  Short Stories
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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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The Pulse
Last month I wrote about the exciting topic of dust. I know! I was delighted to find all the responses to the newsletter. Sometimes the craziest things inspire me not only for my writing but my newsletters, too. I've been a newsletter editor for twelve years and sometimes it's hard to scratch up an interesting topic. If any of you 'faithful readers' ever think of a topic you'd like to see covered, do send the suggestion in!
This newsletter is about keeping your finger on the pulse of WDC. Not only should you check the Contests page for prompts and inspiration, take a look at The Hub too. Click Community in your left column and choose The Hub. There's a ton of info there, did you know? The Bulletin shows what site contest is currently running so you can hop over and be inspired to write and compete for big rewards.
There's also a Writing Prompt, links to recent activity on the site and even a space to show you what is going on over on Facebook. So after you check your email for great stuff like reviews and awards, take a peek at The Hub and the Community Newsfeed to see what's hopping at WDC.
And as always, Write On!
This month's question: What do you look at first when you log in? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback! |
Excerpt: She would be able to come ashore for three nights—the three nights of the full moon. Ilargi, the moon goddess, held sway over the tides. Amarissa was a sea nymph and Ilargi’s daughter. If she stayed out of the water longer than the period of the full moon, she would perish.
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Excerpt: As I moved, I heard chittering. I shivered as my imagination took over. I walked backwards faster. My beating heart sounded like a horse pounding for the finish line. I should have found the door by now. I stumbled and almost fell.
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Excerpt: Once when I was very young, my Grampa and I, were sitting on the steps learning to whittle. He was whittling and I was learning. (Gramma’s rules, she had a lot of them.)
Grampa was whittling away and telling me how poor they were during the “pression” when nobody had nothing, and everyone was doing their best just to feed themselves. He said my daddy liked to turn into a potato in them days, seeing as that was about all there was to eat, and they ate them three meals a day. But Sundays were special.
“On Sundays, your Gramma would make up a big pot of wiener water soup.”
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Excerpt: “What is your name?” I whisper to the Lady of Light before me. I whisper in fear of waking the nightmares slumbering in the surrounding dark. Her face becomes perplexed at my question, but her sweet hazel eyes calm my shaking nerves.
Excerpt:
Tom stooped in front of his horse. The tracks in the mud clearly led west toward Hole in the Wall. He knew that if he allowed his bounty to get in there he would be unable to capture him. He wanted to capture him so he could see him hanged for his crime. The bounty was an outlaw named Sam Gunner. Gunner was an appropriate name for the outlaw because he gunned down any man who stood in his path. Tom had no intention of being the next man Gunner shot. He knew that Gunner would put up a fight and that was exactly what Tom wanted. In spite of that Tom planned on doing all that was in his power to keep from killing Gunner.
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Excerpt: My name is Kino. I’m one of those cats you see on Youtube. No, not the yawn-inducing ones of the cutest, fluffiest, melt-in-your-eyes kitties who are the feline-equivalents of human Barbies. The laugh-a-second compilations where the cats are major fails.
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Excerpt: When her head hit the windshield of the van, Tammy suffered a severe injury to her left temporal lobe. "Part of my right occipital lobe blew out my eardrum, here," she says. "The funny thing is," Tammy says, "that I was crossing the street in front of the building where I work, and the van that hit me was delivering the food for a business lunch I was about to attend." Tammy doesn't have that job anymore. Todd doesn't have his job anymore, either. T
Excerpt: “The sand’s hot,” Doris complained. “I’m sweating. Move us to the shade.”
Bob grimaced. God, I wish she’d stop complaining! Obediently, he picked up their bags, chairs, and towels and lugged them to the palm tree. Great! I’m her pack mule; no, make that jackass!
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This month's question: What do you look at first when you log in? Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's question: What silly thing has inspired one of your stories?
brom21  's thoughts: Thanks for the newsletter. Although I don't recall something quite silly that affected my writing, it is very simple for me to come up with grandiose from odd prompts. I can create silly stories and poems as I love to laugh. I'm one of those people who never gets tired of an old parody or gag. Hopefully, I'll be able to have an answer for your next question. Thanks again for this intriguing edition!
Osirantinous  's comment: Silly or not, I've a story written entirely from hearing a name in a TV news item: Orpheus. Interestingly, it belonged to a woman and she was named after a ship that had sunk in New Zealand waters. Her father, if I recall, correctly, was one of those who had come up with the idea of lifejackets. Anyway, my story has nothing to do with that other than using Orpheus has my MC's name (though he prefers his middle name Mason). It is exhilarating when one tiny thing can inspire a story! I'm allergic to dust so I'm totally not going to read that article you linked!! But imagine if you did find dust in your home from the other side of the world, and it could reveal lives from that side???
dragonwoman 's word: crossword puzzles
Prosperous Snow celebrating  's story: One of the silly things that inspired one my stories was November 9, 2009 Mother Goose and Grim comic. The characters were discussing parallel universes. That gave me an idea for a story about missing spoons. "The Mystery of the Missing Spoons"
Quick-Quill  's confession: Someone told me about zebra milk. I had to use it in a story. Some day I'd love to expand this into a novel.
Merry Mumsy  's tale: What silly thing inspired one of my stories? I love to take wacky real-life occurrences and toss them into my stories. My mom's story of having her oatmeal explode all over the inside of the microwave. My character may or may not have used that little disaster to devise a new recipe.
DRSmith 's inspiration: Some time ago, Fyn published a newsletter where she challenged her aspiring students of the literary craft to describe: "what does water taste like", which inspired the following response: "BLUE PORK CHOPS"
Whata SpoonStealer  's reply: Interesting, the bit on dust. Dust is mostly shed skin cells, no? I'll look. One day 
To answer your question, yes! My story "A Higher Purpose" began with my love of chess, and morphed into God playing chess. It's just a prologue, and one that needs serious rewrite at that.
My poetry often begins in my mind with a song lyric, and takes off from there. 
RICH says: If dust mites could talk, oi vey!
Sum1  tells: This is about dust, though from the title you wouldn't know it. It is still a fear of mine. I cannot sleep with an arm or any part of my body hanging over the edge. "Monsters Under Her Bed"
C.A. Miller i  's story: I was talking to one of my work colleagues at Head Office and she said she was in distress as a few things had gone wrong, storm flooding, sick daughter...
So I sent her an email which said: Once upon a time there was a damsel in distress........"
She answered back: what happened, what happened?
I had to come up with a story, which is how my short story Maya's Promise came to be. This turned into a whole novel eventually, which is sitting on the side of my desk gathering dust - aha the magic word!
Crow agrees:
I can't say that I am really into the silly side of things. Maybe on a rare occasion but not generally. I did appreciate your discussion of dust. I would have to agree with you there; dust is pretty cool, and well traveled.
Thanks to everyone for your replies! |
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Short Stories: April 05, 2017 Issue [#8224]
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