Ron Toland
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  • Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

    Exasperating. With the exception of The Faery Handbag, none of the supposed stories in this collection actually contain a story at all. Some of them contain multiple stories, nested and incomplete, but most are just character and setting with a complete lack of anything happening. Ever. For page after page.

    Possibly the worst short story collection I’ve ever read.

    Three things it taught me about writing:

    • Story is supreme. Choose your words well, but make telling a good story your first priority.
    • Deliver on your promises to the reader. If you promise zombies, give them some damn zombies.
    • If your story can be summed up in a single sentence, maybe it doesn't need to be an entire novel.
    → 6:00 AM, May 1
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