Fragile Things is a collection of short stories and poems by Neil Gaiman.
The first thing I learned from Fragile Things is that stories can be left for the reader to figure out and wonder about. For example in Gaiman's short story, "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire," features a writer struggling to write a story about ghouls and curses that portrays the reality of life. This seemed like an odd desire because he was writing about occurrences that were fantasy. However, when a raven speaks to the protagonist, it tells him he should try writing fantasy, so the writer writes about a woman making toast for a husband who pays her no attention. It wasn't until the very end that the story finally made sense when it says, "There were faces at the windows and words written in blood...all was right with the world." The way Gaiman casually throws information about like this makes it seem as though the happenings in the story are normal, so readers don't notice the different world the story inhabits. I'd like to try the way Gaiman presents a world with little explanation to get the proper amount of mystery across in my stories. I hope that I can do so in a way that makes the reader feel less like they're watching a story and more like they're in the story like Gaiman does.
The second thing I learned from Gaiman is that the narrator or protagonist does not always need to have a name. None of Gaiman's short stories have names for the main characters, most referred to as he, she, or I. This effectively leaves a space for readers to insert themselves because of the ambiguity of the character. This also leaves an air of mystery because a whole story has been told through the character's eyes, yet readers have no knowledge of who the character is other than a few tidbits. However, this allows for better understanding of the characters because anyone could be put into the character's place. This inclusion of the reader into the story through the character is something I'd like to do. I tend to tell the story to the reader rather than invite them in the way that Gaiman does. I think that this could really make my short stories more engaging for readers.
The final thing I learned from Gaiman is the attention to small, significant details that bring attention to the otherworldlyness of the setting without it being too blatant. For example, in the story "Bitter Grounds," Gaiman writes, "The food seemed tasteless... The coffee was bitter, which I liked. At least it tasted of something." Throughout the story, it is repeated that the protagonist's food tastes like nothing, which seems insignificant. At the end, however, a ghost of a girl comes to give him a cup of coffee, which leads him to his death, I assume. The small detail of the coffee in the middle of the story foreshadowed the incident and the frequent mention of tasteless food made reality in the story seem off, which was the case. I want to pay more attention to the small details in my stories, especially in short stories since odd details can really make the entire setting what it is. This would also keep me from giving away all of the world's secrets at once to keep readers intrigued.
The first thing I learned from Fragile Things is that stories can be left for the reader to figure out and wonder about. For example in Gaiman's short story, "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire," features a writer struggling to write a story about ghouls and curses that portrays the reality of life. This seemed like an odd desire because he was writing about occurrences that were fantasy. However, when a raven speaks to the protagonist, it tells him he should try writing fantasy, so the writer writes about a woman making toast for a husband who pays her no attention. It wasn't until the very end that the story finally made sense when it says, "There were faces at the windows and words written in blood...all was right with the world." The way Gaiman casually throws information about like this makes it seem as though the happenings in the story are normal, so readers don't notice the different world the story inhabits. I'd like to try the way Gaiman presents a world with little explanation to get the proper amount of mystery across in my stories. I hope that I can do so in a way that makes the reader feel less like they're watching a story and more like they're in the story like Gaiman does.
The second thing I learned from Gaiman is that the narrator or protagonist does not always need to have a name. None of Gaiman's short stories have names for the main characters, most referred to as he, she, or I. This effectively leaves a space for readers to insert themselves because of the ambiguity of the character. This also leaves an air of mystery because a whole story has been told through the character's eyes, yet readers have no knowledge of who the character is other than a few tidbits. However, this allows for better understanding of the characters because anyone could be put into the character's place. This inclusion of the reader into the story through the character is something I'd like to do. I tend to tell the story to the reader rather than invite them in the way that Gaiman does. I think that this could really make my short stories more engaging for readers.
The final thing I learned from Gaiman is the attention to small, significant details that bring attention to the otherworldlyness of the setting without it being too blatant. For example, in the story "Bitter Grounds," Gaiman writes, "The food seemed tasteless... The coffee was bitter, which I liked. At least it tasted of something." Throughout the story, it is repeated that the protagonist's food tastes like nothing, which seems insignificant. At the end, however, a ghost of a girl comes to give him a cup of coffee, which leads him to his death, I assume. The small detail of the coffee in the middle of the story foreshadowed the incident and the frequent mention of tasteless food made reality in the story seem off, which was the case. I want to pay more attention to the small details in my stories, especially in short stories since odd details can really make the entire setting what it is. This would also keep me from giving away all of the world's secrets at once to keep readers intrigued.