In three out of four years in the early 1970s, I placed literary stories on the Roll of Honor in the BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES anthology. Agents were writing me to see if I had a novel. I was working on one, THE IDAHO BLUES, and a young agent, later to be a major player, liked the early chapters he saw. But I couldn't figure the form out at the time. My weakness was descriptive prose, establishing a strong sense of place, essential in the longer form. Soon I abandoned fiction for drama, where a set designer solved this burden.
Many of these stories come from that period. Later I would return to the novel with minor success, a better writer and a greater acceptance of minimalism in the form. I still love the short story form but never have returned to it with the energy and passion of my early years as a writer.
Many of these stories come from that period. Later I would return to the novel with minor success, a better writer and a greater acceptance of minimalism in the form. I still love the short story form but never have returned to it with the energy and passion of my early years as a writer.
