Short Fiction

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

'A Christmas Carol' is really more of a short story, and a good example of how shorter works can be better. I love Dickens, but he does run on in some of his stories...... Many of his longer works were actually serializations- published in penny papers and magazines and then compiled into novel form later.

Yes, I had to drag myself through Great Expectations, and didn't give him another try. Perhaps I should. I found the filler chapters (where I assume he simply ran out of something to say at the moment but had to deliver a chapter for that week's publication) really, really grating.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by Eliza Hodgkins 1812

[Did you know that author (Holiday - I love that name!!!) is married to "Dwight" on The Office?

All this time I've been thinking she was married to Buster on Arrested Development.

[frodo potter]

I love Poe's short story's some of the best.

While I usually don't like Steven King or Dean Koontz they both write excellent shorts.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by frodo potter

I love Poe's short story's some of the best.

While I usually don't like Steven King or Dean Koontz they both write excellent shorts.

I feel similarly about Neil Gaiman. Love his comic books and short fiction, and don't care for most of his longer novels.

[Not Afraid]

Murikami and TC Boyle both have fantastic collections of short stories.

[Alex]

There isn't any padding in Les Miserables! The unabridged version is the only one worthy of reading. (Though that is about as far from "short fiction" as you can get.)

Hunchback, however, can be trimmed down to about 25 pages without serious harm.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Alex

There isn't any padding in Les Miserables! The unabridged version is the only one worthy of reading. (Though that is about as far from "short fiction" as you can get.)

Hunchback, however, can be trimmed down to about 25 pages without serious harm.

Ah, I think I disagree. I loved reading him going on and on about architecture, but that's a particular passion of mine...

[Moonliner]

Can I de-rail for a second?

Headliner (my daughter age-12) came up with an interesting idea today. After we take a little time to flush it out I'd like to present it to a publisher.

My questions include:

Who to bring it to, can it be a draft or do you need a complete project?
Etc...

It would be marketed at Girls pre-teen to teen.

Thanks for any help.

[SacTown Chronic]

This month's EQMM has a fun read from Janwillem van de Wetering called The Bleeding Chair. Weird and improbable? You know it, baby! Fun? As if you need to ask.

[tracilicious]

Great thread revival!

This summer I read all of Amy Hempel. Now my heroine. If there were a poster of her, I'd put it over my bed. She is master of white space. I'm going to try hard to get into the summer writing institute that she teaches at in 2010. I'm just not ready for it this year.