S = Short Stories

 Short stories are stories usually designed to be read in one sitting, unlike novels which are usually read over a period of time. While some people consider the short story to be its own genre, I feel that's an oversimplification of a sometimes-overlooked style of storytelling. Short stories can be about horror, love, sci-fi, or just about anything else, so how can they be a genre on their own?

I'd say it's more accurate to describe the short story as a style of writing. Although the definition of what a short story is, is subject for debate. Some think it should have a beginning, climax, and end just like a novel, while others think it was meant to start somewhere in the middle. Some argue that a short story should be plot driven while others say it should be character driven. Authors who write them tend to pick options from above based on what they prefer and as long as the story is suitably short, it still qualifies as a short story.

My favorite short story author of all time is Edgar Allan Poe; the inventor of detective fiction, Poe's work was not really famous until after his death. Even though he invented the detective novel, I always had more attraction to his gothic horrors which read like convoluted poetry.

Although not famous for his short stories, horror novelist John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote a collection of short stories in his book, Let the Old Dreams Die. But perhaps horror is not your thing, in which case you might enjoy a good fantasy like Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint where a hint of magic touches every page. And if you are looking for something a bit more contemporary there's The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee, famed author of To Kill a Mockingbird.

As previously stated, I think short stories are often overlooked. They aren't as flashy as their higher-page-count-cousins. I also think the authors who write them should get more praise and attention than they do. It seems to me that it would be much harder to cram a whole story into just a few pages as opposed to having chapters and chapters of content.

Have you read any short stories? Which ones? What did you think of them?