On My Travels
VICKI HEATH examines Once Upon a Time There Was a Traveller, the 2013 anthology of Asham Award-winning stories: ‘As I read, I considered each story carefully, wondering what made these particular pieces stand out for the judges…’
Do You Need to Keep a Notebook?
Short story writer, novelist and creative writing lecturer SALLY O’REILLY ponders the writer’s notebook: ‘For most writers, a notebook is the closest thing we have to an artist’s sketch book, and the equivalent of a studio…’
Flame Lurid
STEPHEN DEVEREUX explores the enigmatic world of D.H. Lawrence’s short story ‘Fanny and Annie’: ‘It is, I would argue, one of the best short story openings in English. What does it tell the reader? Nothing. And everything…’
Darkness and Light
‘…the characters express themselves in broad Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire Coalfield. However, it is not so much the language, but the use of language that excites me…’ MIKE SMITH takes an insightful look at the use of language in D.H. Lawrence’s short story ‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
‘There’s a stage in front of me. There’s a microphone on the stage. There are lights that make your eyes go funny and a room full of people….’ HOLLY DAWSON shares the tips she found most useful when facing the dreaded public short story reading.
To Tweet, or Not to Tweet
WRITING EXERCISE: Writer and tutor EMMA STRONG suggests a way in which Twitter might revolutionise your writing day: ‘Does it provide us with a forum to share and discuss work, to give and receive feedback, or is Twitter just a narcissistic time-waster, best ignored?’
The Art of Girl Trouble
MARY LARSEN takes us down to Kentucky as she explores the art of Holly Goddard Jones’ short stories: ‘The inner struggle she so effectively creates, as her characters feel the need to overcome their hurt, allows the reader to feel an overwhelming sense of empathy…’
Conspiracy in Barcelona
Thresholds’ Social Media Assistant, HANNAH RADCLIFFE, recommends Philip Langeskov’s limited edition short story, Barcelona: ‘When it comes to our destinies, where do we draw the line between fate and free will? ‘Barcelona’ is a short story steeped in the mystery of fate and the idea of the road not travelled…’
Ideas Above Our Station
In this feature SARADA GRAY takes us through four of the tales in the Ideas Above Our Station short story anthology: ‘…this is not a book about trains, but a book for trains; a book to dip into while glancing up at the arrivals board…’
The Tip of The Iceberg
In this feature, Thresholds’ Editorial Assistant DAVID FRANKEL shares the writing exercise that has been most useful to him, when writing short fiction: ‘It came to me from one great writing tutor via another…’