Thomas Fox Averill on Short Fiction

I love short stories--both reading and writing them. I can read through from start to finish on my lunch break or listen to a tale in the car, on my drive to work. As a writer, I can explore an idea or possibility in 10 pages, making every word count. Thomas Fox Averill, author of Ordinary Genius, agrees. An O. Henry Award winner, Averill has published three collections of short stories himself.

"I love reading short fiction for the complete absorption—the one sitting, the tightness of the language (no wasted words), the satisfaction of a complete, intense experience," Averill said. "The novel has to be read piecemeal, therefore episodically, but the short story IS the episode."

Averill notes that for novelists, writing short fiction sharpens skills that translate into the longer form.

"The writing is similar, going from the usually capacious first draft, then understanding what I’m really doing, then getting rid of anything that does not contribute—a winnowing of character, scene, sentence and words. This tightness makes me a better writer of novels, too."

Your library has a fantastic collection of short fiction in print, audio and digital formats. Averill recommends the Best American Short Stories anthologies.

"I think it’s the best way to get to know what’s going on in fiction these days. The stories do not fit any particular style or school, they are just really fine stories that everyone should read. From those pages, I’ve come to admire T. C. Boyle, Ron Carlson, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Karen Russell, Junot Diaz, Gish Jen, Laurie Moore, Alice Munro, George Saunders and Antonya Nelson (who grew up in Wichita)."

Check out the bookshelves below for more recommendations for books of short stories and on the craft of writing available from your library.