The Short Story Collection

When I began my graduate work I was advised that my thesis/final project should be a novel. Publishers want novels, not short story collections. A novel will sell, a short story collection will not.

I stuck with my short story collection. I love the conciseness of short stories. I love that a collection of short stories can carry a common thread to tell an even larger story. This is what I based my own book, Voices From the North (Voces del Norte), a collection of short stories that carry a common thread of characters while telling the story of one community.

My selection of writing a collection has not been met with positive responses.

"So, what's your book about?"

"It's a collection of short stories that share individual character stories while telling the story of a community."

"What?"

"It's a short story collection but a collection with a common thread."

"A collection? So, it's not a book."

Sigh.

But there has been two positives this year, the year I finish my book. First, Elizabeth Strout's book, Olive Kitteridge, won the 2009 Pulitzer for Fiction. A collection of short stories with a common character thread.

And, today Oprah selected a short story collection as the newest addition to her book club, Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan.While I'm not a fan of Oprah's Book Club, her selection sits well with those of us who love the underdog of the short story collection. Very well.

So, take that non-believers. Take that "short story collections aren't really books."

With Strout and Akpan in my corner, I will finish my book this weekend with continued hope, a continued dream, and maybe a little smugness.

Comments

[Chandra]

This weekend?? No wonder Shae is such a big fun. You're amazing!

p.s. Do you think it should be "sits well" instead? I didn't do any research on it, but that part made me stumble when I was reading it.

OK. I did do the research.

http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~brians/errors/set.html

[Redswann]

Thanks for the advice on "sits" and "sets." I need to make you my blog editor. Really.
Well, I didn't quite finish the book. I'm trying to wrap up the final story and hit a wall. My goal is this week/weekend, before DMB. Something to celebrate!

[Jennie Burress]

I love love love short stories! Lately, I've been rereading Patricia Highsmith and Dorothy Parker- she's so funny & clever! I was telling jedd (who also teaches an English course at WSU) how I look for old collections at thrift stores and such: My favorites are 2 former textbook collections from the 1960's which have highlights and notes from the teacher and/or the student written in the margins!