I decided to create a list of short stories that have
profoundly influenced me as an author. This is not a list of the
"best" or most "classic" stories out there, but simply the
ones that made me into the writer I am today. I strongly recommend them
all. Enjoy!
“Man from the South” by Roald Dahl:
The premise: An old man offers a boy his car if he can
light his lighter ten consecutive times. The catch: he chops off his
finger if he fails.
Its greatness: The twist ending (even superior to the
Tarantino film storyline based on it) and the twisted old man character were in
my head for weeks.
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe:
The premise: A man uses alcohol as bait to wreak his vengeance
upon his enemy.
Its greatness: I enjoyed following the anti-hero in his
quest for justice. Revenge is a great literary tool.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce
Carol Oates
The premise: A pair of unsettling men show up in a car to
take a rebellious teenage girl away.
Its greatness: It's creepy enough that it feels
"wrong" to enjoy this story, but Oates uses dialogue as hypnotizing
(spoiler!) as the antagonist himself. I strive to hook the reader like
Oates does.
“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest
Hemingway
The premise: A man's manhood is questioned when he runs
from a lion.
Its greatness: I enjoy the theme of "what a man
is." I enjoy Hemingway's stories, but often feel like they lack in
interesting plots. This story is one of the ones with a great plot in
addition to his terse style.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
The premise: Society handicaps the gifted and talented
people, and Harrison is not happy about it.
Its greatness: I enjoy the political statement in this
story, as well as the humor and drama.
“Games” by William Sleator
The premise: Kids play games with their younger siblings
in the car.
Its greatness: I related to this story as a child.
Sleator's tone with his siblings is hilarious, and I strive to achieve
something similar when I write about kids' shenanigans.
“The Ice Palace” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The premise: A woman falls in love with a man from the
north, abandoning her southern roots.
Its greatness: I'm not Fitzgerald's biggest fan, but I
love the way he captures the essence of north vs. south in this story. I
enjoy stories where the setting is a character (a reason I love Pat Conroy's
books). I also consider setting to be one of my weak areas of writing.
So this story especially inspires me. Although the protagonist feels
revulsion towards a region I love, I was able to identify with her.
Fitzgerald earns points for getting me into a story that demonizes one of my
favorite places.
“To Build a Fire” by Jack London
The premise: A man heads out in the Yukon in the -70
degree weather.
Its greatness: I'm not normally a "man vs.
nature" type of reader, but this story had me enthralled. The
descriptions of the cold made me forget that there was only one human character
in the story. It was good enough for me to read to my middle school class
and keep their attention. That's impressive.
“A& P” by John Updike
The premise: A boy gets behind a girl who enters a store
under-dressed.
Its greatness: The simplicity of the situation and
characters made me want to read Updike's other writing. There was
something intriguing about Queenie, the girl in the bathing suit.
“Donkey Greedy, Donkey Gets Punched” by Steve Almond
The premise: A man gets greedy in a game of poker.
Its greatness: This was a story that was simply
enjoyable. I had a lot of fun reading about the gambling, and it made me
feel like going out and playing the game myself. Obviously an effective
story.
“A Dark Brown Dog” by Stephen Crane
The premise: A boy with an alcoholic father takes in a
dog.
Its greatness: This is the saddest story I have ever
read. Crane is a master of emotion.
“The Cactus” by O. Henry
The premise: A man tries to woo a girl.
Its greatness: This is my favorite O. Henry story.
There are some twist endings you can see coming, and some you don't. This
was one that came out of nowhere, and I strive to achieve the same in my short
stories.
“Liar!” by Isaac Asimov
The premise: A robot gets involved in romance.
Its greatness: I never expected revelations and emotions
like this in a robot story. Definitely an underrated story in I, Robot.
I like the combination of romance and science fiction!
