tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post148884107751933477..comments2023-11-05T05:01:58.563-05:00Comments on Ward Six: What Makes A Good Story Collection?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-86784446334801135712007-05-20T12:05:00.000-05:002007-05-20T12:05:00.000-05:00"my favorite Updike story collection is his first,..."my favorite Updike story collection is his first, from the 1950s."<BR/><BR/>Mine too! His first few collections are all pretty good in fact.<BR/><BR/>Andrew, your blog is really interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-79271918122727465962007-05-19T19:42:00.000-05:002007-05-19T19:42:00.000-05:00I'll buy your book for sure!Also, on a related top...I'll buy your book for sure!<BR/><BR/>Also, on a related topic, one of my favorite story collections is called Bedside Tales--it's from the 1940s and has a ridiculous Peter Arno cover and a goofy, endearingly-retro-sexist introduction, something about how sometimes a man just wants to curl up with a good book. It's an anthology with stories from the 1920s-1940s by various authors--I think the F. Scott Fitzgerald story is my favorite--and is lots of fun. <BR/><BR/>And, speaking of Salinger, my favorite Updike story collection is his first, from the 1950s. But maybe just because it's the first book of his that I read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-16746190374157877692007-05-19T14:06:00.000-05:002007-05-19T14:06:00.000-05:00Hmm...perhaps what I meant was "pay scale." ;-)Hmm...perhaps what I meant was "pay scale." ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-34242479049497262612007-05-19T13:26:00.000-05:002007-05-19T13:26:00.000-05:00Hmmm... regarding the hipness scale, it seems shor...Hmmm... regarding the hipness scale, it seems short stories are where it's at right now. Every creative writing major I know only reads short stories, only writes stories no longer than 15 pages, and do not even desire to write novels. I have many friends who actually tell me they don't read novels, that story collections are where it's at. I think it has to do with our MTV generation; we're too distracted to invest ourselves in a novel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-36123096564217983982007-05-19T07:11:00.000-05:002007-05-19T07:11:00.000-05:00I've always been particularly impressed with "Uncl...I've always been particularly impressed with "Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut"...it's not one of the stronger stories but is has a really interesting point of view, an omniscience that never goes into anyone's head. It's like a camera. I keep wanting to try that, but I can never resist the lure of consciousness.....still, it would be a good limiting exercise....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-36396871709229405382007-05-18T23:31:00.000-05:002007-05-18T23:31:00.000-05:00I would write at length about this, but I don't wa...I would write at length about this, but I don't want to go over the reasonable length of a blog comment. <BR/><BR/>I'm currently doing a sometimes difficult revision of a collection that is a novel-in-stories. The reason it's in stories is because that's how it came out, and it was the only way I could write it, (I'm very unseasoned) but I think it is also because it's not strictly plot driven, but very heavily character driven because it's from the point of view of one character. I've always thought of traditional novels as being plot driven, while stories could be more character driven, so that's what I ended up with. It feels right, but then again I could be wrong. <BR/><BR/>Maybe it also says something that I love Jesus' Son as well. <BR/><BR/>I think one reason I still read Salinger's Nine Stories is because even if I'm not moved by the content of the stories any longer, I always learn something, or am reminded of a lesson I thought I'd learned about writing. At least for me, it had nothing to do with nostalgia, and more to do with how good the writing is. I particularly pay attention to how Salinger characterizes his characters with their actions and dialogue. The stories never over-explain, but you get a good picture of the characters.5 Red Pandashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625556395114591952noreply@blogger.com