L'aura del Campo

Queen of the Kumquats (notes and ideas)

I went to my short-story workshop-with-Emma.

There are only 4 of us.

One of us write erotica-horror... whatever that is!

Me?

I felt silly, absurd really.

I need to come up with a short story by the 22nd. My goal is the 15th. So... my notes:

1. Quentin was queer. No. Not in that sense. He liked quince jelly, the city of Quincy. He considered himself to be a queen. Not with a capital Q, just a drag-out queen walking down Q Avenue to 3rd Street. But that wasn't queer... anymore than John Quincy Adams was. He kept one of his quarters in his left pocket for good luck.

2. Describe him!
a. he smelled of apples... this side of vinegar.
b. he smiled too much... goofy they said.
c. his favorite color was turquoise.
d. his TV hero was Q.
e. a purr of his pet bear soothed him.
f. he was nothing like his parents and happy for it.
g. he skipped over cracks in the sidewalk.
h. he loved quesadillas and knew how to make them.
i. he always asked pour quoi? He liked the sound.
j. he was allergic to kumquats - considered it shortcoming.

3. Excluded/included. (Harry Potter felt excluded. I turn that around and list what I wanted to excluded from. Not sure what any of this, except maybe swimming, would be worked into the story.
a. Cub Scouts - I wanted out.
b. Swimming class - thankfully, I broke my arm.
c. Christmas - I didn't want gifts.
d. Birthdays - absolutely no.
e. chores and allowance - I refused.

4. Strengths/weaknesses (based on the above)
a. being my own self / joining a group
b. gratitude
c. giving / getting
d. Empathy later on / non-flexibility no joy for the joy of others
e. how to do without / no concept of quid-pro-quo

5. 3 Strengths for this character:
a. not predictable
b. disarming - no one can bottonhole him
c. he always wanted to understand why

6. 3 Weaknesses for this character (in this world):
a. not blending in where needed
b. too many kumquats - no quince
c. Q is not a letter; KW is not a sound


7. How does he change/grow/overcome?
a. swims
b. eats a kumquat (part of a ritual)
c. learns his worth
d. walk without skipping.

Names: Quentin, Kent, Her Majesty.

Addendum:

I imagine a last line. "Crown askew on his tiara, Quentin mumbles, "All quail before Quentin, Queen of the Kumquats".

I could write 100 word flash fictions... as a way of dealing with this. 10 should make a nice short story of 1.000 words.

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