The Art of Less: Learning from Lydia Davis
I've been reading The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis—a book that sits quietly on the shelf until opened and then doesn’t so much shout as murmur its truths. One story in particular has stayed with me: Happiest Moment. It’s no more than a few sentences long. A sliver of conversation, really. But like the finest poetry or parable, it says far more than its word count would suggest.
One great short story to read today: Lydia Davis’s “Happiest Moment” ‹ Literary Hub
Uniquely her style, stripping away even the possibility of embellishment. like a pebble in the palm: small, cool, weighty.
I've tried writing flash fiction myself. Not often, and not always well. It’s far harder than it looks. To write something short is one thing. But to write something short that lands with meaning, mood, and movement—that’s something else entirely. Davis makes it look effortless, but those of us who write know the labour behind that kind of lightness. There’s no room to hide. No time to explain. You’re forced to decide what matters and what can be let go. But here I try with my own critique,