First Fiction
All of us who read the slush at One Story do so in the hopes of finding that new, unique voice. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. When I first started as a reader, I found Patrick Somerville’s story, Trouble and the Shadowy Deathblow. A few years later, when his short story collection had been published, he told me that he owed it all to his appearance in One Story.
When aspiring authors approach me, the most popular question is: “Do you really find stories from blind submissions?”
The truth is, yes. We read every submission hoping to find a great new writer.
I found this blog entry today about a book I had never heard of before. It’s called First Fiction, and it’s an anthology of the first published short stories by famous writers. We never think of people like John Cheever and Eudora Welty as new writers, sending out that first story into the world, hoping to catch the attention of an editor. I quickly ordered the book, which is out of print, but I found it here and here.
It will be an interesting exercise to see how I would have judged these stories. And I think it’s an interesting book for anyone who enjoys short stories.
Popularity: 47% [?]
What an awesome book! I’ll have to order a copy. Just last night I was approached by a guy who wanted “to try and write a short story” and asked what advice I could give him. “Read short stories,” I answered, “as many as you can.”
I’ll have to reference this book. It’s always a good learning experience to see the masters when they were novices.
Comment by Autumn — April 26, 2008 @ 9:12 am