Welcome back readers!👋🏾
Did you know that statistically you'll only read about 50% of this article? Sadly, our world is full of skimmers. We're all in a bit of a rush nowadays, and as result we really only consume the condensed versions of big picture ideas. The world has changed, so we need to change with it, in the digital age this means cutting content.
But we don't have to suffer as result of time constraints! Readers, the digital age has reinvigorated one of the quintessential American gems, the short story!
Advantages of the Short Story
Going digital has changed the game, short stories are back!
According to experts, the short story is making a comeback! Not that it ever really went out of style,😎 but it wasn't as mainstream as it has been in the modern realm.
Short stories offer a competitive advantage for two reasons :
Their Name
The Price
What's in a name?
With a short story, what you see is what you get, it's all in the name. People want content of course, but they want it to fit into their busy schedules, they don't have the time or bandwidth to download and read a Iliad length book anymore or just practice #timemanagement (oh, what's that?). We need something, short, and a little easier to digest sometimes, so we turn to the 'short story' to get our #reading fix.
The name says it all, when we browse available titles on our ereaders we may opt for one that has this in the description because we know what to expect and can be realistic about our reading habits, time constraints and available space on our devices.
The price is always right
Another crux for the genre, is the price. Obviously less isn't more in this instance. You pay less per page for short stories, barring you aren't purchasing a collection or collectible. In addition, most short stories are consumed digitally now, and if you've been on Amazon recently you'll notice the digital versions are always cheaper than the printed copy.
But wait...that's not all!
Another reason we love short stories is because we get to play with genres! You'll notice that many authors try out new genre's through short stories, they also offer little nuggets in between their big titles this way too. You can achieve a well rounded library by exploring short stories and as a bonus you might encounter something new and exciting. You may find a new genre you love without dedicating book length time to your exploration.
But we're seeing another shift in this niche as well, one that may set Marshall McLuhan- the media expert/guru himself spinning.
Another way to 'Level Up'
Marshall McLuhan was a brilliant philosopher, a man whose assertions still ring through time and place. He offered some heavy questions for the media realm and challenging media and the effects they have on society. Media, such as print, can become phased out, obsolete, but we still try to fit them in because they're comfortable. He questioned the logic of attempting to get old media to do the work of the new, but I bet not even he could imagine the creative ways in which we'd push that logic.
The medium is the massage- Marshall McLuhan
But what if we mix and match our mediums? Because short stories have gone digital we are seeing an incredible surge of reinvigorated, new and collaborative medias. Like the new mashups of interactive text, yes, you read that right! This isn't your old school gamebook like Goosebumps or Captain Underpants, "go to page 11 if you think Matilda should go to the cemetery" (90's babies should know what I'm talking about, those were the coolest books EVER🤓💗).
No, these collab's are mixing and matching visual imagery, interactive text, audio and much more... to be frank... it's an experience guys. Each media builds on the other, it's like getting the interactivity of gaming, the immersive experience of reading, and the visual stimulation of a piece of art all while plugged into the most epic movie score. It may sound weird but I'm telling you, it's incredible stuff. 🤯
Finally, the list!
As promised, here is a list of some short stories I love, check them out, they're a real mixed bag, old/new, realistic/fantasy, and even a bonus... because I love my fellow #shortstorylovers just that much.
References: Dietz, Laura. “The Short Story and Digital Media.”The Edinburgh Companion to the Short Story in English, edited by Paul Delaney and Adrian Hunter, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2019, pp. 125–144.JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv8jnzvj.13. Accessed 18 Apr. 2020.
McLuhan, Marshall, et al. The Medium Is the Massage: an Inventory of Effects. Gingko Press, 2005.
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