CHARLES BAXTER – TIME—SHORT AND LONG—IN THE SHORT STORY

Often a great puzzle in writing a short story has to do with determining how much of the characters’ histories–their pasts–has to be included. The traditional method for doing so employs flashbacks, often at the start of the story. We’ll talk about long time and short time in short stories, using examples from writers like Alice Munro and Evan Connell, and we’ll have a Q&A at the end to talk about other specific examples, including your own.