Fire and a good book

Year 6 -- Week 28 -- December 8, 2003


The perfect day for a fire and a good book.

We had over a foot of snow on Saturday under blizzard conditions. It was the perfect day to cozy up to a fire and read a book. And yet my guess is, most people stuck inside didn't reach for a novel.

Many non-readers claim they'd like to, but they just don't have the time. A novel is a big commitment, fair enough, but why is the short story even less popular?

Perhaps the short story is misunderstood. Even amongst writers there's controversy. Some believe that the short story and novel are so different, one cannot excel at both. Obviously many writers don't believe that; some, perhaps, should.

Beginning writers are often deceived by its simplicity. Many readers are confused.

The short story needs a PR consultant, somebody to explain how it works. It's as if the literati don't want people to know. And yet, the short story could be the perfect ambassador for fiction. Of course, the literati scoffed at Steven King's National Book Award and slammed the Harry Potter series as derivative.

Last week I gave Ed, a friend, a short story to read; his response typifies the short story's PR problem. First let me state that Ed is well educated and reads lots of non-fiction (note: women far out number men in the fiction reading department).

Ed makes a brief appearance in my story and I thought he might enjoy the cameo. Within a week, Ed was back to me. "I only got the first five pages," he said, "but it seemed pretty good."

"Five pages?"

"Yeah, up to the point where the guy is sipping wine."

"Actually," I said, "that's the ending."

"Oh."

I went on to explain the concept of a short story and Ed, feeling rather dumb, quickly added that he loved the writing, the characters, and of course, his cameo. But it was like trying to explain a punch line. I should also note that a magazine has already called, interested in the story -- in theory, this eliminates the possibility that the writing was off base.

This isn't the first time readers wanted to know more about what happened next in the story. Or why did 'Y' happen? Or how come we don't know more about this or that? And even at the Squaw Valley Writers Conference, many of the attendees asked similar questions, as did a few of the instructors.

I've certainly struggled with the short story, endings in particular. In the early days, I dazzled myself with contrived plot lines that neatly converged at the end, or with clever twist to throw the reader off. Looking up 'epiphany' in the dictionary didn't help.

I could have saved a lot of time if Louis Menand's 'New Yorker' comments on the short story had come out sooner. His explanation clarified what's taken me years to figure out. You can find his view on the subject within his commentary of Updike's new collection (the December 1 '03 issue). In the article, Menand quotes Joyce and Poe, and compares the art of short fiction to a golf swing.

For me, a short story is the opening of a window into a world. Fleeting as it might be, in the hands of an accomplished writer, we get powerful insights into the human condition without the burden of knowing too much. It can be incredibly satisfying, more so than ten minutes of Sports Center, a read of 'Time' magazine on the john -- starting from the back of course, or 'Howard" on the radio during the daily commute.

If only more people knew how great the short story was, a writer might have more opportunity to place fiction. As it is, the short story is available to only a select few, and that is everyone's loss.

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In just a few days, this posting has generated passionate responses. If you feel strongly about the short story, or have an idea on how to get more people interested, drop me an email. In a future entry I'll share some of those views -- anonymously if you wish. Thanks a lot!