Coulisse

1. What does John Steinbeck say is needed to write a great short story?

John Steinbeck said that to write a great short story, is to write a good short story. Then you take it apart and look at it. Another thing is to know your subject inside out. Personally, that first part makes no sense to me. That’s just like saying “to throw a fast pitch, you throw a fast pitch”. It’s simple and confusing, but I’m not sure it’s exactly my place to say.

2. Tell us about a short story you remember reading. What stands out about the story?

I remember a short story by Edgar Allen Poe, the title of which escapes me. I read this short story last year in school. It was about a man going crazy and killing his neighbor because he was making the man paranoid. What stood out the most was the fact that the man killed his neighbor because apparently the old man had a “hawk’s eye” and it simply freaked him out.