The "Broad Middle of Realist Fiction"
The most obvious downside is that the worthiness of these stories to be included is measured by mainstream opinion; what gets published in The New Yorker and other well-respected sources is the first to be considered, or at least pretty high on the list. In the L.A. Times review of the BASS series, novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen says that BASS "is telling writers what kind of aesthetic is valid...[and that is] the broad middle of realist fiction." The writer of the review, Carolyn Kellogg, goes on to point out that the "extremes" are left out, such as genre and more unconventional or progressive fiction. The problem with this is that if an up and coming writer wants to explore a wide range of literary work, he will have to search elsewhere. However, for my purposes and writing goals, this series covers the type of work I aspire to so it's enough for me.
My Definition of a Short Story
Another idea I'd like to touch on is how my definition of a short story has changed since reading more short stories recently. My original definition was: "a condensed novel in which all unnecessary information has been removed and all the remains is the heart and soul of the story, leaving an emotional impact in a short span of time." As a novel writer, this is how I viewed short stories. But lately, I'm finding that I enjoy writing short stories more because they take much less time to complete and therefore, cause much less stress and frustration! Finishing a short story gives me a sense of accomplishment, whereas in writing a novel, I have to wait much longer for that feeling. Half of my definition is true: a short story does leave an emotional impact in a short period of time. However, it is not a condensed novel. If you were to condense a novel and try to work it into a short story, I'm not sure that would work. You might have to start at the beginning and write it as a short story. The craft of a short story vs. a novel is different. A short story requires the writer to give up a lot of information up front, to not focus on building a mystery but to give the reader more and then follow the characters' journey, usually a short period of time, an important moment in his life. A novel has much more depth but it is spaced out over a longer expanse. It is a more probing look at the main character and supporting character's lives with more complex story lines. So my new definition of a short story is: A close look at a moment in time for the character.
Links to Sources:
L.A. Times Review of Best American Short Stories
Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your discussion about the definition of a short story, and I agree that writing a short story and writing a novel are two very different arts. Like you, I used to think of a short story as a shortened novel, but then I started thinking of it as more of a snapshot. Almost like a "day in the life of" rather than a full biography. I still agree with that part of your original definition that says a short story could connect to some emotional significance. Therefore, I might suggest that you combine your two definitions into something like: "A close look at a moment in time for a character that leaves an emotional impact in a short span of time." For me personally, character and emotion are central to any good story. I should probably add conflict to that recipe, too, since it provides a way of eking out that emotion from the character, but the more I study short stories the more I am convinced that character and emotional impact are at the heart of all the good ones.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading your post! Keep up the good work. :)
Emma
Hi Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I do agree with your definition of what you originally thought a short story was. I would also say that a short story is a quick view into a character's life, like a movie trailer for a documentary. I think if you combine your new definition with some aspect of what I came up with it would be golden. I also agree with your original definition that says the short story is like the heart and soul of a novel. This is true to a degree because it gets straight to the point of the story quicker than a novel. There is no unnecessary "fluff" in the short story.
Hey Elaine,
ReplyDeleteI thought your original definition of a short story being a condensed novel was interesting. I work most often with shorter forms, so it was interesting to see how that difference in perspective affected how you originally chose to define short stories. Your amended definition feels much closer to the truth, but I also think it's important to keep the idea of that same basic story shape in mind when talking about short stories. It is a close look at a moment in time for a character, like you said, but I think the story should still have that same arc shape, whether the story is very long or very short.