On Writing Short Stories, Second Edition, explores the art and craft of writing short fiction by bringing together nine original essays by professional writers and thirty-three examples of short fiction. The first section features original essays by well-known authors--including Francine Prose, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andre Dubus--that guide students through the process of writing. Focusing on the characteristics and craft of the short story and its writer, these essays take students from the workshopping process all the way through to the experience of working with agents and publishers. The second part of the text is an anthology of stories--many referred to in the essays--that give students dynamic examples of technique brought to life. In this second edition, author-editor Tom Bailey brings the text up-to-date with new and revised essays alongside classic pieces by Robert Coles and Frank Conroy and a foreword by Tobias Wolff. In the anthology, Bailey retains many of the classics such as Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" and William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and adds new styles and diverse voices to broaden the scope of the short fiction landscape presented here. --Book Jacket.

Includes index.

Machine generated contents note:pt. 1 pt. 2 Francine Prose -- Joyce Carol Oates -- Tom Bailey -- Frank Conroy -- Antonya Nelson -- Robert Boswell -- Andre Dubus -- Robert Coles -- C. Michael Curtis -- Guy De Maupassant -- Anton Chekhov -- James Joyce -- On Writing Short Stories -- What Makes a Short Story? / -- Reading as a Writer: The Artist as Craftsman / -- Character, Plot, Setting and Time, Metaphor, and Voice / -- The Voice of Desire: Character -- The "Why?" Behind the Power of Plot: Shaping the Short Story -- The Lesser Angels of Fiction: Setting and Time -- "The Connectedness of All Living Things": Metaphor -- The Writer's Signature: Voice -- The Writer's Workshop / -- Whose Story Is It? The Anonymous Workshop / -- After the Workshop: Transitional Drafts / -- The Habit of Writing / -- Why Write? Taking on the World / -- Publishers and Publishing / -- Short Stories -- The String / -- The Lady with the Pet Dog / -- Eveline / On Writing Short Stories -- What Makes a Short Story? / Francine Prose -- Reading as a Writer: The Artist as Craftsman / Joyce Carol Oates -- Character, Plot, Setting and Time, Metaphor, and Voice / Tom Bailey -- The Voice of Desire: Character -- The "Why?" Behind the Power of Plot: Shaping the Short Story -- The Lesser Angels of Fiction: Setting and Time -- "The Connectedness of All Living Things": Metaphor -- The Writer's Signature: Voice -- The Writer's Workshop / Frank Conroy -- Whose Story Is It? The Anonymous Workshop / Antonya Nelson -- After the Workshop: Transitional Drafts / Robert Boswell -- The Habit of Writing / Andre Dubus -- Why Write? Taking on the World / Robert Coles -- Publishers and Publishing / C. Michael Curtis -- pt. 2 Short Stories -- The String / Guy De Maupassant -- The Lady with the Pet Dog / Anton Chekhov -- Eveline / James Joyce - Patriotism / Yukio Mishima -- Hills Like White Elephants / Ernest Hemingway -- I Stand Here Ironing / Tillie Olsen -- A Rose for Emily / William Faulkner -- The Chrysanthemums / John Steinbeck -- The Shawl / Cynthia Ozick -- Everything That Rises Must Converge / Flannery O'Connor -- A & P / John Updike -- Happy Endings / Margaret Atwood -- Heat / Joyce Carol Oates -- Cathedral / Raymond Carver -- North Light -- A Recollection in the Present Tense / Mark Helprin -- From Black Tickets: Wedding Picture; The Powder of the Angels, and I'm Yours; Stripper; Cheers / Jayne Anne Phillips -- Wickedness / Ron Hansen -- Braids / David Leavitt -- A Temporary Matter / Jhumpa Lahiri -- Alaska / Tom Franklin -- Nilda / Junot Diaz -- The Fireman / Rick Bass -- Snow Dreams / Tom Bailey -- The Payoff / Susan Perabo -- The Darkness of Love / Robert Boswell -- A Father's Story / Andre Dubus -- Dick / Antonya Nelson -- Brownies / ZZ Packer -- Lust / Susan Minot -- Bullet in the Brain / Tobias Wolff. Yukio Mishima -- Ernest Hemingway -- Tillie Olsen -- William Faulkner -- John Steinbeck -- Cynthia Ozick -- Flannery O'Connor -- John Updike -- Margaret Atwood -- Joyce Carol Oates -- Raymond Carver -- Mark Helprin -- Jayne Anne Phillips -- Ron Hansen -- David Leavitt -- Jhumpa Lahiri -- Tom Franklin -- Junot Diaz -- Rick Bass -- Tom Bailey -- Susan Perabo -- Robert Boswell -- Andre Dubus -- Antonya Nelson -- ZZ Packer -- Susan Minot -- Tobias Wolff. -- Patriotism / -- Hills Like White Elephants / -- I Stand Here Ironing / -- A Rose for Emily / -- The Chrysanthemums / -- The Shawl / -- Everything That Rises Must Converge / -- A & P / -- Happy Endings / -- Heat / -- Cathedral / -- North Light -- A Recollection in the Present Tense / -- From Black Tickets: Wedding Picture; The Powder of the Angels, and I'm Yours; Stripper; Cheers / -- Wickedness / -- Braids / -- A Temporary Matter / -- Alaska / -- Nilda / -- The Fireman / -- Snow Dreams / -- The Payoff / -- The Darkness of Love / -- A Father's Story / -- Dick / -- Brownies / -- Lust / -- Bullet in the Brain /