There’s
an old African saying, “You eat an elephant a mouthful at a time.” This means
that no matter how large the task, if you start it and persevere, you can
accomplish it. As this blog has a literary bent – i.e. it mainly pertains to
reading and writing – then this saying can be applied to both these pursuits.
The Writer
For
a writer, it’s a daunting idea to begin and then embark on writing an entire
novel, comprising anywhere from 40,000 to 150,000 words. Yet it only takes that
first step, that first word, followed by another, and so on.
Yes,
some of the words and ideas committed to paper or screen might not survive as
the work progresses, but that’s not important in the writing stage. It’s the
doing that counts.
All
you need is the imagination and the time; and anyone can make time, if they’re
determined enough.
The Reader
The
same goes for a book. Recently, I’ve read some thick tomes, over 800 pages.
Those pages have been read quickly, fortunately, because the authors have the
happy knack of making their narrative impel the reader to turn the page. Again,
time is the issue.
A
few years back (1995) I conceived of the not particularly original idea of
publishing novellas, under my imprint Manatee Books. These were 92-page
perfect-bound paperbacks, and I felt that they would appeal to busy people who
have little time to read a normal-length novel. Alas, I was lacking in
marketing skills and the Internet outlets were somewhat limited then, so after
only four titles I shelved the idea. Interestingly, Penguin took the same route
some years later, with several best-selling authors. Now, of course, novellas
and even short stories can be purchased for e-readers, so the market has been
transformed both in accessibility and reading-times.
This
is a long-winded way of saying that short stories can offer a great deal of
satisfaction. I was prompted to write this by a recent book review on
Amazon.co.uk (many thanks, jlbwye):
SPANISH
EYE
22 cases from Leon Cazador, private eye.: e-book here
Format:Kindle
Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stories
to keep you wanting more ... and more. Tales of reminiscence by a sleuth in
sunny Spain which ensure you keep your eyes open until you've reached the end
of one in time to let your head fall on the pillow - until morning. Thank you
Nik, for making my nights unbroken and worth waiting for.
***
A
book of short stories does that. You can indulge your reading bug and leave off
after one story. Come back for more helpings another time. The flow isn’t
interrupted by life or sleep. And, hopefully, there's that anticipation of another to read...
