Once again I'm teaching Tim Winton's short story collection, Minimum of Two, to my senior students. This is about the fifth year in a row I've done so. I never tire of it and the writing never gets stale.
Want to learn how to write a short story without a word out of place and no excess? Read these stories.
Distant Lands, The Water Was Dark And It Went Forever Down, and No Memory Comes just to name a few. Brilliant. Concise. Descriptive. Detailed. Emotive. The writing is superb. Efficient use of words and layer upon layer of meaning.
If I could write half as well as Winton.....
Sigh.
It's enough just to read these stories. Go ahead. As Molly used to say, Do yourself a favour.