Short Story-Writing: An Art or a Trade?

"Short Story-Writing: An Art or a Trade?" by N. Bryllion Fagin is an early 20th-century guide that examines how short stories are crafted and questions whether writing should be seen as a true art or a simple way to make money. This book thinks about the effects of business and selling on writing. Fagin is critical of common teaching methods that focus more on creating stories that will sell, instead of encouraging writers to develop their own unique style. The author looks back on his time teaching "Technique of Short Story-Writing," and considers each story as something alive, molded by its writer. He shows how he struggles with teaching methods that seem to push new writers to fit in and meet market demands, rather than finding their own voice. Fagin points out how the writing world often pushes predictable stories, which can stop writers from expressing themselves honestly and lower the quality of short stories overall.