  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: StephBee  
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Hello, I'm StephBee and I'll be your guest editor for the Short Stories newsletter this week.
The short story format has a rich history in literature. I thought I would look at the history of the short story and examine current treads in this week's newsletter. |
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History of the Short Story Format
Short stories date back to the oral story telling traditions of the Greeks and Romans in the forms of fables, anecodotes, and parables. About the 14th century in Europe, the oral short story traditions began to take on written form. The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer consisted of a multitude of short stories set in a larger framework.
The onset of the printing press allowed for mass production of short stories. In the modern era, The Saturday Evening Post which began in 1821 and ran for over 150 years, became well known for publishing short stories. Authors like Kipling, Steinbeck, Hemmingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were featured in the magazine.
Other magazines that became well known for publishing short stories in the early 20th century included Colliers, The New Yorker, and Life. In 1952, Life published Hemmingway's novella, The Old Man and the Sea in one issue. It sold over five million copies in two days.
In today's literary arena, the number of print magazines which publish short stories has declined. The New Yorker and Esquire still traditionally publish fiction shorts, but with the onset of the computer age and the Internet, the format has found a new market.
Definations of a Short Story
The classic defination of the short story is a story that can be read in one sitting, however there are multiple definations for the format. One defination recommends a word count of 2,500 words or less. Another defination in a work of fiction between 1,000 and 20,000 words. Yet another defination states the short story should be the size of a book chapter. Be flexible. There's no set rule of what a short story is or isn't. Strive to follow the general guidelines.
In today's guidance, one of the crucial elements of the short story does include word counts. Be aware of the word count restrictions in the contests you enter.
Try not to do too much in the space of a short story. The short story should have a single plot, setting, a small amount of characters, and take place over a small timespan.
 Author's challenge: Submit a fable, anecodote, parable to me (send it to my email) 2,000 words or less by 15 May. The best submissions will recieve a 10K awardicon.
What is a fable? A fictitious story with a moral. An anecodote is a short humorous account of a real or fictiitious event. A parable is a short story with a moral lesson.
In my Editor's Picks, I've included a few of my favorite short stories I've read here on WDC and I've listed a couple of contests that are looking for short stories. |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Since I'm only a guest editor, I don't have any feedback that I can share with you, but I hope you enjoyed this overview of the "short story." If you have any feedback or comments, please write in and let the editors know.
In her day job, StephBee works as a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Honorable Mention winner, genre writing, in the 75th Annual Writer's Digest Contest for "The Music Box." |
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Short Stories: April 25, 2007 Issue [#1668]
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