What makes a good short story?

Conciseness, crisis, atmosphere, character– along with insight on human nature and the world. Above all the tale must be compulsively readable. Our new feature story  “The Little Prince” by Brian Eckert embodies all of this. A thunderstorm and a curse– can the self-possessed “prince” get out of his dilemma?

Really what Greg wanted was to be left alone, to his devices—and as he got older, his vices. His aloofness was what others found distasteful about him. There was a mark of royalty on a man who preferred to be alone. Others felt diminished in his presence.
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Also keep up-to-date on our exclusive coverage of the  All-Time American Writers Tournament! #4 bracket seedings coming soon.

(Painting: “Starry Night Over the Rhone” by Vincent Van Gogh.)