Wednesday, March 15, 2017

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SHORT STORY? by Cheryl Pierson



Do you like short stories? I love them, both as a writer and as a reader. I’m so thrilled that they’re making a comeback in today’s world! I remember as a teenager in high school English class, some of the short stories that were taught at the time. You can probably recall these classes, too—we read many short stories and novels that couldn’t reach into our world and touch us, not at that age.

It’s odd to me that had some of the selections been different, or more age-appropriate, this might have fostered a love of reading the short story rather than dread for so many. The essay questions at the end of the story seemed hard for many of the students to understand, much less formulate answers to in order to show what they learned from the story. As high school freshmen in the 14-15 year-old age range, and with our limited knowledge of the world, it was difficult for some to be able to grasp symbolism or foreshadowing among other story elements. I realized later on that some people never grasp it, no matter how old they are. Reading with that kind of intuitive understanding is not something everyone is able to do.

Being forced to read something for a grade rather than enjoyment was something I didn’t understand. For one thing, I enjoyed reading. As with any kid, some things held my interest more than others. But I never could fathom some of my classmates who actually said, “I hate to read.”
I had some favorite short stories, even out of the ones we were forced to read. Who could forget Whitney and Rainsford in Richard Connell’s THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME? Frank Stockton’s THE LADY OR THE TIGER? Or, TO BUILD A FIRE, by Jack London?



Those stories were what inspired me to want to write “like that” and I often wondered in later years, seeing my kids’ English books and the stories they contained, where our next generation of writers would come from? There was certainly nothing “inspiring” in those stories. I was wishing there were some of the stories from “the good ol’ days” in their books, even though at the time I had been their age, many of my classmates had detested those same stories that I loved so much.


But one day, my daughter came home from school and said, “Mom, we read a story today that was so good! It’s about a guy who is trying to survive in the cold and he tries to build a fire…” And a few years later, my son couldn’t wait to tell me about a story they’d read about an island, where men were hunted…


Not everyone who loves to read wants to become a writer. So I’m wondering…was there a particular short story that you read when you were younger that made you want to write? Or even just made you become an avid reader? Since so many of us write westerns, was there a western short story that influenced you when you were younger? The one that I loved was not really a short story, but a short novel, Fred Gipson’s OLD YELLER. In later years, another one that stood out was Shirley Jackson’s THE LOTTERY.




I'd have to say one of my all-time favorite short stories is Dorothy M. Johnson's LOST SISTER--this is a fictional story based on Cynthia Ann Parker's real life story of being kidnapped by the Comanche, and marrying a Comanche chief. She later became the mother of another prominent chief, Quanah Parker. LOST SISTER is a story that you will remember long after you finish reading it!

What's your favorite short story? It doesn't have to be a western. I'd love to hear what your favorite(s) are. My TBR list is bursting at the seams anyhow, but I can't stop myself from adding to it when I hear about MORE great reads!


I’m giving away a free print copy of one of my short story collections today, DARK TRAIL RISING. All you have to do is comment! Be sure and leave your contact info in your comment, as well!

Cheryl's Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/author/span/cherylpierson/span/a/div?tag=pettpist-20

29 comments:

  1. My favorite western short story, hands down, is "The Face" by Ed Gorman.

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    1. Hi Jerry, I'm going to put that on my tbr list. Sounds like you didn't have to even think about it!

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    1. Another one I have not read and will be looking forward to! Thanks, Mike!

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  3. "Paladin of the Lost Hour", by Harlan Ellison. I have not found any story that had/has such an emotional impact on me. I love short stories, but there is something special about this one. (It was also dramatized in 1985 on 'The Twilight Zone'.) Doris

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    1. Oh that title is enough to make me want to read it. Thanks for commenting, Doris!

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  4. As I mentioned in a previous post, Cheryl, I'm very fond of 2 Dorothy M. Johnson short stories - THE UNBELIEVER, which seems to be based on the life of mountain man Jim Beckwourth, & WAR SHIRT, about a white man adopted by the Cheyenne. 2 I'd like to read are the Elmore Leonard short stories that inspired 2 fine western movies - THE TALL T, & 3.10 TO YUMA.

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    1. Andrew, the Elmore Leonard stories are wonderful. They are also in an anthology of just his work. Doris

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    2. Thanks Doris. I believe THE TALL T one is called 'THE CAPTIVES.' Is that correct? Does the 3.10 story have the same title as the movie?

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    3. 3:10 has the same title, and yes The Tall T is from "The Captives". Doris

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    4. Andrew, the best I remember it is called Three-ten to Yuma (spelled out). And it's amazing that they were able to make a movie (either time) out of a short story like this--they added so much to make it long enough.

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    5. If you can get hold of a copy, THE TALL T AND OTHER WESTERN ADVENTURES (Avon, 1957) is a collection of three stories -- the title story, "The Man at Gantt's Place" by Steve Frazee, and "The Twilighters" by Noel M. Loomis. Good stuff.

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  5. I remember that English class and reading short stories in my literature book. Duel was my favorite. I had seen the movie, directed by Steven Spielberg with Dennis Weaver, and loved it. That's when I learned that a writer like author, Richard Matheson could actually create a thrilling read and have it hit the big screen--with a short story no less. Enjoyed the blog, Cheryl. Thanks for taking me back in time.

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    1. You're welcome, Cindy. So many good ones out there--and if you ever see a literature text book at Goodwill, etc. pick it up. You'll be surprised at some of the stories that are really interesting NOW as opposed to when we were in highschool and it was pure drudgery. LOL

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  6. Table of Contents for "The Western Stories of Elmore Leonard" https://library.villanova.edu/Find/Record/654350/TOC

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  7. HAYCOX: The CODE (FRONTIER 6-26) Young poke helps old Buffalo hunter; old man saves his life. Also, NIGHT RAID, from same mag, 4-29. Actually a Novelette.
    Good pulp yarns.

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    1. Those sound great! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm always on the hunt for more short stories!

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  8. "Genesis" by Wallace Stegner. This has to be one of the greatest short stories.

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    1. Lynn, another one I have never read. I'm getting excited to see so much good reading in the short story genre that I have yet to enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. My favorite western one is Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte. Always felt like that great John Wayne/Ford movie Stagecoach incorporated it a little in some of the characters.

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    1. Another one to be on the lookout for, Janet! I sure did love that movie, so will be anxious to see if I can pick up on what you mentioned.

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  10. On a recent trip to visit my family back in the Nashville area, I picked up In the Miro District by Peter Taylor. His stories concentrated on Tennessee, where he grew up. The title story was excellent, a tale of a man looking back on his relationship with his Confederate veteran grandfather in the 1920s. The old man scared him as a child but an event during his college career shifts it completely. Recommended even if you have no connection to Nashville.

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    1. Louis, this kind of story is right up my alley. I love southern fiction so much and have a huge fascination with anything with a Civil War connection. My mom told me so many stories of her grandmother who was born and raised in Tennessee at the end of the Civil War, and she was a little afraid of her, too, I think, but those stories stayed with her and she told me everything she remembered from their conversations. How I wish I had written it all down!

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  11. I would have to say, Ambrose Bierce's "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Brilliantly written and quite shocking at the end. When the short story was done on screen, I still held my breath, hoping the outcome would be different.

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    1. Oh, yes, Julie! I remember watching that in school. We were ALL shocked at the ending! And even though we knew what to expect when we read the story, it was still hard to accept. That was a great one!

      There was another story of Ambrose Bierce's that really stuck with me. It was in a horror collection I had at one time (very mild horror compared to some of what goes around today!) and I can't remember the name of it, but I do remember the opening line and closing line were the same--something like, "It was an old book, bound in red buckram..." or something like that. I remember reading that when I was about 11 or 12 and being blown away, but now can't remember what was IN the book! LOL

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  12. AND the winner of my print copy of DARK TRAIL RISING is...Janet Biery!

    Janet, if you will e-mail me with your mailing address I will get your book in the mail pronto!

    My e-mail addy is: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com

    Thanks to everyone for dropping by and joining in the conversation about some excellent writing!

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