I have a secret love of short stories, especially science fiction. High on my list of favorite books are compilations of little-known authors’ short stories. I like novels, as well, but short stories have so much more freedom to explore. A novel has to appeal to a large enough audience to be worth the sometimes huge investment of the author (writers have to eat, too, you know), but a short story might be dashed out in a day or two. This means that the ideas that never quite make it, the ones even the author can’t imagine enough of to make a full-length novel, show up in short stories.
Then there are the stories that would tick you off if you spent a few hours reading, but a few minutes delight you. The Last-But-One Question
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The beauty to explore.. and that, my friend, is why you need to get out of mass market junk, and get into literary fiction.