Happy National Short Story Week 2014!
There’s a week each year in November when I happily become British.
That’s because the UK has a great tradition called National Short Story Week. As a reader and writer of short stories, I think we should all adopt this excellent effort and make it International Short Story Week.
This year’s celebration falls next week, more specifically 17-23 November 2014. Here’s the link, with lots of materials interesting to writers and readers and listeners of the short story. There are also author interviews, tips on how to publish short stories, and much more. Go explore!
The objective of Short Story Week is to focus attention on the short story. For many years, the short story seemed to be on the decline. But the digital revolution seems to be providing short stories with new life – they are popular with people reading on e-readers and there are lots of new digital literary journals publishing short stories.
So short story readers (and writers) today have more choices than ever.
On my site, I’ve published an author interview with friend and short story writer, Catherine McNamara . I’ve also announced a romance short story collection by author Melinda Dozier and other contributors. And I also announce when my own short stories are published in journals or anthologies. You can find a link to my short stories here.
And you, readers and writers? What do you think about short stories?
Happy Short Story Week everyone!
I love sharing enthusiasm for short stories. I do think they are enjoying a great moment currently in the UK, with many literary salons springing up and more and more competitions all the time. Publishers still prefer a novel ‘with a hook’ but I think there are perhaps more chances to bring out collections than ten years ago, but competition is strong. There are so many good writers out there.
I really love the form though and I’m not giving up!
I love sharing enthusiasm for short stories. I do think they are enjoying a great moment currently in the UK, with many literary salons springing up and more and more competitions all the time. Publishers still prefer a novel ‘with a hook’ but I think there are perhaps more chances to bring out collections than ten years ago, but competition is strong. There are so many good writers out there.
I really love the form though and I’m not giving up!
I’m so glad to hear you remain committed to the short story… I look forward to announcing your next collection on my blog. Agree that there are many opportunities for short story writers today. Love reading and writing them. Hope you’ll enjoy celebrating!
I absolutely love short stories. Here, in the USA, it’s very hard to get a collection of short stories published unless you are already a published author. There is something unique that I love with short stories and can’t find in a novel (I love novels too!) and I think it’s the fact that a writer offers us in a few pages a full fleshed story. Harder than most people think!
You are right that the digital age has increased the chance for writers of short stories to get their work out.
Agree with you, Evelyne, that its hard for non-established authors without a novel under their belts to publish a collection of short stories in the US… but at least there are other outlets in which to publish. The short story market is practically dead in Italy. Such a shame, since they have such a great tradition – Calvino, Buzzati, Moravia. Was just watching an Italian classic last night – “Ieri, Oggi e Domani”, with Marcello Mastraioni and Sofia Loren, three short stories set in Naples, Milan, and Rome (one from Moravia). What’s the short story market like today in France?