This essay includes an analysis of my creative process original short story collection Go Your Own Way. A short story cycle is a collection of short stories that often contain the same characters or characters whose storylines overlap or connect in another way but create a larger, more powerful storyline when combined. The analysis explains my main male characters’ personalities, motivations in their romantic relationships, and their “gray area”, or moral ambiguity, surrounding their decisions. I reveal my reaction to my peer review workshop members’ surprising unmet expectations of the characters’ personalities and decisions. Then, I describe the similarities between fan expectations of Avengers: Endgame’s conclusions and my peer review workshop response. The essay concludes with a personal take on the “gray area” and the short story cycle importance to literature.
from Ryckman, Olivia A. (2020) “”Everything’s Waiting for You”: The Importance of the Short Story Cycle,” The Macksey Journal: Vol. 1 , Article 182.