Good morning, Saloners!

I must admit that I have never felt as comfortable with short stories as I do with novels. The problem with short stories, it eventually occurred to me, is that they are always presented in an anthology or magazine. With that format, it’s hard to appreciate the structure of an individual story. When you’re reading a novel, you simply can’t help sensing when you are halfway through, or getting close to the end, just by the thickness of the stack of remaining pages. I would argue that this sense of “where we are” affects our understanding and appreciation of stories more than we may realize. In fact, I always feel disgruntled when a novel ends before I think it’s going to, for example, when the publisher includes the first chapter of the author’s next book as a teaser. Man, I hate that.

Anyway, once I realized this, I started wishing that I could read stand-alone short stories. I had this little fantasy in the back of my mind for a long time before I learned that such a thing actually exists. It’s called One Story. You subscribe and every three weeks they send you a single short story. It’s printed like a pamphlet, and you can totally gauge “where you are” by the thickness of the remaining pages. Problem solved.

I love reading these. Not only has their unique format totally confirmed my theory, but there is a lot of variety and interest in the stories themselves. They never repeat an author, and they are always good. Plus, and this is the best of all, these little pamphlets fit neatly in your purse or pocket. You can carry one with you at all times because you never know when you might want to whip one out and start reading. Dentist’s office, playground, auto mechanic… they’re perfect!

What about you? What are your thoughts on novels versus short stories?