Short stories are sly - Donal Ryan on the short story

Our competition judge shares some wisdom on short-form fiction

Donal Ryan image by Anthony Woods

I’ve been very fortunate to meet Donal Ryan, our competition judge, a few times, and to have discussed his writing and mine with him. It’s spellbinding, honestly, to hear him talk about the craft of short and long-form fiction. His advice and suggestions are practical and applicable, and he is sincere and generous in his support of up-and-coming writers, including me.

So today, I asked Donal if he could send me his thoughts on the short story, and he was happy to do so. Below is the first extract. I’ll share more of Donal’s thoughts very soon!

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“Short stories are sly. They act all benign and friendly and companionable and then when you’re happy and relaxed and your guard is down they grab you in a headlock and fling you to the ground and sit on your chest laughing at you until you cry.

Some of that isn’t actually hyperbole. I have found myself close to crying, grieving for my deceased confidence, the evanescence of my ability to form words into coherent sentences. That craic never lasted too long, though. Anne Marie was usually on hand, or nearly home, and she always copped me on to myself, firmly and kindly. Donie, love, stop acting the fool. Stop talking bollocks. Finish the story. Stop worrying about stupid things. People are starving in this world. People are being murdered. None of your problems are actually problems. This was always the message, if not the exact words. She’d sit me back up at the kitchen table and log me back in and sit beside me until I was happy again, and typing.

Anyway, the main thing is not to worry. Enjoy the process of finding your voice, finding out what kind of writing works for you. We all attempt to be polymaths starting off, borrowing from here and there and letting all sorts of diverse influences and artistic considerations inform our styles. Keep it simple and true. Frank McCourt writes beautifully of this in Teacher Man, a book that should be read by all young writers and all teachers of creative writing.”

Donal Ryan

I’ve written on this topic of struggle a few times in Frazzled Lit. Like Donal, my confidence sometimes vanishes, and I find each new sentence a trudge rather than a joyful exploration. In fact, I’m going through it right now, and wish I had an Anne Marie to tell me to pull my shit together, and keep things in perspective.

We all need cheerleaders from time to time, and that’s our job here at Frazzled Lit, to cheer on every artist we interact with, to celebrate their efforts and their work, and to create a safe and welcoming space for artists of every persuasion, from every part of the world.

So here’s Donal and the whole Frazz Team cheering you on today, regardless of how you may feel!

Get going, get that darned story written, and send it into the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award. We can’t guarantee you will win, but we do promise to treat your work with the love and respect, artist to artist, that it has earned and it is due!

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Have you read Donal Ryan’s short story collection, A Slanting Of The Sun? If not, I most highly recommend it!