...short stories are the best place for young writers to learn their craft: to try out different voices and techniques, to experiment, to learn. And they're a wonderful place for old writers, when you have an idea that wouldn't make it to novel length, one simple, elegant thing that needs to be said.No, no, Neil, and No again. Short stories are not just the training ground for novelists, and they are not just the repository for ideas that don't fit the (implied) better form of the novel. These are precisely the assumptions that lead to the cultural marginalisation of the short story, written off as the poor cousin of the novel. The short story at its best is a high art form. A good short story can be harder to write than a novel, involving linguistic and structural intensity yet delicacy that require supreme authorial control. This is why we need to work to protect it.
Monday, September 19, 2011
With friends like these...
Two cheers only for Neil Gaiman's efforts on behalf of the campaign to save the short story on BBC's Radio 4. Short-story writer Claire Massey draws our attention to his foot-shooting defence of the form in the Guardian:
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5 comments:
And a full three to you!
I couldn't agree more, and I'm delighted I've seen others criticising this part of what Neil Gaiman said. I have to say I'm very enthusiastic about the future of the short - I've taken part in a large number of live evenings built around the short story and the crowds are increasing and increasing. People love the form. And absolutely - it's a completely different skill - it's the pastry chef to the sauce chef - utterly different processes
Yes, Dan, there seems to be s growing enthusiasm for the form, which makes the Beeb decision all the more confounding...
And I'll throw my hat into the ring in agreement as well. As someone who writes in many genres, I actually feel as if the one genre I won't pursue so vigorously is the short story, mainly because I don't think I'm particularly good at it, despite the fact that I write novels. The two forms have almost nothing in common and in many ways a short story is harder to do well than a novel. But I love them and admire those who can write them well, like yourself. Thankfully there does seem to be a surge of interest in the form now, in both readers and publishers -- despite the Beeb's decision, which also seems to make no financial sense as well.
I found your blog today,and happy that I did. Particularly enjoyed this post and your views. Dan's comment is absolutely right - utterly different processes. I predominantly write short stories and have written only two novels but I can honestly say the art is in the short story - to combine all the elements you need for a good story in a limited amount of words.
Probably truer of Neil Gaiman's short fiction than short stories in general. Smoke and Mirrors felt exactly like that compendium of half-finished bits and pieces.
Still, at least he's trying to garner support, and hopefully the BBC will cave in to public pressure a la 6Music. It's such an eminently 'listenable-to' form...
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