Short Fiction

Alex · 04-28-2008, 06:10 PM

I love good short fiction. I just don't think that good short fiction is as common as anthologists believe. So I usually end up being frustrated by them, especially single author anthologies since even the best, in my opinion, only hit about 30% of the time.

With a regular novel if I am not feeling it I don't really feel obligated to finish, but with a short work I am too much of the mindset "it is only 30 more pages, just tough it out." Which is fine with one story, but not so much with 8 out of 12. The end result being I put the book down before I've found all the good stuff.

So I tend to just stick with reading magazines where an occasional piece of good short fiction will be published. Or essay anthologies. I do enjoy those much more consistently.

04-28-2008, 06:10 PM	#1
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I love good short fiction. I just don't think that good short fiction is as common as anthologists believe. So I usually end up being frustrated by them, especially single author anthologies since even the best, in my opinion, only hit about 30% of the time. With a regular novel if I am not feeling it I don't really feel obligated to finish, but with a short work I am too much of the mindset "it is only 30 more pages, just tough it out." Which is fine with one story, but not so much with 8 out of 12. The end result being I put the book down before I've found all the good stuff. So I tend to just stick with reading magazines where an occasional piece of good short fiction will be published. Or essay anthologies. I do enjoy those much more consistently.
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