Dear friends,
Since I've decided to focus on writing short stories, I've been reading a lot. Yesterday I made a trip to the library and came home with 13 collections of stories---some old, some new. Every time I read a short story, whether it's fantasy, science fiction, supernatural, mystery, crime---I learn something new.
Last night I raced through most of the stories in Joe R. Lansdale's BUMPER CROP collection. His short story "Chompers" was hilarious, twisty (and chilling), and reminded me of those old science fiction shows I used to watch on TV when I was a kid. It taught me that *anything* can be the subject of a short story. Joe is one of my favorite writers because he really GETS that East Texas thing---the language, mannerisms and quirks of the people who live there---and the settings in his stories live and breathe like characters. Each of his stories teaches me something new about writing.
Later, I read from a completely different collection, BLOOD LITE II: OVERBITE (edited by Kevin J. Anderson), humorous horror short stories by HWA members. The "Dead Clown Seance" story, by Christopher Welch, taught me that there's a place for ALL kinds of stories, no matter how crazy. Since my stories tend toward the comedic, I love seeing how horror and comedy can be combined.
I'm also a big fan of Henry Slesar, the author who penned many of the short stories that eventually became Alfred Hitchcock TV episodes. In HAUNTED AMERICA: Star-Spangled Supernatural Stories (selected by Marvin Kaye), I read "The Return of the Moresbys" which was fun and twisty (Slesar was a king of the twisty story). From it, I learned that a crime story can be funny, ironic, and based on an interesting idea like transmigration (where the soul passes from one body or being to another at death).
Reading these stories confirmed to me that there's a place for humor in mysteries and horror and that any subject can be turned into a great short story. And not only that, but after reading these, so many new ideas for stories came to me.
I hope that you'll take time to read some short stories. The cool thing about short stories? They're short. LOL. They don't take a lot of time to read, can be inhaled on a break, or during lunch, or right before bed just before dozing off. There are many authors these days writing lots of excellent short stories--seek them out, read them. And have fun!
Mysteriously yours,
bobbi c.
2024. Celebrating 43 years as a published author. I am mostly a writer of short things, mostly fiction. Previously worked as a non-fiction author writing gardening and crafts books/articles. I am also an award-winning playwright specializing in comedic fairy tale mash-ups.
4 comments:
Hi, Bobbi,
I also enjoy stories that have humor in them. Like you, I read and write a variety of different types of fiction. But humor is a welcome addition even in horror fiction.
Thanks, Jacqueline. I love finding humor in horror stories. I've only run across these two collections so far, but I imagine there are more out there.
Bobbi,
I love this topic! Thank you for mentioning Henry Slesar! I've been meaning to read him and never have his name in my head when I am at a library or bookstore. (I'm heading to the library catalogs right after I post this!)
I'm reading a collection that is the best short stories of 1934.
A couple of really memorable ones thus far, one set in Florida, one in NYC, both mysteries. I was going to check out the Best of 1917 again but that seems to have vanished from our library now.
--Brenda
Hi Brenda, thanks for commenting! I recently found a book of Slesar's short stories that were all made into Hitchcock TV shows. It's titled Death on Television: The best of Henry Slesar's Alfred Hitchcock Stories. And I've noticed several of his other stories popping up here and there in other collections, too.
I'll bet the Best of 1934 is good!
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