  Short Stories
This week: Something Unusual Edited by: Legerdemain  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
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Something Unusual
New social phrases emerge all the time in society language and never make it to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Some of the word definitions can be downright funny and could add humor to a story. Like the word "pretext". In the Urban Dictionary, one of the meanings for the word "pretext" is "To pretend to text someone or reply to someone's text message to avoid awkward situations. This happens most often when talking to someone you don't really know or when you don't want to look weird while waiting for the bus." Pretty funny!
We all have those awkward situations. And writing them into scenes can break tension and add humor to your story. A little entertainment is always good. Even an epitaph can be funny:
Here lies the body
of Jonathan Blake
Stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake
Here lies the body of Emily White,
She signalled left, and then turned right.
Here lies Dr Keene, the good Bishop of Chester,
Who eat up a fat goose, but could not digest her.
Or sweet romantic poem:
If I should go tomorrow
It would never be goodbye,
For I have left my heart with you,
So don't you ever cry.
The love that's deep within me,
Shall reach you from the stars,
You'll feel it from the heavens,
And it will heal the scars.
When writing your story, think about using something unusual to change the tempo of your action, or to break emotional tension in your scene. Plus it's a lot of fun researching. 
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Excerpt: Love. The eternal dream. The dream which causes Man to achieve great things as well as drives him to drink. It is at once the greatest of happiness and the source of all sorrows. I’m not putting down Love. I just believe in putting it in its proper perspective – not on a pedestal or down in the gutter. Love is what it is. It is the cold reality smacking you in the face when you see your lover in another’s embrace. It is the highest of motivations when someone gives their life for another. No, I’m not putting down Love. I just understand it better than most. I deal with it everyday. It’s my business. My name is Matt Cupid, for hire.
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Excerpt: He reached his digging spot and set down his lunchpail. Next to an empty grave was a plot of land, marked by a headstone, with the words "RIP, JACK RIPER 1912-1945 IN LOVING MEMORY."
Excerpt: Nosy–no, curious–as ever. “Yeah.” He gazed at the three photographs upon the mantel. “I just hope the family are okay.” He remembered Tariq and his broken camera phone and his breaking spirit. “I don't want this to destroy them.”
Excerpt: Once I walked these cobbled stones of Paris with the lithe and joyful steps of a young man at peace with himself. Those were troubled times I know and yet as naïve as I was, I knew and expected nothing of the dangers that were to befall me. My footsteps now seem heavy-laden with the accumulation of hatred and bitterness over the years. Each step leads me closer to the place of happiness and yet misery.
Excerpt: The rhythmic tap of his metal leg on the pavement carved a harsh tattoo into the night. The streets sleep fitfully in Charon City and he was not the only one braving its fog shrouded byways that night. The stranger fell into step with the man, mirroring his uneven gait. They walked a few steps in perfect lockstep before the man stopped.
Excerpt: Ranshall cleared his throat and the dignitaries all turned towards him. His broad and tall frame was dwarfed by the towering oaken doors behind him. Silence washed over the group like a wave ebbing back to sea.
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Excerpt: Gilead Silvermane, High King of Dunraw, rode out on a black horse to inspect his territories. Well, that was what he had led the royal council to belief, but those closest to his mind knew better. For twenty years, just before the spring time festival, he would seek a troll, a certain troll whose image was etched in his memory and the desire to slay it was branded onto his heart. Sadly, the king could not escape the power of vengeance, nor did he want to.
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This month's question: What do you use to break tension in your stories? Send in your reply below! 
Last month I asked the question: Where do you find your inspiration?
Lauriemariepea  replied: I think I subconsciously collect tidbits throughout my day, which my brain catalogues, chews on, batts around, until something juicy comes of it. I honestly don't feel like I can force or even control when I get a glimmer of an idea. I just have to remain open to the possibility and have faith in my subconscious. Great question, and interesting newsletter--thanks
Joshiahis answered: I find my inspiration from a variety of sources. The easiest is a contest prompt. My own imagination can run wild when giving a box to work within. The weird stuff comes from dreams, usually after partaking of copious amounts of beef and alcohol before bed.
bronxbishop submitted: I wonder if the author (The original author) of "The Mummy" got his inspiration from a museum? I tried to find the author's name but the web is inundated with movie lore and I can't find out who wrote the original story. How sad:(
A thinker never sleeps sent: Inspiration for me often comes from a single, random image. Usually it's a place or a character and what's happening to them at that moment. Usually I start where something new happensthat begins a change in his/her life. The rest of the plot, I build around the first scenes.
AngelFire responded: Where do I find inspiration? While soaking in hot bath! I think it also comes from when I'm creating
something, whether it be cooking or crafts. My day job is rather mundane so when I get into my zone, I zone out and day dream and think of a lot stories. Do I manage to get my work done? Sure, only having to it all over again. More time to day dream!
sarahreed says: A lot of my inspiration comes from my heart. Subsequently, a lot of it comes from my husband who has all of my heart. He breathed life back into my heart when I met him and he continues to inspire and motivate me forward on my path, whether it's work or writing.
atwhatcost replied: "Where do you find your inspiration?" "Invalid Item" My muse hasn't gone to a museum with me yet. :D
LJPC - the tortoise 's response: The world's larget ball of twine? I may not be running off to Minnesota anytime soon, but I think the links you provided were wonderful. Writing is as much of an art as painting and sculpture, and anywhere one might find inspiration is worth taking a look at. -- Laura
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Short Stories: June 09, 2010 Issue [#3791]
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