6 Authors Undertaking The Challenge Of The Short Story
While short stories are often the first things writers learn to craft and study in college, they often fall by the wayside to more lucrative novels. These writers have continued pursuing their love of short fiction, publishing everything from experimental flash pieces to chilling horror tales. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
6 Authors of Riveting Short Stories
| Name | Popular Titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Wyatt Dunn | Dark is a Color of the Day | White Man Book | Sitting on the Floor |
| Michelle Ross | How I Learned About Evolution (published in Okay Donkey) | There's So Much They Haven't Told You | Impulses (in Tiny Molecules) |
| John Greco | Devious Tales | Bitter Ends: 20 Short Stories of Murder and Mayhem | The Late Show: And Other Tales of Celluloid Malice |
| Calvin Demmer | The Town That Feared Dusk | The Sea Was a Fair Master | Trick or Death |
| I. E. Kneverday | The Woburn Chronicles | Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy (Edited by) | Drabbledark: An Anthology of Dark Drabbles (story Dr. Albie) |
| Mike Thorn | Darkest Hours | Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation | Choo-Choo (in Polar Borealis) |
Book Trailer For The Woburn Chronicles by I. E. Kneverday
Why Read Short Stories?
- They make it easy to try new genres & authors
- You'll always get to the end
- They fit into a busy schedule
- They can help you establish a daily reading habit
Short Story vs Novel
| Short Story | Novel | |
|---|---|---|
| Word Count | 100 - 20,000 | 40,000 or more |
| Story Structure | Single event | Three-act structure |
| Main Characters | Usually just one | Often several |
| Room for Subplots? | No | Yes |
6 Films Based on Short Stories
- The Birds based on the story by Daphne du Maurier
- Duel based on the story by Richard Matheson
- Children of the Corn based on the story by Stephen King
- A Sound of Thunder based on the story by Ray Bradbury
- Brokeback Mountain based on the story by Annie Proulx
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty based on the story by James Thurber
Stephen King on the Craft of Short Story Writing
In Depth
While we may think it's easy to write short stories, they represent a complex task, as they must say more with fewer words. However, there are many writers who enjoy this challenge. Here, in no particular order, are authors taking the plunge into penning these concise and interesting tales.
At #1 is author Robin Wyatt Dunn. A native of Wyoming, he has obtained degrees from several universities, including a bachelors from Fordham, a masters from UT Austin, and a master of fine arts from Chapman. His collection of postmodern short stories, Dark is a Color of the Day, features a transient protagonist through multiple narratives and tackles issues of contemporary capitalism.
In addition to short stories, Dunn pens poetry and novels. In its review of his book, Conquistador of the Night Lands, Publishers Weekly praised his wonderful use of language. He's been nominated for the Elgin Award and the Pushcart Prize, and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
In addition to short stories, Dunn pens poetry and novels.
Entering the list at #2 is Michelle Ross, author of There's So Much They Haven't Told You. The collection won the 2016 Moon City Press Short Fiction Award and was a finalist for the 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards for Short Stories. Her fiction has also appeared in Colorado Review, The Common, Hobart, and Epiphany.
Ross is an editor for the Atticus Review, and she was a consultant for The Best Small Fictions 2018 anthology. A native of Texas, she received her bachelor of arts from Emory University and her master of fine arts and master of arts from Indiana University. She lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and son.
In the #3 slot is author, film writer, and photographer John Greco. His short story collection, Bitter Ends, features tales of murder, revenge, greed, and love gone wrong. Other collections include Devious Tales and The Late Show. His work has also been published in A Million and One Magazine and The Dark Pages Newsletter.
His work has also been published in A Million and One Magazine and The Dark Pages Newsletter.
Greco has contributed to a number of books on film, including Underseen and Underrated, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and The Take2 Guide To Steven Spielberg. He also writes about movies at Twenty Four Frames. His photography has appeared in Abel Ferrara's documentary, The Projectionist, which was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is a member of the Florida Writers Association.
Coming in at #4 is Calvin Demmer, a dark fiction author. His debut short story collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master, features elements of fantasy, science fiction, crime, and horror. Somer Canon, author of Killer Chronicles, praises the lean writing style, while Kendall Reviews named it to its list of Favorite Horror Books of 2018.
Additional standalone works include Dark Celebrations, The Town That Feared Dusk, and Hungry Ghosts. Demmer's short fiction has appeared in such outlets as Broadswords and Blasters, Yellow Mama Magazine, Sanitarium, and The Literary Hatchet. He counts such authors as Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, Shirley Jackson, and Ania Ahlborn among his favorite writers.
He counts such authors as Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, Shirley Jackson, and Ania Ahlborn among his favorite writers.
At #5 is I. E. Kneverday, editor of Neon Druid, a collection of short stories that mix urban fantasy with Celtic mythology. His short fiction has been featured in Exoplanet Magazine, Drabbledark, and Enchanted Conversation. His tale, Fromagegoria, about murderous French cheesemakers, won first place in Zeroflash's flash fiction competition.
His first book, The Woburn Chronicles: A Trio of Supernatural Tales Set in New England's Most Mysterious City, is a collection of three interconnected short stories featuring shape shifting leprechauns, mad scientist sorcerers, and haunted pine groves. A native of Boston, Kneverday lives in San Jose, California.
Wrapping up the list at #6 is Mike Thorn, author of the short story collections Darkest Hours and Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation. His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, including Dark Moon Digest, Unnerving Magazine, Turn to Ash, and Tales to Terrify. His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Seventh Row, and Vague Visages.
His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Seventh Row, and Vague Visages.
He completed his master of arts with a major in English literature at the University of Calgary, where he wrote a thesis on epistemophobia in John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. Sadie Mother Horror Hartmann praises Thorn's incredible range and versatility, while Robert Dunbar, author of The Pines, hails his chilling wit and macabre intelligence.
