by
Paula Gail Benson
With
so many activities as summer approaches, sometimes it’s easier to commit to
reading or writing short stories rather than longer works. July offers the
opportunity for a Camp NaNo experience and wouldn’t it be fun to try something
new and different, experiment with a genre you haven’t written before?
I’ve
been thinking a lot about short stories lately. At the end of May, we received
word that short story writer and longtime supporter of the short mystery
fiction community, Sandra Seamans, had passed away. I wrote a tribute to her
yesterday on The Stiletto Gang. Many of us credit Sandra’s blog “My Little Corner,” which listed story calls, as giving us the information we needed to
make our first submissions.
 |
| Joe Bunting |
Joe
Bunting, a founding member and author for the blog “The Write Practice,” has
published some excellent books on writing short stories. These are all
available on Amazon:
 |
| Tara Laskowski |
 |
| Art Taylor |
I
found two of Joe’s online articles in “The Write Practice” to be particularly
helpful. “Five Steps to Write a Short Story” has the following process: (1) be a reader of short stories, (2) start out by
summarizing the story you want to write, (3) then, write the story, (4) revise
and edit the story you’ve written, and (5) submit it for publication. In “How to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish,” Joe outlines seven steps: (1) write the story in one sitting as if you were
telling it to someone, (2) determine who the protagonist is, (3) list out all
the scenes in the story, (4) conduct any research you need, (5) write the
story, then rewrite and edit it, and (7) get the story published.
 |
| Barb Goffman |
Some
of the best advice I’ve heard about writing short stories has been at the
Malice panels featuring the Agatha nominees for best short story. From this
year’s authors, Leslie Budewitz, Susanna Calkins, Barb Goffman, Tara Laskowski,
and Art Taylor, I learned a great deal, both from hearing their perspectives
and reading their stories. One thing in particular resonated with me: Barb
Goffman suggested a year of reading a short story a day. What a great idea for
becoming familiar with style, craft, and the types of stories being accepted
for publication.
 |
| Susanna Calkins |
Where
do you find 365 stories? One good place to start is with the magazines and
anthologies where the Agatha nominees were published. Leslie and Tara’s stories
(that tied for the Agatha) appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, while Barb and Art’s were in issues of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Susanna’s
was in last year’s Bouchercon Anthology, Florida Happens. (Also, if you haven’t read them yet, there are still active links
on the Malice Domestic’s Agatha page.)
 |
| Leslie Budewitz |
On
Malice Domestic’s anthology page, not only is there a story call for it’s
upcoming anthology, Mystery Most
Theatrical, but also a list of the Malice Anthology Collection. By Googling
“Bouchercon anthologies,” you can retrieve a sizeable list, including the
Anthony award winning Murder Under the Oaks, edited by Art Taylor. Speaking of this year’s Agatha short story
nominees, how about checking out Leslie Budewitz’ and Susanna Calkins’
websites, which list out their short stories; Barb Goffman’s collection Don’t Get Mad, Get Even that won the
Silver Falchion Award; Tara Laskowski’s Bystanders,
winner of the Balcones Fiction Prize; and
Art Taylor’s Agatha award winning novel in short stories, On the Road with Del and Louise?
Sisters
in Crime’s online Guppy Chapter has a series of anthologies, many of which gave
members a first publication. (BSP: my “The Train is on the Tracks” is in Fish or Cut Bait.) Other chapters of Sisters in Crime also have short
story anthologies.
 |
| Gigi Pandian |
Gigi
Pandian’s The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories features nine locked room mysteries (including the Agatha award winning “The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn”). The Mystery Tribune called
Reed Farrel Coleman’s recent collection Short Stack “a master class in short stories.”
 |
| John Floyd |
How
can I not mention collections by B.K. Stevens (Her Infinite Variety), John M. Floyd (Dreamland) (in addition, John recently wrote a post for Sleuthsayers, “Anthology Psychology,” listing the themed anthologies where his stories appear), and Earl Staggs (Short Stories of Earl Staggs)? As a matter of fact, maybe that’s what I should
continue to do this summer, fill my messages with lists of short story
anthologies.
If
nothing else, please consider reading my tribute to Sandra Seamans on The Stiletto Gang. Although her story collection is out of print, I was able to find
links to a number of her short stories available online. Reading those, you can see
the skill of a true craftsman who loved the short story form.
