Short stories vs. novels: let’s discuss.

I think short stories get a bad rap sometimes. Books of short stories don’t go out as much as novels at the library even if they are by a popular author. I think we assume we won’t get as much out of short stories because there’s not as much to them. Heck, even I’m guilty of this; I hardly ever pick up a book of short stories and mostly all the ones I’ve read have been from school assignments. But I think I’m writing this to justify why we should read them. I mean, didn’t I write that the best story ever was “Chance” by Connie Willis? And isn’t that a short story (yes, it is, for all of you who didn’t take my rather pointed advice.)? And honestly, I haven’t been able to get through a Faulkner book in my life, but “A Rose for Emily” is one of the most memorable and dark stories I have ever read (speaking of dark, try Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”). I mean, in our daily lives where we opt for convenience 90% of the time, shouldn’t short stories be more popular? They’re like little books packaged for our convenience. Ok, maybe that’s not giving them enough credit. Like poetry, short stories have to make every word or paragraph count. So yes, sometimes they are denser than a book where the author has hundreds of pages to explain his purpose. But sometimes all those words get in the way of the purpose, and that’s where a short story has the advantage. And even if you have to think about the short story a little more after you read it, it still takes less time to read and analyze it a bit than it does to read a whole novel. So yeah, I’m pumped now to go read some short stories. And I can tell you’re just itching to get started too. For your convenience and because I’m nice (and it’s my job), here is a list of short stories (and where you can find them).
And shoot, if you read some flash fiction, you might be done with one in the time it took you to read this blog. I’m just sayin’.

“Chance” by Connie Willis
“Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
“Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Have one that you really love? Let me know.

Ooohhh Ooohhh Oooohhh, and check out the reactions option at the bottom of each post! Instead of a comment, just check a box that you think applies to my blogs. Where a comment is like a novel, the reaction boxes are like short stories (see what I did there?).