Before you write, you gotta read.
Via amazon.com
If you're going to be an author, there are two things you need to do on a regular basis: Read, and write. One of the best ways to study the short form is to pick up anthologies. It's a good way to sample one story by an author before you go out and purchase an entire collection, plus you also get a variety of stories in a particular genre. Let's look at annuals first, those anthologies that come out every year, and then move on to individual collections.
Best American Short Stories (annual), Heidi Pitlor, series editor
This may be the most widely read annual out there. With stories culled from some of the top literary magazines out there (such as the New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The Atlantic) it’s important as an author of literary stories to know what is going on right now in contemporary literature. The biggest and best are in these anthologies, everyone from George Saunders and Mary Gaitskill to Sam Lipsyte and Alice Munro. What’s also compelling is that there are often selections that are taken from smaller journals, such as Hobart getting two stories in the 2012 edition. Guest editors also run the gamut from Stephen King and Raymond Carver to Margaret Atwood and Joyce Carol Oates.
Recommended for: authors who write literary fiction, are in MFA programs, and those that want the best of the New Yorker without the subscription.
Best American Mystery Stories (annual), Otto Penzler, series editor
What’s fascinating about the BAMS versus the BASS, is that these are the same elite authors you’ll find in our first selection, but on the crime and mystery side of the aisle. Often stories will be selected for BOTH of these anthologies in the same year. If there is great writing that is being done that is just a little bit darker and more mysterious, it often makes it into this anthology. You might see neo-noir authors such as Dennis Lehane next to literary voices such as Holly Goddard Jones, Joyce Carol Oates next to Michael Connelly. A good story is a good story, and these stories sometimes take more risks than the BASS. Past guest editors have include Lee Child, Lisa Scottoline, and Lawrence Block.
Recommended for: literary-minded voices who also enjoy a bit of darkness and crime in their writing, those looking for more mystery than introspection, and people who are constantly solving the movie in the first five minutes.
