Amusing Readers
Supporting Writers
Short stories - Why we need to support
the magic of short fiction
A foreword by Carola Kolbeck
As I look at my crammed bookshelf, I find myself sure of the fact that
I have most genres represented. There are romantic comedies, chick lit, coming of age stories, dramas, novels and novellas, thrillers, detective stories, utopian tales and biographies. Next to self help books and travel guides, dictionaries and academic giants are the classics which I can’t bear to part with, as well as coffee table books filled with the most extravagant and lush images, feasting my eyes so I get lost in them for hours. Having recently written and submitted my fair share of short stories, I am surprised that my collection of this genre is meagre. I own two volumes of classic Greek tales, one collection of traditional Chinese stories and one of classic British short stories. I move on to my children’s overflowing bookshelves and am surprised to find book upon book of collections of stories. Bedtime stories, fairy stories, princess stories, Grandma’s story collection, the Christmas story collection, classic fairy and traditional folk tales, Disney stories; I stop counting when I notice that I’d be there for a while.
I ask myself why this exceptional form of literature isn’t quite as prevalent in our homes, on our tablets, Kindles and other devices. Having read biographies of many famous and well-known authors, most of them have written their fair share of short stories: Margaret Atwood, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Roald Dahl, John Steinbeck and George R.R. Martin, to name a few. A recent online poll amongst the Instagram reading community revealed that most readers would be willing to buy short stories but the amount they would pay for a collection was limited. This was surprising, given that short stories are the perfect fit for our busy, at times chaotic and ever-changing lives. Short stories are the perfect companion on a train journey, during those times waiting in a queue or for public transport, before bedtime, during a quick lunch hour or as a ritual before bedtime. They stop us from giving up on a book half way through because life takes over, they let us dream and entice us to spin the story further and may be triggers to get our own creative juices flowing. The art of the short story should not be dismissed, and short story writers deserve a fair price and the same acknowledgement as any other writer. They create the same magic, only in bite size format, feeding us little pleasures to brighten our days.
Let's revive the magic of short stories and reward the inspiration of authors, writers, and creatives wordsmiths. Too many site are giving away their work - we hope you might share the recognition and not mind spending a few pennies buying their stories.
Simple acts like sharing links, posts, or being wonderful and buying from our growing collection of short stories. Which means you are not only investing in the future of writers, but also in sustaining the future of short fiction.
BIG Thank You for believing in us.
We hope you enjoy the taste of many small flights of fancy, delighting and enchanting fiction-ary moments within your daily chores.
