A New Road in My Fiction

Writing a novel is one thing, but writing short stories, well, that’s something else entirely! I took up a challenge from my friend Jenn Hecker a couple of years ago and started writing short stories for Short Story Month (May). I submitted a very short story to my publisher that I had written years before while leading a writer's group at a local library.

The story is titled, Who Am I? I wrote it for the group to illustrate how a writer can use a very short space to write something powerful (and funny). Who Am I? was the beginning of what would become Priceless Words, a collection of short stories that I've written over the years, some specifically for Short Story Month.

In a novel, a writer has the space to expand his ideas. Writing short stories requires a very different ability to condense one’s thoughts—and make his ideas soar in a limited number of pages. But whatever the genre, a disciplined writer understands that it is not necessary to use several words when one will do.

I learned to write short form by writing commercials in radio broadcasting for 14 years, the last 12 years of which I worked in one of the largest markets in the U.S.  I also spent 10 years editing the work of other people in a business publication, served as editor in a magazine group for four years, wrote a weekly newspaper column for a couple years, and taught graduate students writing skills for 16 years at a university. All of this work and training taught me how to get to the point, make it, and move on. That was especially tough writing commercials, where the maximum word count in a 30-second ad is 75 words. Choosing the right word, phrase, and imagery is necessary to build a story in a brief space that will entertain the reader. 

I believe Priceless Words contains some of my best work. Huge thanks to Jenn Hecker for starting me down this road! I believe that you will truly enjoy these stories. Some of them are life-changing.

Stay tuned... Priceless Words is coming soon to your favorite bookseller!