Tuesday 1 December 2009

The Voodoo of Fiction

A recent Canadian article http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/11/05/an-eerie-short-story-gets-even-eerier/ sees parallels between Alice Munro's 2006 story 'Dimensions' (in her new book Too Much Happiness) and a murder, two years later, in British Columbia, where she lives part of the time. Men do kill their children sometimes, and their wives discover the bodies, and yes, those men hear voices and so on - but anyone can understand why Munro finds it difficult to read that story out loud. Sometimes it's hard to write certain things just in case you make them happen. There could be a story about that if I dare put the words down.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Ailsa,

    I saw your interview on The Short Review... and in particular was interested to hear if you had advice on how to approach a publisher with a short story collection. I have been writing stories for a long while and have had a number of stories published and have also been in this and that award - almost always coming runner up or just making the short list!! Anyway other writers have been saying to me now is the time to try to get a collection published - I have enought material of the right quality I reckon.

    Now I know the market is terrible - and am well used to the rejection slips - but what I was wondering was with story collection submission should one
    a) just order the stories in a way you like and sent it out
    b) just send a few stories (given publishers are often only looking for a taster)
    c) send all the stories but also send some brief descriptions of the what the stories are about.
    My stories are not linked thematically or anything like that ...

    Anyway I'd appreciate any advice if you have the time. Apols for posting to your blog but I couldn't find an email.

    Thanks in advance
    Kevin

    my email : kfdoyle1@gmail.com

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  2. Hi Kevin - just send the publisher a few stories and a list of where your work's been published, any prizes you've won and so forth. Good luck!

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