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Blog āPosted on Friday, Apr 19

Some people see short stories as somehow lesser than novels: charcoal sketches compared to the massive oil canvases. But this medium, when written with great skill and care, is capable of having just as great an impact on readers as any 300-page tome. In just a few pages, great short stories can just as effectively make you cry, laugh, or even thinkā¦
In this post, weāre listing some of the most interesting short stories that will challenge how you think or feel.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great short stories out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized short story recommendation š
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Which short story should you read next?
Discover the perfect short story for you. Takes 30 seconds!
1. "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
First published in 1961, Vonnegutās satirical story imagines a future in which Americaās quest for egalitarianism has resulted in laws preventing anyone from being ābetter than average.ā Our title character is born strong, handsome and intelligent ā and in order to make him equal to others, he is given golf-style āhandicaps.ā He has to wear glasses that make it hard for him to see (and that give him headaches). He has to wear weighted clothes and a rubber mask to counteract his strength and good looks.
The US Declaration of Independence states as a self-evident truth that āall Men are created equal,ā but in Vonnegutās story, that idea is extrapolated to an absurd degree ā offering some answers that may be uncomfortable to us.
2. "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang
Better known as the basis for the film Arrival, this award-winning story from Ted Chiang is, in the best way possible, Independence Day for grown-ups. Itās narrated by Louise Banks, a linguist tasked with communicating with aliens who have arrived on Earth. As the story progresses, we learn that the aliens donāt experience time sequentially (one event at a time) but all at once ā they are as aware of the future as they are of the present. This insight forces Louise to face some heavy questions, such as: if there are creatures who already know the future, what does that mean for free will?
3. "Other People" by Neil Gaiman
This fan favorite from the American Gods author takes its title from Sartreās No Exit ā a play set in an afterlife where three strangers are trapped in a room together. Over the course of their increasingly antagonistic interaction, they discover that āhell is other people.ā Gaimanās short story gives this concept a sharp twist and focuses on the idea of guilt and punishment, presenting only two characters: a man and his mysterious, demonic torturer.
For a treat, why not check out this video of the author reading the āOther Peopleā in front of a live audience?
4. "In a Grove" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
A samurai has been found murdered in a bamboo grove. So opens the best-known work from Japanās undisputed master of the short story (the countryās leading literary prize is named after him, donāt ya know?). Through three conflicting witness accounts ā from a woodcutter, a bounty hunter, and an old woman ā the story raises the important question of subjectivity when it comes to how we perceive truth.
Akira Kurosawaās 1950 film adaptation, Rashomon, has since become a byword for stories told by multiple unreliable narrators ā but this is the story that started it all. Now the very device of retelling a story from multiple perspectives has become a trope in its own right, appearing in just about every cop show under the sun.
5. "Gooseberries" by Anton Chekhov
No list of short stories would be complete without an entry from the Russian master. In āGooseberries,ā which acclaimed short story writer (and Booker-winning novelist) George Saunders cites as a personal favorite, two friends on a hunting trip get rained on and take refuge at a friendās house. One of the men, Ivan, relates in disgust how his brotherās lifelong dream was to own a small estate and eat the gooseberries that he would grow outside. Ivanās anecdote soon devolves into a full-on screed about how the pursuit of personal happiness is selfish and disgusting. And thanks to Chekhovās skills as a writer, you might find yourself agreeing with Ivanās points. Not exactly a comfort read...
6. "The Swimmer" by John Cheever
Once called āthe Chekhov of the suburbs,ā John Cheeverās most compelling works deal with middle-class struggles. He was from a generation that grew up during the Great Depression but matured into Americaās post-war boom, with its picket fences, Coupe de Villes, and backyard swimming pools. And itās those very pools that factor into Cheeverās most famous story.
Ned Merrill is a respected member of his society in an affluent neighborhood. One summerās day, while lounging by his friendās pool, he spontaneously decides to get home by passing through every single swimming pool between there and his own house. The story quickly grows surreal and dark. But under the strangeness of the conceit is the fraught connection between wealth and happiness in this classic story of suburban ennui.
And⦠thanks to the internet, you can hear the author read the story in his peculiar New England accent.
7. "A Small Good Thing" by Raymond Carver
One of the many fantastic stories in Carverās Cathedral, āA Small Good Thingā finds a young mother and father in a period of shock when their son is left unconscious and after a hit-and-run. To make matters worse, they keep getting calls in the middle of the night from a shopping mall baker telling them to pick up their sonās birthday cake ā a cake that might never be eaten.
While itās true that a lot of short stories are smarter than they are humane, the final act of āA Small Good Thingā delivers a graceful moment of emotional truth: one that will likely stick with you for a while.
8. "The Second Bakery Attack" by Haruki Murakami
And, while weāre on the subject of bakeries, letās dip our toe into this story from Murakamiās The Elephant Vanishes, which also has a lot in common with a few other entries in this list. A couple of newlyweds in Tokyo wake up hungry in the middle of the night and decide to break into a bakery ā a plan that goes awry as they eventually raid a McDonaldās.
Elements of surreal humor are mixed with discussions of free will vs. determinism in a blend that will delight fans of Murakamiās stranger works. If you grew up with Reading Rainbow, perhaps you will enjoy this reading of the story by LeVar Burton.
9. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
A plantation owner and supporter of the Confederacy stands on a bridge, awaiting his execution by Union soldiers. Recalling the circumstances that led him to this point, the narrative jumps into stream-of-conscious mode as he makes his daring escape and begins his journey back to his wife and kids.
A 1962 French adaptation of Bierceās short story was aired in America as an episode of The Twilight Zone, which may give you a hint of whatās to come at the end of the tale.
10. "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
If youāve reached this point (and have been dutifully reading each story as they appear), then you deserve a nice, uplifting palate cleanser. So many short stories have twist endings that find our characters in awful situations that they had never expected ā which is why this classic from O. Henry is such a delight. The premise is simple: itās Christmas time and a young husband and wife are determined to find the perfect present for each other, despite their meager means.
Named after the author, The O. Henry Award is given each year to short stories of exceptional merit ā just one of the many short story contests that have been established to encourage new writers to pursue this medium.
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Looking to try your hand at writing your own stories? Why not give yourself a head start by using one of our pre-selected short story ideas. Or broaden your reading horizons by picking up one of the 100 Best Graphic Novels!
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Where can I find interesting short stories? āŗ
- Narrative Magazine. Narrative Magazine is a free space for readers to enjoy some of the best short stories, essays, and poetry written by both established and emerging writers. ...
- The New Yorker. ...
- Electric Literature. ...
- Wattpad. ...
- Granta. ...
- Tor.com. ...
- Lightspeed Magazine. ...
- American Short Fiction.
What Makes A Good Short Story? The four elements necessary for your story structure are character, plot, setting, and tension. Balancing these elements is the first step to making your creative writing amazing.
What are some short story ideas? āŗ- Tell the story of a scar.
- A group of children discover a dead body.
- A young prodigy becomes orphaned.
- A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost.
- A woman who is deeply in love is crushed when her fiancƩ breaks up with her.
- A talented young man's deepest fear is holding his life back.
- "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. ...
- "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. ...
- "Other People" by Neil Gaiman. ...
- "In a Grove" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. ...
- "Gooseberries" by Anton Chekhov. ...
- "The Swimmer" by John Cheever. ...
- "A Small Good Thing" by Raymond Carver.
- A Passage to India. ...
- Invisible Man. ...
- Don Quixote. ...
- Beloved. ...
- Mrs. Dalloway. ...
- Things Fall Apart. ...
- Jane Eyre. ...
- The Color Purple.
- The Garden Party - short story by Katherine Mansfield.
- The Three-day Blow [short fiction] by Ernest Hemingway.
- The Standard of Living by Dorothy Parker.
- The Saint by V. S. Pritchett.
- The Other Side of the Hedge by E. M. Forster.
- Brooksmith by Henry James.
- Novella. A work of fiction between 20,000 and 49,999 words is considered a novella. ...
- Novelette. A novelette falls in the range of 7,500 to 19,999 words. ...
- Short story. ...
- Flash fiction. ...
- Short Fiction Challenge.
- Overcoming the Monster.
- Rags to Riches.
- The Quest.
- Voyage and Return.
- Comedy.
- Tragedy.
- Rebirth.
While there are many different short story styles, here we will consider three popular short story types: lyrical, flash fiction, and vignette.
What is a good story to write about? āŗWrite about a time when your friends made you feel betrayed for the first time. Write about a journey to discover what happens when you reach the bottom of a waterfall. Write about the lives of two hamsters as they squeeze out of their cage. Write a story from the perspective of yourself as a 3-year-old.
What are modern short stories? āŗ
Modern Short Stories is a Pittsburgh-based "media label" founded by Steve Soboslai and Chris Fafalios of the Pittsburgh pop punk band Punchline and friend Amanda Yu. Its slogan is "Every song is a modern short story."
How do you write a short story when you have no idea? āŗ- 1 Get inspired by a song. ...
- 2 Reinvent a childhood memory. ...
- 3 Write about a person you see every day but don't really know. ...
- 4 If your pet were a person . . . ...
- 6 Grab a writing prompt to-go.
- The Elephant Rope.
- Kentucky Fried Chicken. The real-life story of Colonel Harland Sanders who was disappointed umpteen times in his life and still made his dream come true late in his life is really inspiring. ...
- Shark Bait. ...
- Thinking Out of the Box.
True life stories are relatable
True life stories on the other hand, give people something to relate to, no matter how extraordinary the story is: 'This actually happened to someone, you know. This could happen to you or me'.
Elephant And Ant Story
There was an anthill near the elephant's home. The elephant sprinkled the water on the ants to show off his strength. The ants cried but the elephant only laughed and told them to stop crying or else he would crush him to death. One of the ants decided to teach him a lesson.
Homer's Odyssey topped the list, followed by Uncle Tom's Cabin ā examples of the different ways in which respondents interpreted a 'world-shaping story', with the ancient epic having survived generations of retelling, while Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel was commended for being āthe first widely-read political ...
What is the number 1 book ever? āŗRank | Title | Author |
---|---|---|
1 | Da Vinci Code,The | Brown, Dan |
2 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Rowling, J.K. |
3 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Rowling, J.K. |
4 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Rowling, J.K. |
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." is a six-word story, popularly attributed to Ernest Hemingway, although the link to him is unlikely. It is an example of flash fiction.
What are the 10 types of stories? āŗ...
The 10 Types of Stories
- Adventure Story Type. Value: Life vs. ...
- Action Story Type. ...
- Horror Story Type. ...
- Thriller Story Type. ...
- Mystery Story Type. ...
- Romance/Love Story Type.
Many academics, most notably author Christopher Booker, believe there are only seven basic narrative plots in all of storytelling ā frameworks that are recycled again and again in fiction but populated by different settings, characters, and conflicts.
What is a simple short story? āŗ
The short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few significant episodes or scenes. The form encourages economy of setting, concise narrative, and the omission of a complex plot; character is disclosed in action and dramatic encounter but is seldom fully developed.
Is 750 words a short story? āŗPrecise word count definitions will vary, but as a general rule of thumb, a short story is anything up to about 7500 words (sometimes 10,000), with higher word counts typically called novelettes, and short novels called novellas.
What is a 55 word story? āŗThe goal is to write a story, in 55 words or less, to understand, appreciate or process something about the impact, response or practice of medicine and delivery of healthcare at this moment.
What are the 6 stories? āŗ- Rags to riches ā a steady rise from bad to good fortune.
- Riches to rags ā a fall from good to bad, a tragedy.
- Icarus ā a rise then a fall in fortune.
- Oedipus ā a fall, a rise then a fall again.
- Cinderella ā rise, fall, rise.
A novella is a fictional piece between a short story and a novel with anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 words.
What are 2 types of short story? āŗWhat are the different types of short stories? Short stories come in all kinds of categories: action, adventure, biography, comedy, crime, detective, drama, dystopia, fable, fantasy, history, horror, mystery, philosophy, politics, romance, satire, science fiction, supernatural, thriller, tragedy, and Western.
How many pages is 50,000 words? āŗA typical manuscript page (8.5Ć11 paper, 1-inch margins, standard 11- or 12-point font, doublespacedālike you would type in Word) is considered to be 250 words. So a 25,000-word manuscript is about 100 pages. A 50,000-word manuscript is 200 pages.
Is there only 36 plots? āŗSo are there 3, 7, 9, 20, or 36 basic story archetypes? Trick question ā they're all wrong. The correct number of basic plot types is 6, and we know that thanks to a simple sentiment analysis tool.
What are the 37 plots? āŗ- Supplication. ...
- Deliverance. ...
- Crime pursued by vengeance. ...
- Vengeance taken for kin upon kin. ...
- Pursuit. ...
- Disaster. ...
- Falling prey to cruelty/misfortune. ...
- Revolt.
- Stories have the ability to build and strengthen communities.
- Story Type #1: Origin Story. ...
- Story Type #2: Value Story. ...
- Story Type #3: Vulnerable Story. ...
- Story Type #4: Personal Story. ...
- When people start to connect with your organization's story, your story becomes their story.
What are the 9 types of stories? āŗ
- Overcoming the Monster.
- The Quest.
- Voyage and Return.
- Rags to Riches.
- Rebirth.
- Rebellion.
- Tragedy.
- Comedy.
A short story is a brief work of fiction, usually written in prose and running 1,600 to 20,000 words in length.
What's shorter than a short story? āŗA sketch story, literary sketch or simply sketch, is a piece of writing that is generally shorter than a short story, and contains very little, if any, plot. The genre was invented after the 16th century in England, as a result of increasing public interest in realistic depictions of "exotic" locales.
How do I choose a story to write? āŗ- Look Beyond the Premise. ...
- Realize Loving Parts of a Story Isn't Enough. ...
- Make Your Own Head Explode. ...
- Look for Characters With Strong Voices and Interaction. ...
- Look for a Bigger Story. ...
- Figure Out What Kind of Story It Will Be. ...
- Listen to Your Gut.
You can get compelling plot ideas by reading the news or historical texts or watching documentaries. You can also use an existing nonfiction book to inspire a fictional novel, short story, or script. Thinking more broadly, you can source inspiration from a podcast, a poem, or even a self-help book.
What should I start a story about? āŗ- Strategy 1: Begin with action or dialogue. ...
- Strategy 2: Ask a question. ...
- Strategy 3: Describe the setting. ...
- Strategy 4: Begin with background information. ...
- Strategy 5: Have the main character introduce himself or herself.
A short story length is typically around 5,000 words in length but maybe as long as 7000 words. Stories that range from 500 to 1,00 words are classed as flash fiction (here's a great example). Stories less than 500 words are considered to be micro-fiction.
What is a short story in 21st century? āŗIn terms of length, word count is typically anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 for short stories; however, some have 15,000 words and are still classed as short stories. Stories of fewer than 1,000 words are sometimes referred to as "short short stories", or "flash fiction".
How do I write a short story of my life? āŗ- Keep Your Readers In Mind When Sharing Your Life Story. ...
- Write, Write, Write. ...
- Think About Specific Events. ...
- How Do You Want To Organise Your Story. ...
- Choose A Theme For Your Story. ...
- Get Friends And Family To Jog Your Memory. ...
- Use Photos To Relive Your Memories.
Vignettes don't have plots. Stories can be a tour of a fascinating place, or can delve deeply into character without really following a plot.
How do you write a short story in real life? āŗ
- Dig Deep. Find a story worth telling. ...
- Remove Yourself. One of the hardest parts of writing a story about yourself is taking an objective look at your life. ...
- Start Small. ...
- Work in the Details. ...
- Research, Research, Research. ...
- Speculate Freely. ...
- Structure the Plot. ...
- Ask for Permission.
The wind swirled around me and the world went black... At first, I couldn't understand why I had woken up - then I felt the icy fingers close around my wrist... Walking through the graveyard, Katie couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched... "Surprise!" They cried, leaping out from behind the door...
Which is the best story in the world for kids? āŗ- The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The Moral. ...
- The Golden Touch. The Moral. ...
- The Fox and the Grapes. The Moral. ...
- The Proud Rose. The Moral. ...
- The Milkmaid and Her Pail. The Moral. ...
- A Wise Old Owl. The Moral. ...
- The Golden Egg. The Moral. ...
- The Farmer and the Well. The Moral.
- Cast a social net. I started with social media. ...
- Hit up HARO. ...
- Contact insiders. ...
- Call on PR folks. ...
- Use the Google. ...
- Ask your interviewees.
- Remember people. People like to read about other people. ...
- Brainstorm every topic. Each idea should lead you to another. ...
- Check the morgue. ...
- Keep an idea file. ...
- Observe what's happening around you. ...
- Eavesdrop. ...
- Embrace your creative place. ...
- Read everything.
- Reinvent a scene from a book.
- Use junk mail as inspiration.
- Invent a history for someone with whom you've lost touch.
- Eavesdrop on a conversation.
- Find a writing prompt and run with it.
- 1) IT'S YOU! Are YOU interested? ...
- 2) FRIENDS. Talk to your friends for a journalism story. ...
- 3) SOCIAL NETWORKS. The advent of digital media has completely changed journalism. ...
- 4) LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. ...
- 5) WEBSITE SEARCHES.
The best story is a well-told tale about something the reader feels is relevant or significant. The best stories are more complete and more comprehensive. They contain more verified information from more sources with more viewpoints and expertise. They exhibit more enterprise, more reportorial effort.
How should a story end? āŗ- 6 Ideas to Consider for How to End a Story.
- Conclude your story in a neat and tidy way.
- Leave your reader hanging from a cliff.
- Provide a twist in the tale.
- Play around with ambiguity and unreliability.
- End on an epilogue.
- Choose a cyclical ending.
- Story Ending FAQs.
Use these stories to give your speeches power and to connect immediately and deeply with your audience. There are five of these basic stories: the quest, the stranger in a strange land, rags to riches, the love story and the tale of revenge. Each has its own structure and its own situations where it's useful.
How do I tell a story without talking? āŗ
Consider the little details
One way to make sure your images are successfully telling your story is to draw with detail. Narrative details can be key in a narrative without words. Background elements in your drawing can serve as clues to the plot, or the character.
- Overcoming the Monster.
- Rags to Riches.
- The Quest.
- Voyage and Return.
- Comedy.
- Tragedy.
- Rebirth.
A story may be considered powerful if it fulfills the following criteria; the more criteria met, the more powerful the story: The story can be told simply and quickly. The story stimulates behavioural change and change in attitudes. The story has a huge budget.
How long is a short story? āŗHow Long Should a Short Story Be? The average short story should run anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 words, but they can be anything above 1,000 words. Flash fiction is a short story that is 500 words or less.
Where can I write stories for people to read? āŗ- Wattpad. Wattpad is a popular online publishing platform and book-sharing community where writers publish and engage with readers. ...
- Radish. Radish is a curated online publishing platform. ...
- Kindle Vella.
- Investigative journalism aims to discover the truth about a topic, person, group or event. ...
- News journalism reports facts, as they emerge. ...
- Feature writing provides a deeper look at events, people or topics, and offer a new perspective. ...
- Columns are the personal opinions of the writer.