Month: July 2010

Fiction: Neighborhood Meeting

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Only Jerome was wavering.

“I dunno,” he said. “Y’know, that’s where all our children were conceived. Where they learned to walk. There are two hamsters buried in the back yard.”

“Jerome,” Andrew said, “we’ve all got memories like those. But the plain fact is, the memories are all we have left. It’s like when a person dies: the spirit lives on but the body is no good any more.”

“Well,” Jerome said, “we might be able to buy it back someday.”

“ ‘Might.’ ‘Someday.’” David shook his head. “That’s the same sinking boat we’re all in, Jerry.” He held up a placating hand. “Now, you don’t have to go in on this with us. No one says you have to. But it sure would be impressive. It sure would send a message to those heartless rich bastards.”

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Pen to Paper: The Creative Joy

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It can be so easy to lose oneself in the endless books and articles telling us how to write better. The genre is so seductive: just read this one more article and you’ll have the key you’ve always sought; the last piece of the puzzle will fall into place and you will become an Author.

In these weekly essays, I’m hoping to both discover and offer keys and puzzle pieces that lead to better writing. Goodness knows I’m in favor of it. And like any good hoarder, I enjoy unearthing some new little treasure that will help me write more clearly, more evocatively, more, more, more.

But let’s stop briefly to remember why we got into writing in the first place.

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Fiction: This Diamond Ring

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Sandra tugged at her ring and eventually got it off of her finger. She threw it at Delbert, who lay wheezing softly on the living room floor. It missed his face but landed in plain sight.

“That little thing isn’t even worth trying to resell,” she growled.

He looked at the ring and remembered how gleeful he had been eighteen years before when he went to Kavalitz’ Jewelry and picked out the nicest wedding ring his budget could withstand. It would have to suffice; the matching engagement ring was far too expensive. Mr. Kavalitz assured Delbert he didn’t mind breaking up the set.

Delbert had taken Sandra out to dinner that night. After they both had declined the waitress’ offer of dessert, Delbert had reached into his suit pocket. “Perhaps I could interest you in this, though.” He opened the box and handed it to Sandra.

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Pen to Paper: I Write Like

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My friend Susan told me about the I Write Like site. I’ve had entirely too much fun playing with it. I tested 30 of my fiction posts with the IWL analysis. Here is the short version of the results:

Once each: Margaret Atwood, Jack London, J.D. Salinger, Ian Fleming (on a story involving multiple ways to kill someone), David Foster Wallace, Margaret Mitchell, P.G. Wodehouse (!), Raymond Chandler, Harry Harrison, and Bram Stoker (on a vampire story).

Twice each: Kurt Vonnegut, James Joyce, and JK Rowling.

Three times: Chuck Palahniuk.

Four times: Dan Brown:.

Seven times: Stephen King.

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Fiction: Two L’s in the Night

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Something nudged Brent; he roused and opened his eyes. A shape hung over him and he quickly turned on the bedside lamp. The shape instantly took on form and color, if not meaning. Brent closed his eyes again and then reopened them. The form persisted.

He elbowed his wife, sleeping in bed next to him.

“Nina.”

‘Hmmmf?”

“Wake up, honey.”

“Why?”

“There’s a llama in the room.”

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Quotable 10

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Often, when I’m halfway through a picture, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to end it. And then I have to think more carefully, “What would Bugs Bunny do in a situation like this?” In other words, I can’t think of what I would do, or what I think Bugs Bunny should do. I have to think as Bugs Bunny, not of Bugs Bunny.
– Chuck Jones