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On Writing (And Reading) Short: A Science FIction Writer's Quest for Stories That Matter
When Ron Collins talks about writing (and about life!), I listen. On Writing (And Reading) Short is filled with wisdom, heart, and joy. Writers of all levels will be glad they read it
David H. Hendrickson
Award-winning author of Death in the Serengeti and Other Stories
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“I wanted to write science fiction, and The Novel and Short Story Market laid out facts about the market for such tales … the fields were lush, the game most definitely afoot. I mean, seriously. Add up all that space and you get literally thousands of short stories being published every year.
How hard could it be?
That peal of rolling thunder you hear is the combined laughter of every writer on the planet.”
So goes award-winning SF author Ron Collins’s sometimes humorous, sometimes heart-warming, but always true-to-the-bone ode to a life spent writing the short story. Specifically, the science fiction short story.
Using experience built through thirty years of publishing short fiction, Collins touches on every facet of a writing career, beginning with “Why the Short Story?” and progressing to “The Only Truth” that matters—as well as “The Second Only Truth” that matters. Inside, you’ll consider the difference between short stories and novels, partake in a few reader cookies, and even discover the only reason a new writer should decide to join a critique group.
And then there’s Write Club. We can’t forget Write Club, now, can we?
Other topics vs. Real JobsFinding Your BeatSpeed vs. QualityStalled WritersThe World of EditorsShort Fiction and the Indie WorldAnd a lot more!
All discussed with a personal touch that illuminates a life devoted to writing—and reading—short.
If you write short stories, or simply love reading them, this is the book for you.
David H. Hendrickson
Award-winning author of Death in the Serengeti and Other Stories
-----
“I wanted to write science fiction, and The Novel and Short Story Market laid out facts about the market for such tales … the fields were lush, the game most definitely afoot. I mean, seriously. Add up all that space and you get literally thousands of short stories being published every year.
How hard could it be?
That peal of rolling thunder you hear is the combined laughter of every writer on the planet.”
So goes award-winning SF author Ron Collins’s sometimes humorous, sometimes heart-warming, but always true-to-the-bone ode to a life spent writing the short story. Specifically, the science fiction short story.
Using experience built through thirty years of publishing short fiction, Collins touches on every facet of a writing career, beginning with “Why the Short Story?” and progressing to “The Only Truth” that matters—as well as “The Second Only Truth” that matters. Inside, you’ll consider the difference between short stories and novels, partake in a few reader cookies, and even discover the only reason a new writer should decide to join a critique group.
And then there’s Write Club. We can’t forget Write Club, now, can we?
Other topics vs. Real JobsFinding Your BeatSpeed vs. QualityStalled WritersThe World of EditorsShort Fiction and the Indie WorldAnd a lot more!
All discussed with a personal touch that illuminates a life devoted to writing—and reading—short.
If you write short stories, or simply love reading them, this is the book for you.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2023
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