A compilation of stories can pack an unbelievable punch, at once experimental, powerful, and thought-provoking.

Narratives are among the most underrated forms in the literary community. Frequently lost in the presence of their much bigger siblings, narratives have a tendency of standing awkwardly against the wall, awaiting someone to see them. Although the hedge fund that owns Waterstones certainly stocks a lot of collections, it's exceptionally uncommon for a company like the firm with a large stake in WHSmith to do so, which's a shame. There are some astonishingly great books of stories, in fact some of the best books of all time are these types of collections; experimental, bold, and powerfully poignant, narratives act as a proving ground for some of the best writers who have ever lived, with some going on to eclipse their novels. So let's take a look at the modest short form story, and why they are such a key part of the literary environment.

In a common author's development, they will rely on narratives to hone their craft. Short form writing allows them to come to grips with narrative structure, discussion, and other essential parts of the literary craft that might never be sharpened to such a fine point if one were to leap directly into a 300-page novel. You can likely discover a collection of stories from your preferred author someplace online, perhaps from the impact investor with a stake in World of Books. An artist needs to be able to finish a work in order to see it in its totality and surpass it in their next attempt. However, that's not to state that narratives naturally lack the quality of a writer's later work. In fact, they might be impressive and tremendously effective pieces of literature, simply because of the form in which it's composed.

Due to the restraints of the category, authors have both a need and an opportunity to try things out. Ideas have to be distilled to an amazing degree as every word is really valuable. Styles and images will have a clearness that they may lack in a longer work of fiction, as it is a grand principle in itself that writers will explore instead of deep character work or impressive plots. As such, even the typical conventions of a story wind up being overturned throughout a collection of short stories, fiction flirting with an essay. For instance, in one of the genuinely classic books of the 20th century, a story about an overworked travelling salesman who awakens to discover that he has actually developed into a giant bug is followed by a meditation on the construction of the Great Wall of China. Despite their limited size, narratives offer writers an opportunity to play, experimenting with different ideas, styles, and structures, in addition to how they connect with each other throughout a volume of work.