On Writing Short Stories is the only short story creative writing textbookto contain writing advice from such authors and editors as Francine Prose, JoyceCarol Oates, Frank Conroy, Andre Dubus, Robert Coles, and Michael Curtis (editorof Atlantic Monthly). The contributed chapters have been reviewed by Tom Bailey,an author and instructor, and rewritten as necessary to suit the pedagogicalneeds of students and instructors while retaining the spontaneity of individualexpert Commentaries. The contributors agreed on a list of 12 short stories to beused for discussion and analysis. These 12 stories are reprinted in the secondpart of the book.