Reading, you’re appalled to find yourself laughing at the horrific. Often they present tragedy as comedy, forcing the reader to have the appropriate, and often conflicted, reaction. One quality common to them all is their ability to present the story without telling the reader how to react. I love the short stories of Amy Hempel, Thom Jones, Mark Richard, Bret Ellis, Nami Mun, Joy Williams and Charles Baxter. Which authors influenced you and your writing, regarding the short story? For examples of this method, consider my stories “Guts”, “The Toad Prince” and “The Facts of Life.”

Just to show your power and mercy, you might also include a small laugh at the end. Once the reader is fully entranced, then you break his or her heart. A writer can’t dictate the reader’s reaction, but must create this moving line of cause and effect which acts in the same way a running squirrel will hold a dog’s rapt attention. A good story does all of this work using only physical actions and simple objects. Soon the reader is coaxed into some horrible place he or she would never willingly venture.

Another laugh allows for even more tension. Tension cut with a small laugh allows for more tension. I agree, but I’d broaden that definition to include any story that engages the reader with tension, quickly increasing tension, but not so quickly that the reader bails out. The man who taught me the writing style of Minimalism, Tom Spanbauer, says that a good story makes the reader laugh, and a moment later breaks his or her heart. Many people consider you a master of the short story as do we so could you share with us what makes a good short story and why? He is also the author of Fugitives and Refugees, a nonfiction profile of Portland, Oregon, published as part of the Crown Journeys series, and the nonfiction collection Stranger Than Fiction. Chuck Palahniuk’s ten previous novels are the bestselling Fight Club, adapted for for the screen by David Fincher Survivor Invisible Monsters Choke Lullaby Diary Haunted Rant Snuff and Pygmy.

Guts by chuck palahniuk summary