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Short story analysis

A short story I recently read

On a Winter’s Night, by Kate DiCamillo Read it here in less than 10 minutes. Thinking about why I love it… I love metafiction, so the opening sentence – ‘My father told me this story.’ – immediately entices me; it makes me think, ‘Yes! Tell me the story! I want to hear it!’. This first sentence…

Short story analysis

A short story I recently read

The Great Silence, by Ted Chiang Read it here in less than 10 minutes. Thinking about why I love it… There aren’t nearly enough stories featuring sentient animals, let alone narrated by them; this story is narrated by an unnamed parrot, who speaks eloquently on behalf of the entire parrot collective (‘We’re a nonhuman species…

Short story analysis

A short story I recently read

The Monster, by Ali Simpson Read it here in 10 minutes. Thinking about why I love it… The first sentence hooked me – ‘LAURA WAS BECOMING UNSURE ABOUT WHAT TO DO with the monster in her closet’ – firstly, I’m intrigued by the idea of an actual monster being in a closet, rather than the…

Short story analysis

A short story I recently read

‘Heat’, by Joyce Carol Oates Read it here in about 20 minutes. Thinking about why I love it… The story builds up in layers, right from the very first paragraph, adding detail as it moves forward. So, you’re given information about the time of year, the place, the twins, the fact they’re dead… Then, more…

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About Me

My name is Mina Ma. I’m an English teacher, and a writer of short stories and short creative nonfiction.

I blog about short stories (etc.), because analysing what other writers do helps my own writing.

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