Short Story Sunday

I’ve decided to begin my first regular feature on this blog – *drumroll* – Short Story Sunday!

I absolutely love short stories; they’re something very different from a longer novel or novella, and something very special, too. A short story, naturally, must be briefer than a book. It has to come at the story a little differently, usually focusing more on character, building a world with the slightest, deftest touch, and making expert use of suggestion and symbolism. A short story can relay as much, and in some cases more, than an entire novel. Short stories are also a wonderful medium for exploring new ideas, for taking risks and for blowing genre boundaries completely out of the picture.

And they fit nicely into a lunch break too!



I’ve also found short stories to be a great starting point for finding new authors. If you’re not sure if you’ll enjoy a particular author’s style, find one of their short stories online, or buy a collection of stories that includes one of theirs. My ‘to read’ shelf is always bursting with these discoveries.

Short stories are easier to find than ever. There are so many fantastic magazines online and off. Many of the online magazines put their stories up for free. If you want to find some, take a look at the list on my Linky Goodies page.

So... Short Story Sunday. I want to make sure that I review at least one short story collection or magazine every month, and I’ll be putting the review up on a Sunday. If I have time, on the other Sundays of each month I might review individual short stories that have really caught my attention.

If you want to join in, please do!* You could even post your own short stories (though remember that putting a short story on a blog does in fact count as publishing it, which means you could have a hard time submitting it to magazines if you decide to). You don’t have to link back to me, but I would love you to leave a comment on my posts so that I can read your thoughts/reviews/stories.

And if you’re anxious for more short story action, you can always join in with #storyeachnight on Twitter. This was started by the author Nicole Cushing in response to Ray Bradbury’s advice to read a short story every day. More about it on her site.

Enjoy your short stories!

(My first Short Story Sunday review will follow shortly - From Dark Places, by Emma Newman)


*I’m not sure if Short Story Sunday is a meme or a feature run by any other blogs. It sounds catchy enough that it should be something, but I couldn’t find anything about it. If it is, please do let me know in the comments and I will link back to the blog that started it.