I've always been fond of short stories. My mind always craves something new and different, and I get that with short stories.

Right now I'm reading short stories by J.G. Ballard which I'm enjoying. I've been reading a new short story a day. I always have something new to look forward to - new characters, new settings, new plot-lines... a whole new experience. If a single short story in the collection doesn't appeal to me, it's no big deal; I can move onto the next one. It's great.

So what about you: Are you into short stories?

Yes and no. I have to be in the mood for them. When I find one I like I get pissed because, in most cases, I'd rather it continue on.

I took two creative writing classes that focused mostly on short stories and it made me appreciate them a great deal more than I previously had.

Yeah, I read a lot of short stories. I just finshed reading a short story by Natsume Soseki an hour ago and after I study some German for a while, I'm going to read a short story from Borges' Ficciones. I like short stories for the same reasons you do, Chair. I also find that the writing in short stories is usually better. The language is usually more honed and precise than in novels, where style tends to suffer in the endless flood of narration. Also, the short story form is probably the most versatile of all the various literary forms. You can do so many more different things in short stories and be much more playful with the formulas than you can in novels, so the unpredictability factor is much higher when you start reading a short story than it is with a novel.

If anyone here is into short stories and speculative fiction, I highly recommend Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison.

That may be a seemingly random recommendation, but some of Ballard's short stories remind me of his stuff. He's also one of the few authors I know who's known for his short literature. I don't think Harlan Ellison has ever written a full-length novel.

Short stories are the dying breed, and as such, I support them. Too many authors try and focus on novels, rather than expanding on those random ideas that could lead to a great short story and a rather unsuccessful novel.