time is fake, it’s APPROXIMATELY a year since my last short story rec post, have some more sff short stories I enjoyed over the course of the last year or so:
3.Words We Say Instead, by Brit E B Hvide About the bond between spaceship captains and their AI spaceships, after the war is over and the ships decommissioned. Makes me cry even on reread, which honestly, RUDE.
5.The Failed Dianas, by Monique Laban Diana has never been able to make her parents happy, and when she meets with the original Diana she’s a clone of, she learns a lot more than she thought about how she never will. Story #4 uses the idea of natural-forming clones to talk about the immigrant experience, but this one uses the idea of deliberately-created clones to talk about learning how to thrive after surviving a childhood with abusive parents. Satisfying.
6.Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather, by Sarah Pinsker The entire story is told through a) the lyrics of a “traditional” folk song, and b) the conversation held between various people on a music website analyzing the song. There’s plenty of questions left unanswered but enough is told to make some things very clear! I love it.
8.Tender, by Sofia Samatar A quiet, thoughtful story that’s much more about the main character’s inner life and of the building up of resonant themes than anything else. The main character tends to a containment facility for radioactive waste, and reflects on what her life was like before, and on her hurt friend. Highly effective at setting a mood and drawing you in, even though not much happens.
9.The Pragmatical Princess, by Nisi Shawl An entirely charming story about a princess who is captured by a dragon, and is maximum pragmatic about the experience. This story was originally published in the 1990’s, and it definitely does feel like it’s more in dialogue with the genre as it was at that time, but you know, I grew up with that era, so it felt pleasantly nostalgic even on first read!
The stories collected in Things We Lost in the Fire are about people in transitionary periods of their lives. Each of the characters in these gritty stories face a realization – a veil has lifted from their eyes – and they find themselves with the obligation to choose to act in response to their newfound knowledge or stay idle. Ultimately these decisions will come to redefine who they are and alter the rest of their lives.
Mariana Enríquez’s writing is fretfully grim and unsettling. I’ll definitely be on the look out for the next translated Enríquez collection to hit the shelves.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A disgraced knight wanders the slums after failing to protect the princess in his charge. Astonished by the selflessness of a blind child, he begins to contemplate why knights must exclusively pledge themselves to nobles.
“Oh, she’s not dead.”
The profound silence that received his words made him wary. Already ser Lyrian felt as if so much of his world had come crashing down, and not for the reasons he’d ever expected. But more and more he was beginning to realize there was a whole lot going on beyond his helm and shield that he’d never really noticed, but which had noticed him entirely too well.
Summary: Dulce is a Hero. The people who made her one better hope they never see her again. TW: mentions of violence, ptsd, panic attacks
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She is a villain when the adventure is over. It creeps up on her slowly. The shortened temper, the unnatural laughter, the darting eyes. She looks up at the corners of rooms for demon bats that don’t exist in this world and claws at her own flesh when she doesn’t find them.
Her companions come find her six months afterwards.
What does it look like, a prince and a knight and a mage walking into a McDonald’s? It’s 1 am, closing time, when she finds out.
“Dulce!” Prince Amor clanks through the fronts doors. He’s wearing the Royal Armor, the set that seems to glow from within with the Holy Light of his Blessed Ancestors. The crown on his head is as gold as his eyes. Everything about him looks fake under the artificial dining room lights, but he doesn’t notice. His golden eyes are locked on her. “At last, we’ve found you!”
She’s covered in a fine mist of oil, slashes of burns from the heat lamps marching up her arms. Her black pants are grey under a dusting of spilled flour and she knows her short, brown hair is frizzed up after her eight hour shift. She blinks at the three walking into the dining room and can’t find the words.
“I told you I’d find her,” Mage Kira says proudly. Her black dress looks like it belongs in a gothic version of the Nutcracker. She waves her flowering wand over her head. “Dulce’s magic has always been so distinctive, I knew it would be easy to find her in the Mundane World!”
Mundane world, Dulce thinks. That’s what they think of Earth. Mundane. Run-of-the-mill.
Not special.
Not worthy.
Dulce’s stomach cramps so badly that she sways on the spot. Why did she send the other girl home? Things would be so much easier if she had another human here.
Thank you for all your wonderful entries last week! We loved reading all of them ^^ (If we missed your entry, please let us know)
Consider checking out your fellow writers’ pieces, give out those likes and reblogs and gather some inspiration for the new prompt dropping at 12 pm CET!
Lovely freaks, I believe most of you remember the squirting vid I posted to celebrate hitting 2000 followers. The video was originally made for Greg Tanner whom I also mentioned in the post. After this Greg received many message asking him about his writings so I finally managed to convince him to make his own tumblr where he can post short stories. The page is now up and running with all original stories by Greg Tanner himself and me as editor in chief. I hope you will enjoy his writings as much as I do ;-)
During July I finished “Blind Willow Sleeping Woman”. It took me a while because I didn’t read the book for like 2 weeks. I enjoyed the book overall a lot.
Ittaught me lots about people, Japan (like geography), their culture and left me with many thoughts.
July passed by way too fast. Again another month is approaching us.
Sharing some snippets of “Birthday Girl” with a quote translated by me (picture on the right, above the bookmark). I already read 10 short stories! They’re bizarre and I reason a lot while I read.
“What I mean is […] that a person, even if all their wishes are granted, can’t be more than they are. This is all.”
I love this quote because it tells me, that we are enough, our being is enough and don’t need “wishes”, something big, to feel or become complete.
I started reading “Blinde Weide, schlafende Frau” - “Blinde Willow, sleeping woman”. It’s a collection of short stories. I read four, I think, and liked Birthday Girl the most so far! I love how I learn about people, culture and writing!
May was filled with reading, which I love and do way too little.
I finished reading the short story collection “after the quake” and finally (!!) finished “the wind-up bird chronicle”. I just enjoy bizarre stories. Now I can read on “Kafka on the Shore”. I put many post-it notes in this book because I like so many quotes. Or they make me think. Or both! I’m happy that I have time to read!
I sit down, mind filled with swirling thoughts, trying to regain the sense of calmness. I breathe softly as I’ve finally settled, quickly finding myself searching ways for improvement. I remind myself that no corner of me can be left ignored while doing so. Before I know it, evaluation begets validation, and I’m going off into how terrible and worthless I am. When I get to my feet again, only then do I realize how much time I’ve spent so focused on my faults, and that I’ve degraded myself down to dust without any recognition for what I had learned from them.
‘Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They’re journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.’ - Neil Gaiman
Short stories are often more focussed than longer works of fiction, and so all the elements within them must work together towards the common goal. Often they’re more powerful because of this, as everything is focussed on the main theme or mood, making them an excellent form to communicate a single idea quickly.
How long is a short story?
Most short stories are between 1,000 and 5,000 words long. Flash fiction is shorter, often as little as five words long.
Find a simple idea
You don’t have time in a short story for overly ambitious plotlines or back stories. The most successful short stories often use the mundane to craft a story that reveals something powerful/terrifying/magical/humorous in the everyday. Focus on a single character, event or setting and keep your scope narrow.
Have a clearly defined mood or feeling
Your point should be cohesive, so ensure you know the mood, idea or emotion you wish to communicate (or combination of these) and reflect it throughout your writing.
Eavesdrop and steal
Note down things you hear or see in your everyday life that spark your imagination, and come back to them later. Short stories often begin with a single image or funny character.
Know what you want to say
What do you want people to feel and think whilst reading your short story? Why are you writing it? What is the primary idea you’re communicating? Ensure everything works towards communicating this theme. I always think a short story has less of a responsibility to entertain in the same way a book does, and more of a duty to enrapture.
Present the small as significant
You have the ability to surround everything you write about with a feeling of importance. Use clear, descriptive language and focus in on the unusual details to present the small - which is probably all you’ll have time for - as just as significant as the mighty. Even the smallest, most mundane subject can be depicted as important.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with structure and form
Short stories don’t have time to take on the shape of a classic narrative. This means you can play around with chronology and point of view, making it a great opportunity for experimentation. Take risks; try something new. If you’re not asking for much of your readers’ time, they’re more likely to go along with an unusual storytelling style.
Consider starting your story in medias res
You don’t have a lot of time for exposition, so it’s a good idea to begin in the middle of the action and fill in details later. This takes you straight to your important scene.
Everything must be vital
Read every sentence and ask yourself whether it really needs to be there. Does it serve the higher purpose of fulfilling your story’s mood/theme? As Edgar Allen Poe once said 'a short story must have a single mood and every sentence must work towards it.’
Backstory is rarely needed
Your characters should be like icebergs: you show enough of the surface for people to infer what’s going on beneath for themselves, without spoon-feeding your readers every single detail. Let them reach their own conclusions. Ambiguity is a great tool in short stories.
Have a strong ending
This should clarify your mood/theme and serve to tie together the story, making it clear how each element worked to serve this single purpose. The most compelling endings often focus on the characters and how they’ve changed. Maybe they have a profound realisation and change for the better, or become more cynical, or it’s revealed that they were the villain all along. Whatever your ending focuses on though, it should make the story feel complete. Personally I love ambiguous endings where the readers have to decide what the message is for themselves.
Edit ruthlessly
Refine the central idea of your story and remove things that don’t serve a purpose. Ensure the words flow, that the main emotion is as intense as it can be, and that the plot is well paced.
Trust in your readers
It might not be your cup of tea, but often the most successful stories never make it clear exactly what their message is. The writer leaves it up to the readers to decide for themselves and the final line is usually well-placed and allows for different interpretations. Remember that your readers can pick up on nuances and trust in their ability to understand implications. Make your writing precise but don’t make it obvious.
I’m a girl based in cleveland, ohio (USA) who is attempting to put a zine together. i don’t have enough contributors or material to make anything of much interest, so I’m turning to the internet for help! if you want to be published in a silly cleveland zine, send me some originalart, writing, helpful tips, personal experiences, or funny jokes. everything you send in will be attributed to you, and you’ll really be helping me out! send your name, title, or pen name, and if your comfortable, age and state/country
Thank you for all your wonderful entries last week! We loved reading all of them ^^ (If we missed your entry, please let us know)
Consider checking out your fellow writers’ pieces, give out those likes and reblogs and gather some inspiration for the new prompt dropping at 12 pm CET!
