A Short Story Writer's Companion

It didn't knock my socks off, but I suppose reference books aren't really written for that! I liked this book overall and would give it more stars except for the feeling of disjointedness it had. It didn't flow from one part to the next very well. Bumpy. Needs a warm iron. However, the ideas and points he makes are very good and I will keep this on my bookshelf and refer to it since the information inside is valuable. Besides his own advice, he includes tidbits of wisdom from authors like Flannery O'Conner, R. Carver and John Gardner,etc. Mr. Bailey references scenes from many stories by a variety of classic authors and dissects their writings, which to me is the most useful. The author comes across as a compassionate teacher, one who enjoys teaching and wishes to help us become better writers. From reading his own included short story, Snow Dreams, you'll discover he is a very talented writer. Therefore, I'd say buy it.

As a student of Dr. Bailey's, this book greatly helped me explore the short story genre and opened my eyes to how amazing the form can be.

Tom Bailey's "A Short Story Writer's Companion" is one of the most helpful writing books that I've read (the others being Bailey's own "On Writing Short Stories" and John Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" and "On Becoming a Novelist"). Bailey's book is steeped in the words of other writers but never showboats his extensive knowledge-each writer's words are cited and Bailey quickly pulls them into the points that he hammers home: whether it be drawing from a Eudora Welty quote to illustrate the many functions of setting or citing David Foster Wallace and William Gass on point of view. Reading Bailey not only informs you on how to write but about writers as well. It serves as a great launching board for these authors.But Bailey never drowns in outside sources. His own prose is often just as well crafted as those authors he cites and to prove that he's not simply blowing smoke, Bailey includes his Pushcart-winning story "Snow Dreams." It's a dark, character-driven tragedy set in a fully realized world that make not only a gut-wrenching story but promises to be a knockout novel in 2004. Also included are exercises for young writers to hone their craft. I found these to be very helpful in the few workshops that I've had the opportunity to lead. Ultimately, that proves the value of this book: it's useful not only students and writers but to teachers as well.