The Short

I've always been a fan of deep plots, characters you feel connected to, stories that last. Those preferences have led me away from short stories and into long form novels. But recently I began to wonder if I've been missing out.

With that in mind I dipped into a few short story collections; Louis L'Amour, the works of Flannery O'Connor, even the Brown Dog novellas by Jim Harrison. I enjoyed several of these, and it got me thinking-- why not write my own shorts? Occasionally I get a moment; in-between edits, waiting on a cover artist (like I am right now), or spare time during a vacation.

And so I started.

I wrote my first short story "The Rope Gently Creaking," which I’ve shared with my email subscribers at orrinrussell.com.

I would love to hear feedback, even from non-subscribers. How do you feel about short stories in general? What would you like to get out of a short? Do you have any ideas that you'd like to see transformed into story?

My long-term goal would be to write short stories whenever I find those free moments, and eventually come up with a collection. This is still years away, but here and there I would definitely send out a free story to my subscribers like I'm doing today.

Hope you enjoy it!

Orrin Russell