This week: Crazy Uncle Charlie Edited by: Leger~SoGrateful  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
This newsletter aims to help the Writing.com author hone their craft and improve their skills. I would also like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
|
Crazy Uncle Charlie
This is the time of year when things get crazy chaotic for me and I desperately hoard my downtime. Not to say I'm a recluse, but it seems like the holiday frenzy can suck the energy from a person when they're not looking. I love to do stuff! Don't get me wrong, I go to holiday parties, but being an ambivert, I want to go back home to recharge.
One thing I do at holiday gatherings is observe. I think it's a natural tendency of mine. I watch people. I watch how couples interact, how friends treat one another, and how family personalities mesh. It's interesting how a person might behave one-on-one with me, and how they act in a group. Sometimes it can be entirely different. And then there's crazy Uncle Charlie who has a brand of his own and always entertains.
I don't necessarily write notes on what I see, but it helps me understand the nature of relationships better. This manifests later as character sketches or ideas for scenes. (Or those inner thoughts like, what are they doing???) My dialog with someone is not the same as how I see them interact with others. We all have unique ways of expressing ourselves. Add in a physical or mental issue and the conversation can be entirely different than the way I personally converse.
So when things get chaotic, and you need to withdraw, take the time to observe and fill the 'imagination bank' with some observations and ideas. We'll have plenty of time in 2026 to snuggle down and write. Your relatives will give you plenty of anecdotes to add to your stories.
Happy Holidays and Write On!
Leger~
This month's question: Do your family gatherings give you fodder for stories?
Answer below  Editors love feedback! 
|
WDC November Site Contest
Quote Prompt for November 2025:
"Everyone thinks of changing the world,
but no one thinks of changing himself."
— Leo Tolstoy
Excerpt: “Congratulations on your birthday, Minnie. Thank you for allowing me to interview you.”
Excerpt: Snow was already falling in thick, lazy sheets by the time I turned onto my sister’s street. Her house sat at the end of the cul-de-sac like a Christmas card: blue siding, wreath on the door, twinkle lights blinking politely along the roofline. The kind of place you’d expect cocoa and carols, not the bone-deep unease that had been curling in my stomach since noon. I killed the engine, grabbed my overnight bag, and stepped into the cold. The storm was worse than the forecast had promised. Wind pushed the snow sideways, hissing around my boots as I trudged up the walk. The door jerked open before I could knock.
Excerpt: B-9, the stork of Marbleville County, woke up groggigly at the behest of his alarm clock, staring at it in disbelief. Five minutes late already!
Excerpt: Nobody in Miller’s Hollow remembers putting the scarecrow up. It just sort of appeared one morning- lean, slouched, and stitched together like a bad decision. His jacket was faded denim, ripped at the elbows. His gloves were stained, one finger missing. And his head, God, his head, was a burlap sack with a crooked, black-stitched grin and button eyes that didn’t match. Someone had shoved a half-burned cigarette between the loose threads of his mouth, as if he’d paused mid-smoke to watch the world rot.
Excerpt: "She's pregnant!" said the buxom Mrs. Jones to her neighbor. Hands-on hips with an angry tone, her curly hair blowing in the wind. She looked ready for a fight.
"What your daughter?..." said Mr. Creus.
Excerpt: "Back in my day, when we lived on earth. I would go camping in the mountains by this beautiful lake. By the time sunset was approaching, we would have a fire going and a pile of firewood ready for the night. The tents would be up and we would gather, seated on logs, to watch the sun go down," said Jack. The baby in his arms calmed to the sound of his voice and gazed up into her father's eyes.
Excerpt: I’ve taken on a few quests in my time but never one as complicated as this. It was bad enough that there were so many places to be and all at the correct time, but some of the instructions were just weird. I was still trying to get everything sorted out in my head when I arrived at the first destination.
Excerpt: She had no idea where she was going. She ran headfirst into the brilliant sun, sucking down the clean country air in great, refreshing gulps. Brady had kissed her today, and nothing could foul her mood.
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
This month's question: Do your family gatherings give you fodder for stories?
Answer below Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Action/Adventure Newsletter (October 22, 2025)" question: Have you written any fan fiction to share?
Amethyst Autumn Angel  : Yep... "Anna, Elsa and Winnie the Pooh" "Across the Fence" "Happy Dance"
Turkey DrumStik  : Yes, but it's not posted here.
Dawn Embers  : I have one story on here. It's fan fiction based off a continuation from an anime, Monochrome Factor.
BƖųҽyҽʐ ꨄ  : I've written a few Star Trek pieces.
Dad  : I've tried to write a fanfiction of Quantum Leap where Sam screws it up so bad, he leaps back to the beginning to try again. Never finished it.
Šuŋgmánitu Tȟáŋka  : "I Want Candy " Isn’t a fanfic per se, though it is a tongue-in-cheek tip of the hat to the Ghistbusters franchise and all the ghost hunting TV shows out there. The name of the business in my story was actually inspired by the Ghost Facers from the show Suoernatural.
Jeffrey Meyer  : Short answer: no.
Longer answer: I have an idea for a star trek piece. My brother and I used to play Star Trek when we were younger. He had an idea for an episode where the transporter stopped working mid beam. The characters were trapped in a strange world that was mostly missed and... stuff. He called it "caught in the grasps of between."
I've always considered making it into a story, but it's the "stuff" usually trips me up. I can't figure out what to put there except another planet, and then it's just another episode of Star trek.
Maybe I'll try to make a short story of it. Or maybe I'll try to do a screenplay, which I've never done. I hadn't thought about that in quite a while. This little post reminded me of something that has always seemed fun to me. Yay me.
TheBusmanPoet  : Not a fiction writer. I only do non fiction.
scriptboy  : As a matter of fact, yes I have! Way back when, in 2003, I had joined a Yahoo! Group for writers and readers of superhero stories. We were discussing comic books, superhero movies, and the like. Occasionally, someone would write and post a cool Superman or Batman story, and we would all read it and provide feedback to the author.
One afternoon, one of the readers had posted a challenge. He longed to read a story about a youngster, preferably a teenage boy, who had arrived from some unknown planet in the galaxy, who had the same powers as Superman, but he was even stronger and more powerful than the Man of Steel. The reader wondered how this super teen would meet the superhero, and how he would behave and act, knowing he was stronger than him? He also wanted to know what would become of him? Would he befriend the Man of Steel, or destroy him?
Well, one author wrote his short story in response. It was about an insanely strong young man, who came to earth, who met the Man of Steel, and who ended up beating him in a fierce battle and eventually killing him. The ruthless super teen destroyed the world and that was it then. End of story. There was one story and that was it. Nothing ever came of it. No sequel. no second part, no continuation, nothing.
I saw that and I was disgusted by the story which was posted. There had to be a better outcome of this fan-fiction story. So, I went into a chatroom with three other writers, and we came up with a new character. He dreamed up a young boy, who came from a distant planet, who landed on earth and who met Superman totally by accident. However, rather than challenge or fight the Man of Steel, the boy begged him to teach him how to use his powers and became a superhero just like him. The boy’s name was Jamie, and he became known as Superboy Jamie.
During the next 15 years or so, I had written close to thirty short stories featuring this young hero. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to create a visual representation of Jamie, thanks to Artificial Intelligence. A few years later, in 2008, I wrote a superhero novel with my best friend at the time, where the main character was inspired by Jamie. This novel is still available on amazon today. For me, creating this superhero character launched me into writing fan-fiction stories, and that eventually led me to publish my first novel. It has been a wonderful journey.
Friendly Neighborhood Derg  : Most of Gulp DragonDawn's adventures that I make up in my head are fanfic as they take place in existing content and use the official characters.
S🤦♂️ : "World Magic Federation" "Beverly Hills 9-0-Twilight-0"
Mousethyme :
I've thought of writing fan-fiction, but I feel I would write something out of character of the original and thus disrespect the original authors work.
Also, I've been in role play games where other players are allowed to write bits involving your character. Most of the time when someone has "borrowed" my character they have been completely off track. It does make one a little miffed to say the least.
Thank you everyone, for your responses! L~ |
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Action/Adventure: November 19, 2025 Issue [#13461]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
