Reading in Public No. 21: Five questions I ask while reading short stories
Last week I had the pleasure of sharing a Q&A with debut author Kelsey Norris. Kelsey’s collection of short stories House Gone Quiet works in the way I like my short stories to work, carefully leading the reader through a series of questions and revelations and landing in a place that makes you say simultaneously, “what?!” and “ohhhh…”
In our interview (you can read the whole thing here), Kelsey shared some thoughts on both reading and writing short stories.
As a reader, I so appreciate being able to experience a complete and complex world in a single sitting, and I also think that short stories can give a little more leeway to literary weirdness–be it with premise, structure, or language. As a writer, I love the fact that a short story can maintain a really tight sense of rhythm within the prose. I can usually hear the sentence that follows the one I’m writing, and that flow combined with the fact that I typically finish the first draft of a story in a couple sittings means that the story usually turns out closer to what I initially intended than a longer work might.
I don’t write fiction at all myself, and I had never thought about short stories as capturing more of the author’s original intention than a novel might be able to. This is not to say, of course, that one format is better or has more value. In many instances, working through drafts and moving away from the initial seed of an idea is what produces a truly great work. But considering short stories as closer to an author’s starting point, that’s a lens I’m going to take with me and thinking of often as a short story reader. [If you haven’t yet, go track down House Gone Quiet…it’s perfect for this time of year!]
Inspired by Kelsey’s insights, I wanted to share some of my own methods for thinking through short stories. From my vantage point, it seems that more readers are at least open to engaging with or even absolutely loving short stories than was the case 10 years ago. This fall’s publishing schedule includes some fantastic collections from both big name and more under-the-radar authors. I’m not necessarily a short story evangelist, but I do think short stories are a great way to shake up your reading, experiment with new styles, and become a better reader.
If you want a master class in reading short stories, you can’t do better than George Saunders’ A Swim in the Pond in the Rain.
also writes a truly fantastic Substack about reading short stories that I’m hesitant to even tell you about in fear you’ll abandon mine for his. Still I love him, and I love short stories so I’ll take the risk.And if you want a short cut to becoming a slightly more appreciative short story reader, I’ve got you covered. These are the five questions I tend to ask when reading short stories.
What expectations is the author establishing? In my opinion, the best short stories do two things: establish expectations and then subvert them. So the first think I do when reading a short story is consider what the author is establishing early on and how they’re achieving that. Here are some of the expectations you might see being set by the opening pages of a short story: the story’s genre, the tone and mood, the type of characters you’re meeting, the world the story exists in, and the direction of the plot.
When and how are they subverting those expectations? While I try not to read any story just waiting to have the rug pulled out from under me (that can make for a deeply unsatisfying reading experience), I am keeping an eye out for subtle ways the author begins to subvert or challenge my expectations. Maybe I thought I was in a realistic story and then a horror element appears. Maybe two characters who seemed not to know each other actually have a past connection. Maybe the mood of the story shifts from placid to tragic in one sentence. These moments of revelation or subversion often the heart of the story.
What patterns do I notice? Where do I see breaks in those patterns? Seeking out patterns and breaks in patters is very similar to thinking about establishing and subverting expectations, but here I’m thinking more about the craft and the writing. Is there a word or phrase that pops up frequently? Perhaps a noticeable style of diction? If so, is there a moment when that shifts? Other patterns to look for may include figurative language, common descriptors, or even recurring events. I also keep an eye on leitmotifs, which basically just means any imagery repeated throughout the story. This could be a name, a color, a visual image, a sound, truly anything recurring that feels important to me as a reader.
Where is the story leaving me? The ending of a short story always feels important to me and I pay close attention to where the story stops. I mean this in terms of plot, yes, but also tonally and thematically. What is the final image? What are the final words? What feelings am I left with in the final lines and how do those emotions compare to the feelings the beginning of the story stirred in me?
Why isn’t this a novel? The most common complaint I hear from readers who avoid short stories—and, believe me, I’ve felt this way too—is that they want more. They want a longer story, more character development, a broader picture of the world the author is creating. What I try to do when I read a short story (and especially if I’m left wanting more), is to ask why the author may have chosen a short format for this particular story. What is achieved through a tighter lens? How might my lingering questions about the characters or events contribute to a thematic revelation? Considering how the form fits the theme can be a satisfying exercise as a short story reader.
I know these questions are rather abstract when pose theoretically. In an upcoming edition of Reading in Public, I’ll model how I apply these questions to an actual story. Until then, I’d love to know your tips for reading short fiction and some of your favorite stories or collection!
For more short story exploration, subscribe to the Novel Pairings podcast where we host book club style conversations about short fiction on the podcast regularly. Our most popular discussions include “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, “Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler, and “The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld.
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-Sara
I keep short story collections on my bedside table. They’re perfect for dipping in and out of at night when I’m tempted to stay up late with a novel. Plus they usually evoke more thoughts and feelings that help distract me from real world problems while I’m trying to fall asleep!
My husband and I just went camping and at our nightly campfire I read The Lottery out loud and then we listened to your podcast about it. It was the best night ever!! So grateful to be reminded of the beauty of short story!