About These Stories

Illustrating their conviction that fiction-writing and fiction-reading are natural and mutually nourishing activities, the editors of ABOUT THESE STORIES: Fiction for Fiction Writers and Readers, have compiled a text of 18-24 short stories, many contemporary designed for creative writing or introduction to fiction courses. Each story is followed by an essay from one of the editors, suggesting approaches to reading, seeing structure and technique, and interpreting the work. As the editors point out, the stories included embody useful answers to questions important to writers, concerning plot, point of view, characterization, and atmosphere. They illustrate methods of dealing with fictional material that students can learn from and draw on for their own creative or interpretive work. The essays are natural responses to the stories they accompany, and will inspire story writers to write more stories and story readers to have their say in writing about these stories.