From the Editor

Like the man who gave us our name, we here at failbetter.com pride ourselves in presenting an eclectic mix of original writing. Not that this is a truly novel approach, of course. But when my colleagues and I sift through a stack of submissions, or come across a story in another respected literary publication, far too often we have the same reaction, "I like this writer a lot. The prose is excellent. But please, somebody, tell us a bloody story!" To be original - either in voice, language or form - is one thing, but this alone does not make you original. It makes you about as unique as that similarly clad group of "non-conformists" sitting together in the corner of the college cafeteria.

We get hundreds of submissions with one plaguing similarity: no story-telling sense. This issue doesn't dare make this mistake. While diverse in both form and style, novel excerpts by Tom Paine and Victor LaValle, longer short stories by Steve Almond, Barringer, Birmelin, and Jenkins, and short shorts of Payne and Zucker, all showcase truly original voices, yet do not fail in their first duty: to tell a good story. And of course Paul Auster, our featured author, has made a career out of doing just this. A similar concern for the audience is even evident in the art of Jacob Ouillette.

When all is said and done, when the last mental picture has been created by word or artistic image, no one wants to be left with the troubling thought that there is still a story to be told.

TD

PS... By now, you, Fair Reader, have noticed our snazzy-yet-sleek new style, for which we are indebted to Andy Day, our original web designer, who, after an extended absence, has come back into the failbetter.com fold. We are extremely grateful to Andy, for not only giving the site a fresh look, but for doing all the work in the penniless spirit of our non-paying passion. Thank you, Andy.