This week I want to make a bid for, and hear feedback on, an idea I have for The Cavalier Daily. To this end, I would appreciate anything that the reader can offer in the way of advice. Here, essentially, is what I want: a short story page in our University's newspaper.
The local newspaper in my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas had such a page. Each week, there was a new short story on the back page of the main section of the paper. Each of these stories was of a distinct nature - some were love stories, others comedies or fables. Each was enjoyable in its own way, but what I recall most about reading these stories is the feeling of eating "dessert" which came from reading them. I read the paper to catch up with what was going on, locally, nationally and globally, but catching up with world events is rarely a heartwarming experience. For this reason, the short story took on a double role of a simple entertainment and a refreshing break from the often-harsh reality in the rest of the paper.
Returning to focus, here is what I see a page of short fiction doing for The Cavalier Daily. Such a page could broaden the readership. A short fiction piece would add a new dynamic to the paper. It could draw in new readers and give current readers another reason to keep coming back. Most people will eventually get bogged down by constantly reading about University and world events. Even the Life section is all facts, even if those facts are presented in a fun and personal manner. I would hope that a fiction page would give readers the same sense of imaginative escapism which my local newspaper offered.
A fiction page would not only have the benefit of drawing in readers; it would draw in writers. I took a fiction-writing class last semester, and I can vouch for the writing abilities of fellow University students, many of whom I can easily see jumping at the chance to see their work in The Cavalier Daily. And for the twenty or so classmates I got to know, there are classes of many more. Creative writers here at the University do not have many opportunities to exhibit their work - there are competitive literary reviews which publish roughly once a semester, but that is about the limit when it comes to legitimate opportunities to showcase student writing. Because of this, a weekly, biweekly or even monthly fiction page would likely appear very attractive to them. The University has a creative writing club comprised of students looking to hone their writing skills, and a fiction page would grant these students a chance to be a part of our University's paper in a creative capacity.
Furthermore, such a page could act as the chance many aspiring writers need to get their name out to a larger community. Those of us who work for The Cavalier Daily are in a better position than most to pursue a career in journalism. The creative writing gig is even harder to get established in, and a fiction page could give such writers a leg up.
A number of famous authors have been supported through newspapers. Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" was first published in a weekly newspaper called the New York Mirror. "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane had similar beginnings. Newspaper publications are more dynamic than they might appear and can go a long way for aspiring writers.
And it is not only readers and writers who would be helped out by the addition of a fiction page. Whether the page is weekly or monthly, writers would be competing to see their work published in a legitimate source. Such a competitive atmosphere would draw positive attention to The Cavalier Daily.
I will admit, The Cavalier Daily is fairly rigid in structure. We have meetings to amend our paper's constitution, a document which effectively dictates how the paper is structured. I am a stickler for tradition, but in a time where traditional printed newspapers are falling behind equivalent electronic media, there is something to be said for integrating a more flexible aspect to The Cavalier Daily.
I am certain I have not proposed the idea in its perfect form. Maybe it would be best if each week was a different theme, or maybe different writers could contribute to one continuous novel. And I do not imagine it will be an easily implemented change. All I know for sure is that I would love to see such a page and the work of those who would fill it.
Sam Novack's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.novack@cavalierdaily.com.
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