Telling Tales by Pauline Masurel
Performing live isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you write fiction for publication then sooner or later you are likely to be invited to give a reading and you want to make sure that you can do your stories justice.
Author Profile – Annie Proulx
Her love of the short form derives from her delight in the weight of every word and the way the expression of big ideas is possible in a small space. For this reason, Proulx believes that new writers should ‘cut their teeth’ with novel writing before attempting the complexities of the short story form.
Classic Openings
Disclaimer: Some, all or none of the below may or may not be fact or fiction. Or both. Phil Latham takes no responsibility for anyone believing what he says to be true or helpful or entertaining. Ever. No dead people were excavated during the creation of this blog.
Choosing Titles that Resonate
Mike Smith ponders the troublesome issue of titles and considers the multiple roles they have to play within a story.
We Recommend – Félix Fénéon
Félix Fénéon (1861-1944) was an anarchist, publisher of Joyce, translator of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey into French, editor of avant-garde journals, coiner of the term ‘neo-impressionism’, possible bomb-maker, and a writer whose credo was ‘I aspire only to silence’. Bejamin Noys tells us more about this enigmatic writer…
Why So Tense?
There’s been a fascinating discussion in the British broadsheets recently over the use of the present tense in fiction. The author Philip Hensher complained that writers are ‘following fashion blindly’…
What is a Short Story?
Anton Chekov once described reading a short story as ‘rather like drinking a glass of vodka’. It should be quick and sharp and hit you with a kind of shock that makes you see the world in a new way…
The Jokes Are on Me by Mike Smith
Three of my favourite ‘gags’ come from classic British sitcoms, and if you don’t already know them, I’m going to spoil them for you.
The Consequences of National Short Story Week
To mark the first annual National Short Story Week, which took place 22-28th November, nine of the UK’s premier short story writers were invited to work together to produce a single short story.
Biographical Notes, by Pauline Masurel
Pauline Masurel says…Own up! How many of you turn first to the biographical notes when handed a new anthology? It’s a terrible confession to make but sometimes I find I’m more curious about who I’m reading than what I’m reading.