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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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Tweet!
Stories told around the fire could have been an old source of inspiration for new stories, but in the modern world, social media is king. While names need to be changed to protect the innocent (unless it's an autobiography), story ideas can emerge from media sources like Facebook and Twitter. Instead of spending time reposting the latest joke (ugh!), think about turning some of the anecdotes from friends into an inspiration source.
Travel might not be a possibility for you, but friends who post pictures and messages about far-off places can turn your idea blender on high. A friend of a friend posted a picture on his Facebook page, of a state trooper texting on his phone while driving down the Interstate. While many people posted outrage at the officer, I started thinking about what the consequences of that action might be. What if he crashed? What if he killed someone? What if another driver got it on video?
"What if?" is always a good source of ideas for me and probably a lot of other writers. Where the "what if" goes will probably be entirely different from author to author, but that is the beautiful thing about imagination, we all travel different roads. If all stories turned out the same, there would be no reason for books; we would know the ending.
If you're not into social media, I'll suggest a second source, image sites. I've written newsletters about image inspiration before but along with travel sites and Google, sites like Tumblr, Getty Images and Corbis Images are fun idea sources. Take a look around! You might even find a new image for your desktop.
This month's question: Has social media inspired a story in your portfolio? Do you find it too distracting?
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Excerpt: Sitting down at her computer, Dee yawned, trying to see the screen. Taking a long sip of her coffee, she blinked a few times, clearing her vision, the typed in her password, logging into Facebook. The top of the screen said she had twenty-seven messages.
Excerpt: She was staring at a distraught photo of Kate with a blazing inferno in the background and the status update said “Everything’s gone, Brian’s dead”.
Excerpt: It was only the second time in two years that their holidays – Chris went to Egerton and Louisa to Nairobi University – had coincided. But it had taken most of the first holiday for Chris to make her feel obliged to change her Facebook status to “in a relationship”.
Excerpt: Silence reigns – king of the desolate plain.
Excerpt: "Firetruck!" yelled 5 year old Billy.
Excerpt: He couldn’t figure out why she would be texting him so late at night, especially when she knew he was out of town on a business trip.
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Excerpt: My name is Boris Charkov, and I’ve been driving the same bus route for fifteen years now, longer than the buses I drive. According to a friend of mine, my appearance is ‘Russian-like’. Since I began the route, wrinkles have formed, skin has sagged, and clumps of white hair have sprouted all over my face and head. My boss often asks me if I’d like to ‘mix it up a little bit’ by driving a new route, but I don’t like to ‘mix it up’. I’ve become so comfortable with my route I don’t want to try another. I’d have to learn a new route, and I don’t know how well I’d learn a new one. Truth is, I’m scared.
Excerpt: We exit at Rahway to try out my new campaign. Sweet pea has that “Oh no, here we go again” look on her face. Rahway – that’s a funky name. Rahway’s centerpiece is a big round prison. How many towns can say that
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This month's question: Has social media inspired a story in your portfolio? Do you find it too distracting?
Last month's question: Do you use duality in your writing?
pinkbarbie answered: Hi, thanks for the very interesting newsletter. I like using duality. I wrote a poem where the persona has had two sides of his personality. I think that duality does capture the reader's attention.
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Short Stories: August 29, 2012 Issue [#5235]
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