Fiction Packet #1 Post

The written word takes on many forms, be it a poem, a short story, an essay, or a novel, however, one medium seems to be quite popular with many authors in fiction, namely, short stories.  The short story is a very different style of writing from a poem indeed, as in a poem, all words are deliberate and they play with the conventions of writing in order to convey meaning and purpose.  While a poem can tell a story, that is not its main purpose, as a short story is arguably the most direct form of story telling and as a result, is quite straightforward and simple to follow, as it arcs in regular story fashion, (exposition, rising action, climax and denouement).  I enjoyed the short stories very much, as they effectively told their stories and conveyed their meaning.

The stories that caught my eye particularly were the Mystery Stories by Sharon Krinsky, as her style was unique and ultimately proved that a story does not have to be lengthy to be interesting.  In these stories, she essentially deconstructs stories that would normally consist of lots of details and adjectives, but instead includes bare summaries of stories.  She most likely does this to leave the details and meaning up to the reader, as she only describes a brief plot line of a single occurrence.  "I go to a restaurant that's like a nightclub in a 40's movie.  At my table are three white plates filled with strawberries.  No one else is there.  I am afraid I will have to pay for their dinners when they come back".  Krinsky truly captures a short story by making the shortest story possible while still providing a plot; she does not add descriptive or concrete details, so she allows the reader to figure out what she is saying.  She does this all while providing an absurd or convoluted meaning in order to force the reader to solve what she is attempting to say, if anything at all.

These stories were very unique and interesting, and ultimately set a standard for what a short story should strive to emulate.  A short story tells of a brief instance that occurs over a short period of time, instead of creating character development and building up the story for a long period of time.  That being said, a short story can be any length as long as it does not border on being the size of a novel or novella.  The short story can have many different instances, as long as it wraps it up or proves its point in a brief manner.