This reminds me of two books I read long ago. One is Revenge of the Lawn, by Richard Brautigan. The other is The Other Side of the Mirror (original title: El Grimorio—in English The Magic Book) by Argentine-American writer, poet and critic Enrique Anderson Imbert. The former consists of mostly very short fiction. The latter contains some longer stories as well. Brautigan was a standard bearer for the counterculture in the US during the 1960s and 1970s but he is best known for his novel Trout Fishing in America. Anderson Imbert was a “magical realist “ in the tradition of Jorge Luis Borges. I doubt that either book is still in print, but you might find used copies on Thriftbooks.
I've transcribed everything down. All four points.
Start with a firecracker.
Expose all. Get naked, keep neat, and no fluff.
Resolve all in 1 quick para.
End with a spectacular gut punch of words.
By George, think I've got it.
Pretty much!
Your post was neat and comprehensive. I really appreciate what you did, not just the summary, how your focussed on the four main elements.
I taught composition and comprehension to 5 to 9 year olds.
It was so basic by comparison.
Thank you for the short story sequential cheat sheet.
I'm a panster, but I will try to follow your outline and edit to reveal the word jewels inside.
Thank you very much.
I'm a panster too. This story structure and outlining does not come naturally to me.
Well, as a fellow pantser, your article was brilliant to tick off the boxes of what is and isn't required in a short story. I can't thank you enough.
This reminds me of two books I read long ago. One is Revenge of the Lawn, by Richard Brautigan. The other is The Other Side of the Mirror (original title: El Grimorio—in English The Magic Book) by Argentine-American writer, poet and critic Enrique Anderson Imbert. The former consists of mostly very short fiction. The latter contains some longer stories as well. Brautigan was a standard bearer for the counterculture in the US during the 1960s and 1970s but he is best known for his novel Trout Fishing in America. Anderson Imbert was a “magical realist “ in the tradition of Jorge Luis Borges. I doubt that either book is still in print, but you might find used copies on Thriftbooks.
interesting I'll have to see if I can track any of them down
I made notes. Hope I can figure out how to translate it to my writing. :-)