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The Art of the Perfect Ending: Tom Andes on Crafting Contemporary Short Fiction
by Writing Workshops Staff
3 weeks ago
The contemporary short story is a medium that demands precision, emotional truth, and an almost supernatural sense of when to stop, that cliff-edge moment when readers are left breathless, knowing intuitively that this is exactly where the story needed to end.
Tom Andes is a master of the short form. The Albuquerque-based fiction writer and musician has spent years perfecting his craft, with stories appearing in Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories 2025, Best American Mystery Stories 2012, and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. His debut detective novel, Wait There Till You Hear from Me, was published by Crescent City Books in 2025, the same year Southern Crescent Recording Co. re-released his acclaimed EPs on vinyl. Now, he's bringing his deep understanding of narrative craft to writers eager to master the short form through his Advanced Short Fiction 8-Week Zoom Workshop.
What sets Andes apart as an instructor isn't just his publishing credentials: it's his approach to the workshop as a "brainstorming session" where writers collaborate to elevate each other's work. His course promises a deep dive into contemporary conversations shaping American short fiction, combined with practical craft instruction that writers can immediately apply to their own manuscripts.
In our conversation, Andes reveals his fascination with "blind spots" and "the little lies we tell ourselves"—those moments of self-deception that often become the most revealing aspects of character. It's this keen eye for psychological nuance, paired with his belief that workshops should honor both analytical feedback and "deep, intuitive, emotional reactions to stories," that makes his teaching approach particularly compelling for advanced writers ready to push their craft to the next level.
Here is our conversation with Tom:
Writing Workshops: Hi, Tom. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Tom Andes: I'm a fiction writer and musician based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
Tom Andes: The simple answer is that I love short fiction. As I said in the course description, there is something about the way a story hits. Also, I've been working on organizing stories into two different collections, as well as writing stories for what will hopefully be a third collection, so I've been thinking a lot about this form. I find it simultaneously so beguiling and rewarding, at once so difficult and so much fun to write.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Tom Andes: To a certain extent, this is a classic fiction workshop: every week, two writers present stories, which we'll discuss. But alongside the workshop component, we'll also be reading from the latest Best American Short Stories. I'll admit I stole this idea from a great teacher, Lee K. Abbott. For all I know, he might have stolen it from someone else. At least, I can't imagine he was the only person to use the Best American as a course text. But I am really excited about this idea of thinking about stories as a conversation, and of trying to locate what we're doing as writers in this workshop in the landscape of contemporary writing. More than that, though, I'm just excited to teach a workshop. I tend to think of workshops as brainstorming sessions. We're showing up to try to make each other's work better. I love that, and I'm excited to facilitate it.
Writing Workshops: Who was your first literary crush?
Tom Andes: I was a little bit in love with Ce'Nedra, the princess who marries the hero of David Eddings' series of fantasy novels, The Belgariad. They had a complex and torturous relationship that began (if I am remembering correctly) in mutual dislike but blossomed into love. I probably learned terrible lessons from that. But she is the first literary character I remember crushing on.
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
Tom Andes: I am never reading one thing at at a time, usually more like six or seven things. At the moment, at the top of my pile, I've got The Infinite Passion of Expectation by Gina Berriault, The Gospel Singer by Harry Crews, and Eight Very Bad Nights: an Anthology of Hanukkah Noir edited by Tod Goldberg.
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
Tom Andes: A couple years ago, I read a great anecdote about Isaac Asimov, who apparently kept three different manuscripts going on three different typewriters in his office. Reading that really freed me up from what I'd been doing, which was hammering at one thing until it was finished, or often as not until I gave up on finishing it. I often have several things going at once, and I try to let myself fall into whatever pulls me back into it and commands my interest. Of course, I still get stuck. But I have become a huge believer in letting the subconscious do the work it needs to do, so I think it's okay to walk away from things, work on other things, then find your way back when the time is right.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
Tom Andes: I like blind spots, the little lies we tell ourselves, a guy who hates his job and feels beaten down by the world psyching himself up for a shift by telling himself the human body only needs six hours of sleep, say. I think I am always interested in moments when we can see past the lies we tell ourselves. I also really like voice, especially because I think characters often reveal themselves in the way they lie to themselves. People say the oddest things. I think a lot of my ideas start in that contradiction and weirdness.
Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
Tom Andes: Read aloud. That's one of the biggest things, for me. When I started reading my work aloud to myself, it taught me so much about voice, which of course is directly connected to character. And I would also share the piece of advice I am constantly trying to relearn, which is the importance of learning when you've done enough with a story, when you've made it the best you can make it, and it's time to let go, at least for now.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Tom Andes: I'm long overdue to reread this, but I loved Stephen King's On Writing. I appreciated how down-to-earth it was. I don't feel like all of us come to the table as big fans of literary fiction. I also think we don't talk enough about how important it is to find fun in the process. As a bonus, I would say Samuel R. Delany's About Writing. For all that he has a reputation as an experimental writer, it is such a nuts-and-bolts dissection of how imaginative writing works.
Writing Workshops: Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
Tom Andes: I think I'm generally pretty chill. Like I said above, I like to think of a workshop as a brainstorming session: we're trying to help each other make something better. But I also think we have to honor our deep, intuitive, emotional reactions to stories. I think I have learned the most from readers who have said things like I really don't like this guy you're asking me to root for, or after twenty pages, this quiet, New Yorker-style ending feels like a letdown. Of course, I'm not going to say that quite so bluntly that in a workshop. But I think we can honor those intuitive reactions and the deep emotional connections we feel with stories, and I hope I can make the workshop a place where people feel safe to both say and hear those kinds of things.
Ready to transform your short fiction and join the contemporary conversation that's shaping American literature? Tom's Advanced Short Fiction 8-Week Zoom Workshop offers the rare opportunity to workshop two complete manuscripts with an accomplished writer who understands both the craft and the business of publishing.
With only 8 spots available, this intimate setting ensures personalized attention and the kind of deep, transformative feedback that can elevate your work to the next level. Don't miss your chance to study with a writer who's mastered the art of knowing exactly when to stop.
