Liz Williams' Fallow Sisters novels were my 2023 summer treat. When I learned that Bee Fallows is the main character in a short story in Williams' new collection, Back through the Flaming Door, my reaction? Gotta have it! I ordered it through Bookshop.org. The book arrived. Naturally, Bee's story, "Saint Cold," was the first I read. Now I've gone back to the beginning and am reading the rest in order, one every day or so. Besides introducing me to the range of Williams' imaginary worlds, they have made me think about a story technique.
All the stories in Flaming Door are fairly short—not flash fiction, but an easy read at lunch. What they generally have in common is a build to a single main action, a big turn, an ending with a surprise that feels right. Williams' novels are full of characters, incidents, and twisty plot turns. Here, she demonstrates that a short story, like an anecdote, can be very satisfying when it introduces an unusual character, builds an atmosphere and setting, sets a challenge, and, then, bingo! resolves it all unexpectedly.
For those of us who write longer fiction in its maximalist form, this short, unpretentious storytelling seems worth a conscious try. My guess is, it's much harder than it appears.