The Art & Craft of the Short Story

The Art & Craft of the Short Story explores every key element of short fiction, including story structure and form; creative and believable characters; how to begin and where to end; and the generation of ideas; as well as technical aspects such as point of view; plot; description and imagery; and theme. Examples from the work of a wide variety are used. The author includes five of his own stories to demonstrate these topics.

Rick DeMarinis has published eight novels and six collections of short stories. His collection, Borrowed Hearts, won the Independent Book Publishers Award for best short fiction, 2000. His short fiction has appeared in such magazines as GQ, Harpers, The Atlantic, and Esquire. In 1986 he won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for short fiction, and two of his stories have been published in Best American Short Stories. He taught fiction writing at San Diego State University, and the University of Texas at El Paso.