The Nature and Aim of Fiction, Writing Short Stories and On Her Own Work Summary and Analysis

O'Connor addresses a writing class and tells them that few people who are interested in writing are interested in writing well. The novelty of being a writer holds more appeal than the actual craft of writing. The serious writer is interested in "the habit of art" which is a certain quality of the mind in which something has inherent value. This negates all those who write with any other exterior motivations such as marketability or the need to express themselves.

In this essay, O'Connor is concerned with the art of storytelling, whether the story is a short story or a novel; all fiction is a story. O'Connor believes that a good writer must address absolutes...