Langley Professional Writing
writing to inform, persuade or inspire!
  • Home
  • The Paper Garden (A Blog)
  • Creative Works
  • Services
  • Fees & Details
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Me

A Short Ode to the Short (Story)

6/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
My favorite form of writing, and reading, is the short story or short essay. Unfortunately, novels are essentially what writers aspire to, and what readers refer to when they list off what they like to, or favorite, reads. But my early favorite stories were short: John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony, Saki’s The Open Window, Somerset Maugham’s Red, O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. Short stories are the amuse bouche of reading. I’ve always liked reading this way—in a powerful bite rather than an extended meal. My mother gave me a collection of classic adult short stories when I was thirteen, which I read in its entirety; I still have the volume on my bookcase shelf.

With the short story form, a writer generally must sustain momentum and use language exceedingly well. Unlike a novel where the writer has the luxury of space to unveil a plot and develop characters, in a short form, a writer needs to hit hard quickly, blow a character out through actions, and reveal her/his writer’s “voice” in a limited area. It’s like having to stand out in a skit, rather than a movie.



While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I returned again to reading short stories. I discovered today’s best writers in stories like Silver Water (Amy Bloom), In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried (Amy Hempel), Girl (Jamaica Kincaid), Brokeback Mountain (Annie Proulx), works by Sherman Alexie, Jhumpa Lahiri, Lydia Davis, George Saunders …  (I could go on and on). People note they don’t have time to read, short stories are your answer! Try short collections of stories, I think you’ll find a writing niche that is perfect for reading on the go. I also hear that reading shorts extends the life of your Kindle/Nook/electronic reader!

This promotion may be somewhat self-serving (since I write short works), but I think I’m also serving the notion of reading itself. In our sound-byte world, the notion of a novel can be daunting—this way we all win!

To get you started, check out Powell’s list of Best Short Story Collections of This Century, pick one that strikes your fancy (or ask me for a recommendation, I’ve read a few on and off this list). 

Or, check out this list of the 50 Best Short Stories of All Time.

*Where I could find free text, I have linked it to the title of the story.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Pamela Langley

    In the past decade I have written memoirs for a nun, tutored children from Somalia, edited a college literary magazine, interned at Literary Arts in Portland,  published a few stories, graduated from University with highest honors, given a speech to a packed house at the Schnitz, remodeled a fixer-upper, written grants for programs that helped, extended my emotional /intellectual horizons, made an intra-state move, started a business, regained my groove, placed my finger back on the pulse, joined Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn, bought a smartphone,  traveled, raised puppies, and most importantly--honed my writing skills. I bare myself here on The Paper Garden and hope some moments will resonate with you.

    Archives

    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All
    Aesthetics
    Art
    Blogs
    Cats
    Censorship
    Change
    Creativity
    Design
    Easy Voice Recorder
    Gender
    Getting Started
    Hiring
    Humor
    Interactive
    Joy
    Philosophy
    Smartphone
    Technical
    Theory
    Travel
    Voice Recording
    Websites
    What's Appropriate
    Widgets
    Writing

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.