Short stories are like
overlooked diamonds in an ocean of jewels. Writing them is a skill that
must be honed, for writing a novel and writing a short are two very
different forms. Short stories are making a resurgence, and to make the
most of this, the Dahlia Press gathered writers from Leicester to create an anthology of shorts.
Based on the theme of Home, the collection took a variety of approaches to this. Whether it was the destruction of home, leaving one's home, or someone making a house a home, these stories are all emotive and powerful, drawing on a word that is heavily loaded with emotional baggage ready to exploit.
A particularly notable piece came from writer Jonanthan Taylor, who created a character failing to recognise her own home due to a medical condition, as told from a doctor's perspective.
All writers observed the value of each word in a short story and one compared short stories with a shot of vodka, giving you more of a hit than a novel could achieve with so few words.
Walking away from such an event, I realised that although a short story might be described as a sprint, and a novel a marathon, both Mo Farah and Usain Bolt have to train for months in order to compete. Just because one is shorter, doesn't mean any less effort can go in.
Based on the theme of Home, the collection took a variety of approaches to this. Whether it was the destruction of home, leaving one's home, or someone making a house a home, these stories are all emotive and powerful, drawing on a word that is heavily loaded with emotional baggage ready to exploit.
A particularly notable piece came from writer Jonanthan Taylor, who created a character failing to recognise her own home due to a medical condition, as told from a doctor's perspective.
All writers observed the value of each word in a short story and one compared short stories with a shot of vodka, giving you more of a hit than a novel could achieve with so few words.
Walking away from such an event, I realised that although a short story might be described as a sprint, and a novel a marathon, both Mo Farah and Usain Bolt have to train for months in order to compete. Just because one is shorter, doesn't mean any less effort can go in.
Dominic Gilmour
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