Thursday, March 21, 2013

The beauty of short stories



I love short stories.
I love how they capture the essence of an idea, a moment, and transfer it to the reader in such rich, wonderful language that you’re transfixed.
I don’t think there’s a genre that does short story better than ours. Fantasy, science fiction, horror – they all lend themselves beautifully to the shorter form.
I write short fiction – not as well or as easily as the novels, I will admit. For me, short fiction is a really challenge. It’s where I get to test my writing chops. Can I make a story compelling, engaging, complete, when I don’t have tens of thousands of words to make it so?
I love editing short story as well. It’s great to get hold of a story, see the possibilities there and then work with the author on seeing them too and bringing them to life.
That was what I loved most about In Fabula-divino – my short-lived publishing/mentoring project. And the great thing about working with other people’s stories is that it taught me a lot about my own.
The anthology has a really wide range of stories. The very first one I bought was from Australian Holly Kench: a comic zombie romp called ‘The Secret Life of a Zombie Fan’. The last story I bought was from a 17-year-old high school student, Lily Ariser, who took a new look at fairytale in her story ‘A New Ever After’.
In between that is a traditional sword and sorcery; several stories about death; a re-telling of Snow White and one of the most haunting stories I’ve ever read.
Even though it’s speculative fiction, ‘eclectic’ is the word to describe this anthology.
Working on this anthology reminded me that no matter what level you’re engaging in a story at – reader, writer, editor – that emotional attachment has to be there! Life is too short to read/write/edit stories that don’t capture your heart.
And what captures one person’s heart may not capture another’s. You could well read this anthology and think to yourself ‘meh, whatever’ when you read SG Larner’s Regret, whereas I sat there with a little tear in my eye, entrapped by its beauty.
That’s the real joy of this, isn’t it? That each one of us can find beauty in such a different place. That uniqueness is mesmerising.
I hope that In Fabula-divino is an anthology that provides such a range and depth that EVERYONE can find something to love within its pages.

Leave a comment below and two people will win a signed copy of In Fabula-divino.

In Fabula-divino – electronic on sale only, paperback to come.
Available at Smashwords and Amazon

2 comments:

SandyG265 said...

I like anthologies because they are a good way to try unfamiliar authors.

Bonnie said...

Short stories are not only fun to read but fun to write.
I'm going to have to check this out. I love to read different authors so I can experience their voice and veiw of a story.