The Edgar (r) nominees were announced today and I was nominated for best short story. For those who have emailed and said that they expected to see me in another category — well, I didn’t expect to be, and I can produce the person to whom I made this prediction a week ago.
But it is very gratifying to receive my first short story nomination, for Hardly Knew Her from Dead Man’s Hand. And here’s the reason why: Otto Penzler put me through a very tough rewrite on that story.
I submitted it almost two years ago. I had written several short stories for Otto and never received more than a few technical notes. But this time, Otto wrote back a polite but sorrowful email. The story didn’t work. Certain motivations didn’t ring true.
Now, when I teach, I tell students that if they’re really honest with themselves, criticism — good criticism, I should say, where someone has really thought about what’s working or not working — won’t surprise them. In their heart of hearts, it will resonate. Because they probably know about the problem, but have talked themselves into believing it’s not there. When I submitted Hardly Knew Her, I had persuaded myself that all the problems that Otto would eventually cite didn’t matter because of the character and the writing and the details about the time period, 1975, which was very much on my mind in 2006.
So I’m thrilled about the nomination, but it’s Otto who should take a bow today. Because he not only pointed out the problems in the story, he gave me a chance to revise it.
I just read Hardly Knew Her (one of the many perks of being a librarian-Dead Man’s Hand was here on the shelf) and you nailed it! I know, because in 1975 I was a kid in high school and living in Dundalk.
Great title too!
High praise, Diane.
I love Dundalk, by the way.
Congratulations, Laura. As mostly what I write are short stories, I know how tight of a genre it is. Getting it right really matters, because you don’t have another 90,000 or so words to hide mistakes.
And you’re right: a good writer knows when something isn’t quite right. I scrapped an entire 85,000 word mystery/suspense novel because I put it away from 3 months, picked it up again one night, read through it, and I THREW IT ACROSS THE ROOM! After I picked up the umpteen dozen pieces of paper, I put it in a drawer and started over.
If characters aren’t true to themselves, how can the writing be as well?
This is such a great year for you! I have your “What the Dead Know” on order at the Murder on the Beach Bookstore in Delray Beach, Florida, and can’t wait to open it, sipping on a cup of hot green tea.
Yes, I liked WHAT THE DEAD KNOW and yes, I think it’s a good book, but I don’t really think it represents as much of a stretch for you as the short stories do. In your novels you’ve grown along a pretty straight path with wonderful progress, but it’s all very “Laura Lippman” progress.
But in your short stories, you are an amazing collection of insanity, fear, spite, exhaustion, and brilliance. You’ve taken some huge chances in the short form and I think more people need to be aware of that and that’s why I feel like the short story nomination is a better deal for you than the Best Novel nod.
You’re semi-famous for the quote about wanting to be hardboiled but not being drawn that way. Anyone who has read your short stories knows that statement is crap.
Rock on, Laura.
Bryon,
Man, if you didn’t have a great career ahead of you has a fiction writer, I’d sign you up to be my literary biographer. And you’re right; my progress as a novelist has been linear, while I’ve done some crazy things as a short story writer.
Hardly Knew Her, by the way, was inspired by A Member of the Wedding and A Girl Named Zippy. Seriously. Well, that and the fact that Otto asked me if I could write a story about poker. As it happens, my dad played poker and I got my first two-wheeler — painted flat blue, with an elephant on the back fender — because my dad had a good night at poker. My father later said he gave up gambling because “I mourned a dollar lost more than I ever celebrated a dollar won.” I wrote about the flip side, a father whose losing streaks and lack of control had horrible consequences for his daughter.
But in all honesty — folks, you need to read the Woodrell story. The others, too, of course. But the first line of the Woodrell story will take the top of your head clean off. In a good way.
Go BQ! I am so totally ditto.
I really dig Tess and the “stand alones” but the short stories are it on a stick.
When will the Lippman short story collection be published? Probably a great marketing tie in for the Edgar nomination.
Mazel Tov, Laura.
Congrats, Laura!
Congratulations, Laura! And thanks for the ideas on writers knowing what the criticism will be. I’d never thought of it that way, but I think you’re so right.
Many congratulations on the short story nomination!
However, I find the list of best novel nominees to be disappointing. I understand that nominating committees are very hardworking, have a difficult job and are committed to mysteries and writing but judging just by the list, I think that this year’s committee (and I have no idea who is on the committee) got too caught up in the genre v. ‘literary’ writing debate. It seems as though they were trying to prove something that really doesn’t need to be proven, at perhaps the expense of the mystery reader and fan?
Congratulations!
Congrats from me too, and your comments about knowing when a story isn’t working is ringing very true for me now in the best possible way – because it means that the rewrite will make it better.
Congratulations!!!!
I, however, while loving Laura’s short stories, happen to think that What the Dead Know is absolutely brilliant, one of the best novels in any genre published in the past several years and, importantly, one that continues her stand-alone efforts to focus on the lives of teenage girls, which is rarely done and needs doing.
The short stories will be published this fall — just in time for Bouchercon — and the nice thing is, HARDLY KNEW HER is the title of the collection, my editor’s very smart choice.
Also — there will be bonus material, a never before published piece, which centers on the character from One True Love, a story that appeared in the MWA anthology edited by Harlan Coben and Best American Mystery Stories.
“But in your short stories, you are an amazing collection of insanity, fear, spite, exhaustion, and brilliance.”
I have found this to be true everytime I’ve stumbled across one of your short stories but I am sure that I have missed many, which is why I am eagerly awaiting the collection!
My congratulations, Laura.
Barbara
Congrats!!!!
Marika
Hey Laura,
I just turned in a short story for an upcoming anthology to my editor Stuart Kaminsky and begged him to tell me the truth. He did. I am in tortured rewrites now. My kingdom for that second cold eye.
Congrats on the nom. Even though you are up against Stu.
The truth . .. the usual verb here is “hurts.” But my hunch is that P.J. would supply a different verb. In this situation, the truth doesn’t hurt, but it does edify, illuminate possibilities.
And yes, I’m up against Stu (my former college professor) AND Woodrell AND Susan Straight AND a debut story so good that it’s already won the Robert Fish. I don’t have a chance.