Saturday, March 7: Mississippi Mud
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
by John M. Floyd
To all of you who read short stories (and novels too), I’d like to pose a question: Why do you do it?
Most of the reasons are obvious, and have been covered to some degree in past columns: We read for entertainment, illumination, escape, mental stimulation, and so forth. But what, specifically, do you look for in a piece of fiction?
Well, here’s my personal take on that (and please feel free to weigh in with your own views):
1. Suspense. I like to read stories that have steadily building tension, almost from start to finish. And not just in mystery fiction. I think any plotted story, from romance novels to literary shorts, must have this in order to be interesting.
2. A likable protagonist. Hopefully someone I can identify with, but at least someone I can root for. I must want him or her to reach his or her goal, or to eventually understand why it can’t be reached.
3. A believable antagonist. Since the villain is at least as important to the story as the hero, I have to be convinced that the bad guy has a valid (to him, at least) reason for behaving the way he does.
4. Reversals. I love it when a story, or even a scene, suddenly takes a different direction. And not just at the end — I think this should happen throughout the storyline. It makes me want to keep reading.
5. Dialogue. I like to hear the characters talking things over. It’s a way of showing rather than telling — and it’s one of the reasons I so enjoy the work of King and Leonard and Evanovich and Francis and many others.
6. Humor. I realize that all stories aren’t funny, and aren’t supposed to be. But I think a little humor can be worked into almost any piece of fiction, in banter between characters, the protagonist’s attitude toward himself, etc.
7. A satisfying ending. As I’ve said before, I don’t think an ending has to be happy or surprising or even definite — but it must be satisfying.
Those are a few of my own druthers. Now, just one more quick question, and I’m done:
If you’re browsing in a bookstore or library and pick up a novel or a collection of stories written by an author you aren’t familiar with, what do you look for? An eye-catching cover? A specific genre? Interesting jacket copy? A witty title? A book that’s thick, or thin, or in-between?
The following is my list of those first-impression requirements.
1. A strong opening. I often check for an attention-getting opening sentence or paragraph. You can’t be sure the rest of the story will be good if it starts well, but you can be pretty sure it won’t if it doesn’t.
2. A lot of white space. When you flip through the pages of a book, white space means short lines, and short lines means dialogue. I like dialogue.
3. An interesting title. I can’t help it — I’m a sucker for good titles. This subject was covered in detail in our recent “roundtable,” so (as the drunk preacher said in “Cat Ballou”) I won’t inflict myself upon you further.
4. Stories that aren’t too long. This isn’t necessarily true for novels, but if it’s a collection I prefer that most of the individual stories be, well, short. When I leaf through it, I take note of this, and sometimes choose accordingly.
Are these silly guidelines? Probably so, to anyone but me. And do some of these preferences spill over from my reading into my writing? Sure they do. I enjoy creating reversals, and dialogue, and opening hooks, and humor, and endings that I feel are satisfying. I also like to try to come up with catchy titles and to keep stories fairly short. Does that mean all my stories are written that way? Nope. Every story determines its own length, mood, ending, etc.
I also should mention that I sometimes read and enjoy stories that defy almost all of the above rules. I loved Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, for example, and it had almost no dialogue and no humor. (Even its title was dull.) Another example: The Godfather, one of my favorite novels, had no really likable characters.
Also, while I usually prefer a simple writing style (Hemingway, Parker, Leonard) over a complex style (Faulkner, Joyce, Cheever), I think Pat Conroy’s Beach Music was one of the most beautifully written novels I ever read. And some mystery authors who use vivid language and imagery, like James Lee Burke and Dennis Lehane and Martin Cruz Smith, are among my favorites.
The bottom line is, I suppose I’m not at all sure what I prefer.
I just know it when I see it.
If your guidelines are silly, mine are too because they are nearly identical. An exception is one of the longest short stories ever written, Ring Lardner’s “Gullible’s Travels.” I never tire of reading it. Lardner, in my opinion, was a true master of depicting characters and it’s a shame he is all but forgotten. “Alibi Ike”, “A Busher’s Letters Home (You Know Me, Al)” and many of his short stories have seldom been surpassed in featuring unforgettable protagonists. Lardner seemed to do it so effortlessly.
Dick, I picked up a copy of THE BEST SHORT STORIES OF RING LARDNER at a book sale last month, and read “Alibi Ike” the other day. He did write some great shorts.
1. A strong opening.
2. A lot of white space.
3. An interesting title.
4. Stories that aren’t too long.
I am, in a couple of hours, going over to my gig as a volunteer assistant editor for a two-cent-a-word anthology. I have to tell you, John, as one writer to another, that the four things above my goals, what drive me as an editor, when I wade through the slush pile.
Sadly, #1 is usually missing, #3 is often absent, and you’d be amazed how many time #4 is violated. Ah, well. No one ever said it would be easy….
I am a Ring Lardner fan, too — in fact did a post here at CB some time back about him. As always, John, another great article! The only time I’ve ever heard anyone say a story was too short was when they wanted to know more about the characters and that, I think, means the writer was very good.