Jack Hunter would like to see the short story make a comeback.
And he's hoping to start the revival himself with his recently published collection of 31 short stories, Better Than Bad.
"I'd really like to see short stories be more embraced," he said. "I feel like everyone is moving towards more bite-sized entertainment - Netflix series rather than movies - and shorts stories can fill that niche."
Written between 2017 and 2019, Hunter's eclectic collection casts a satirical eye over themes from politics to social media. The subjects are just as diverse: a farmer confronts a stranger in his barn, leading to a tense stand-off; two estranged brothers share a long car journey to their mother's funeral; a guilt-stricken widow waters her plastic plants.
Another story is about a social media influencer who can no longer influence her own life. "She can't make herself believe the bullshit she is peddling anymore," said Hunter.
As part of the generation that grew up alongside the rise social media, it is an issue that resonates with the 26-year-old Glenbrook resident.
"I think the glass shattering moment for me, when I realised social media is actually quite strange, was when these big multinational corporations started to talk like teenagers on Twitter. They'd try and relate to the 'kids' in ways that were entirely cynical - just trying to sell us more stuff."
Hunter said his stories aim to "find the comedy in the chaos" that is modern society. The emerging author's own life could almost act as the starting point for a biographical novel. When he was 17 his father's business failed in the global financial crisis and the family moved in with Hunter's grandmother after declaring bankruptcy and losing their own home. Hunter joined the workforce straight out of high school, pursuing his passion for writing whenever he wasn't working in kitchens in the hospitality industry.
It was two of his English teachers at Winmalee High School who first encouraged his writing talent. One of these mentors was so impressed by one of Hunter's Year 10 creative writing assignments, he asked to use it as a teaching tool. "That was the first time I got the taste that other people might actually be interested in what I was writing," he said.
As a self-taught and self-published author, Hunter jokes that launching his short stories into the world is "definitely scarier than exciting". In the book's introduction he writes that he still has an "immeasurable amount to learn", ending with a note of gratitude to the reader for "giving me a chance".
But it is a leap of faith that is likely to be rewarded. Better Than Bad's release follows the publication of three novellas and a large body of fiction and non-fiction online by Hunter. His dedication to honing his craft will likely see him return to one of several unfinished novels and usher it to publication.
In the meantime, the simple act of writing is providing its own rewards.
"I never feel better than on a day when I've done even an hour's worth of writing," he said.
Better Than Bad is available from www.jackhunter.blog and Blue Dragon Books in Glenbrook.
