An open door leads to infinite stories…

Over the past few years I’ve been honing my skills through writing short fiction.  This journey has produced a series of short stories and recently prompted me to create my own digital literay magazine. 

• The Stone – a digital literary magazine available exclusively through the Kindle App and seeking contributors from across the globe, both established and independent writers - was launched in December of 2011.
• In July of 2010, my short story “The Ballerina in Battery Park” was awarded 3rd Place in Scratch’s Spring Quarterly Contest.  A “first draft” was published online in the Spring of 2010 while a “final draft” was part of the Scratch Anthology Volume 3, available in print as of May 2011.

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To my fellow writers, please check out “The Outsiders” links on the sidebar for some great literary magazines, such as Philadelphia Stories, Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction and Narrative Magazine that are treasure troves of great stories and potential places to submit your writing. Many have frequent contests in addition to standard submissions.  You can also submit your work to The Stone!

Here are some past posts on short fiction from here at The Schleicher Spin: 

• William Faulkner’s Two Soldiers Shall Not Perish - pretty self-explanatory
• No One Said it Would be Easy – a look at editing and tips for writers (including more great links to contests)
• Bring out the Dead - a celebration of the short story form and the greatest short story of all time, James Joyce’s “The Dead”

Here are some of my favorite short story writers and their essential works: 

• Russell Banks (The Angel on the Roof collection)
• Ann Beattie (Park City collection)
• Raymond Carver (Will You Please Be Quiet? collection)
• William Faulkner (“Two Soldiers”, “Shall Not Perish”)
• Graham Greene (“The Basement Room”, “Cheap in August”)
• Shirley Jackson (“The Lottery”, “Elizabeth”)
• James Joyce (Dubliners collection)
• Joyce Carol Oates (“The Fish Factory”, “The Lost Brother”)
• Flannery O’Connor (The Complete Stories)
• Edgar Allan Poe (“Murders in the Rue Morgue”)
• Annie Proulx (“Them Old Cowboy Songs”)
• Kurt Vonnegut (“A Present for Big Saint Nick”, “Just You and Me, Sammy”)
• Richard Yates (“A Glutton for Punishment”, “A Really Good Jazz Piano”, “Oh, Joseph, I’m so Tired”)

I also consider the annual Best American Short Stories collection essential for any purveyor of the form or serious reader.  

Readers and writers alike are invited to share their favorite stories and writers, tips, links and thoughts on the craft through the comments section. 

- D. H. Schleicher