'll see if the rest of the book is interesting.
We'll see if the rest of the book is interesting.
July 13, 2011
More hits than misses (by a lot). Each short story is followed by a page or three on which the author of the preceding short story talks about its inspiration or meaning. As someone who loves writing, I found the essays as interesting as the stories in most cases.
May 11, 2017
Mostly good stories, a couple drag, a couple feel unresolved, one is just really gross. All interesting. One has a better behind the story than actual story. The concept of the story behind the story is interesting. It makes you want a behind the story for everything.
March 5, 2008
A solid collection. A few that were mind-blowing, more that were okay.
July 25, 2008
Offers some insight into individual writing processes that may/ may not aide aspiring writers. But there are truly great stories in this anthology and even greater stories behind them.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews