including, perhaps, the lit mag editors waiting for our submissions to turn up in their inboxes. However, as writers we can take steps to improve our odds of writing stories that gain the good opinion of many readers. In the end we did publish the piece, and that writer went on to publish a collection of short fiction-including the piece in question-to national acclaim.Īs readers we can’t always agree on what exactly makes a story great. Once, in my role as a lit mag editor, I felt strongly we should publish a story that some of the other fiction editors didn’t like. From these different perspectives-writer, editor, teacher-I can say that when it comes to short stories, beauty’s sometimes in the eye of the beholder. I also have five years’ experience as the managing editor of a literary journal and two semesters’ experience as a creative writing instructor for adults. I’ve been writing and publishing short stories for about 12 years now. What makes a short story good or even great? What makes it publishable? What makes readers want to continue reading? But if you’ve ever set out to write a publishable short story with little-to-no experience, you’ve probably found this process easier said than done. Publishing short stories in literary magazines lends us credibility and provides the validation boost some of us need to really call ourselves writers. You probably either love ’em or hate ’em, but there’s no question they take a great deal of skill to master. Ah, the literary short story, that enigmatic form.

Good short stories to write a paper on