Writers looking to sharpen their short story skills and increase productivity will benefit from James Scott Bell’s manual, How To Write Short Stories and Use Them To Further Your Writing Career. The slim text breaks down the components of a short story into a shattering moment + the emotional fallout of said moment. Bell likens the moment to a glass shattering, and explains how the whole story should either lead up to that moment, deal with the aftermath of the moment, or a little of both, depending on where the writer places it. His advice is practical and useful; I’ve been revisiting my short stories and looking for the shattering moments in them, and if they don’t have one, I have to revise. Bell also includes several short stories in the manual as examples. A quick, affordable read, Bell’s book is a must for aspiring short story authors.