5 Short Story Collections Every Writer Should Own
In his memoir on craft, On Writing, Stephen King wrote: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time (or the tools) to write.” Then goes on to declare, “Simple as that.”
This might seem like a no-brainer. Writers must read to improve their own work and become more generative with their ideas. But many writers may overlook this crucial step in the writing process.
We trick ourselves into believing that what we have to say is the only time it's ever been going to be said, that our words are the most powerful in the world. And to some degree, this naivety can birth greatness. Though it is dangerous to buy into it wholly.
While it might be “simple as that” for some, writers who are just getting started may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of books available to read. It’s hard to know exactly where to get started. Which books should we pick up and read? Which writers do we feel a kinship with, and whose content most aligns with our interests? Do we read novels? Do we read nonfiction? Short stories? Poetry? The options are seemingly endless.
So, to narrow the field a bit, here are 5 short story collections every writer should own.
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
A Manual for Cleaning Women has made its way on to numerous lists, and for good reason. Lucia Berlin’s writing is sharp and poignant. She has the uncanny ability to dive into heavier subjects while keeping it just light enough that it’s not repellant. With a wonderful blend of humor and melancholy, her stories span from a small town in Alaska, the American Southwest, all the way down into South America. Her world feels vibrant and alive; the characters full of life.
Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
In Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, Meloy’s stories carry great emotional power, written in a clean, assured style. She examines the tensions between having and wanting; her characters try to keep hold of opposing forces in their lives: innocence and experience, risk and stability, fidelity and desire. The stories are concerned with the complexities of modern love and the importance of place, and the battles and victories that exist in seemingly harmless places — kitchens, living rooms, cars — in the American West. It’s a wonderful study of fiction and the human condition.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
This collection by Raymond Carver doesn’t likely need an introduction. The titular story, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” has been widely read in high schools and colleges, but there’s much more to Carver’s work than this single story. Another collection set in the mid-West, it navigates the relationships between men and women who drink, who are down but not yet out, who are trying to communicate what is often difficult or too complex for words. Known for his sparse prose, Carver’s work has influenced a number of great contemporary writers; his understanding of how people communicate is top-notch.
I’d be remiss to mention Gordon Lish’s influence over Carver’s work. Though it’s up for debate whether Carver was that strong of a writer or if Lish’s edits made him into the writer we’ve come to know, it’s interesting to consider how editing a story can change it. With Carver’s work, you can go back and compare the two. Take his story “Beginners,” for example. It’s the version of “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” without Lish’s heavy-handed edits. It’s worth giving both a read and then comparing.
Delicate, Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
Though her latest collection, Florida, has received rave reviews, it’s not the one I’d like to recommend. Delicate, Edible Birds was Groff’s debut collection of short stories that look to the drama within the life of twentieth-century women. She shows insight and variety in her work, covering a wide range of characters, time periods, and places. The prose is sharp and intelligent, but not burdensome. It’s an engaging collection that drops you into the lives of others and asks you to understand, but doesn’t force you to. And once you’ve read through Groff’s first collection of short stories, then you can move onto Florida and see how she’s grown as a writer.
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Here’s another collection that’s earned its place on numerous lists. Carmen Maria Machado’s debut collection breaks down the barrier between genres. All at once, Her Body and Other Parties pairs together elements of psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. Her voice is distinct and uniquely her own. She writes about the realities that women endure and the violence inflicted on their bodies. Each short story is distinct: one reimagines every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to reveal the faults of our naivety. It moves from terrific acts of violence to intense and personal sentiments. It’s certainly a short story collection that all writers should own.
