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Recently a discussion on the email list of the Short Mystery Fiction Society (which you can all join for free, by the way) led me to talking about my habit of reviewing short stories. Some members wanted to know more and it struck me that it might be useful to go into detail here, rather than repeating myself to individuals. So this may get a little deep into the weeds here.
In 2009 I decided to make notes on the best short mystery stories I read and I produced a list at the end of the year that ran in Criminal Brief. I have kept that up ever since, moving it to SleuthSayers when we started up.
In 2011 I added a wrinkle. I started the Little Big Crimes blog where I reviewed the best short mystery story I read each week. And I've been doing that ever since.
Why do I review a story every week? Well, a bunch of reasons:
1. I enjoy reading a lot of short stories. The reviewing process makes me feel like I am accomplishing something by reading them.
2. Since I like to read (and write and try to sell) short stories it is in my interest to encourage people to read them.
3. Finding something to write about every week forces me to think more deeply about the stories which increases my enjoyment and is good for my writing.
Why do I review the best story? I have no desire to write negative reviews of anything. And as for producing a blistering attack on a short story - well, talk about breaking a butterfly on a wheel.
How do I decide which is the best story? That's easy. It's the one i like the most. If, as happens on rare occasions, I am torn between two stories, I choose the one I can think of the most interesting things to write about.
What do I get out of it besides the benefits mentioned above? One thing I don't get is any kind of payment. It may sound odd to even mention that but I felt I had to say so in my blog a few years ago when there was a scandal about reviewers taking money. Not that anyone ever offered!
On the other hand, some publishers (and editors and authors) have given me copies of books or magazines to review and I am grateful for that. Last year I purchased 16 anthologies (plus magazines) so freebies are a nice change.
And that reminds me: since I believe in full disclosure I always mention at the beginning of a review if there is any factor that might have affected my choice, such as receiving a free copy, or the author being a friend of mine.
That brings up another benefit: I have made friends with a lot of writers who thanked me for selecting them. (They hsve to find that out without help from me, by the way. Notifying them would feel like I was saying "Now what are you going to do for me?")
Another plus, of course, is that some readers find out about me because of my reviews. This has led to my worldwide fame. Okay, maybe not. But I do average about 1700 readers a week, and that ain't nothing.
Do I have any regrets about reviewing? One, I don't read as many novels as I would like or even old short stories. It's hard to keep up with even most of the mysteries. I take off my hat to Michele Slung, who reads many more each year for Otto Penzler's best-of collections.
And another regret: I wish more women and people of color showed up in my best-of lists. Next year I hope to keep track of how many I read of various groups and figure out how the percentages are working out.
The thing is, I really do pick the story I like best each week, and I can't change my preferences by an act of will. One reason I have written this piece is in the hope that more people will be encouraged to write their own short story reviews. Who knows? They may even disagree with me. That would be very welcome!
