ShortCon, the first conference focused on short-story writing by crime fiction authors, was held June 22, 2024, at Elaine’s Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Forty-plus writers, including myself, heard Brendan Dubois talk about writing short stories for “fun and occasional profit.” Jackie Sherbow addressed what happens at the editor’s desk at Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Michael Bracken ended the solo presentations by looking at how to build a lengthy career by writing short fiction. To wrap up, Stacy Woodson moderated a lively panel Q&A discussion between the speakers and attendees.
As a short-story writer with limited experience, I would give this conference a five-star rating. The larger conferences I’ve attended have offered limited opportunities to address short-story writing, so I was eager to attend a conference focused on this topic. Listening to experts fill in the blanks about how to write an excellent short story, get it published, and make a career out of authoring such stories was a terrific way to spend the day.
The second ShortCon is scheduled for June 7, 2025, with S.J. Rozan and Jeffrey Marks on the speakers’ list (so far). Additional speakers will be announced in the future. Keep an eye on www.EastCoastCrime.com for registration information.