I started writing poetry as a cheat of sorts; I could write a compact story very quickly. My sister Debbie is the poet in the family. I do my best. She writes beautiful, heartfelt prose that makes you think. She was the one that explained Robert Frost’s “Two Roads” poem to me so that I understood it was about his decision not to go to war. I thought it had to do with walking in…
Don’t Give Up Now The pain in her arm became intense, but she took some comfort in the news Wallace offered. She might confront the man responsible for her dad’s death. What would she do? The terror began to rise from the pit of her stomach. Was she prepared to kill him? The idea seemed remote until now. She had enjoyed thing about how she would take care of Todd. The thinking and plotting revenge made her…
He jumped on the Southwest Chief as it picked up speed at the Alvarado Transportation Center. The porter swung him into the car and waved to the engineer to aim the train to Los Angeles. He wandered past the seats, swiped a blanket from a baby carriage, and slid into an empty row. He pulled the blanket up to his neck and watched the mesquite trees out the window until he fell asleep. When he…
Well, that’s a mouthful and they had to use an ampersand to make it all fit. However, Neal Soloponte provides 195 plot stages to consider in shaping a novel so the title needs some heft. The Ultimate Hero’s Journey: 195 Essential Plot Stages Found in the Best Novels & Movies delivers so many plot stages that I fell into the rabbit hole Soloponte took in writing this book. Like my favorite, Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys…
This is a short story about a group of people at a settlement conference: a sort of preliminary attempt to close out a lawsuit before a trial. Most of the settlement’s are managed by previous judges, so they know what will fly in front of a jury, and what won’t fly.
Cranberry Juice The emergency room at the county hospital seemed too busy for a Tuesday morning. Tucked in every corner sat screaming babies with frantic mothers, homeless suffering from the heat, foreigners nursing hangovers, and Cindy with a gunshot in her arm. She sat in the middle of a bed pushed into the hallway with her legs dangling over the edge. A gauze pad with a red circle of blood covered her arm. This part…
Some shout no to corporate welfare And spit on those who say otherwise. Tax loopholes seem unfair, To those who minimize Their day-to-day and scrutinize The monthly budget. The craftsmen yowl this advice, Be a Maker, Not a Taker. An artisan lists out what’s true and fair; A list of various jobs and supplies. To complete his family’s share Of fruited endeavors reprise. The labor like clockwork unifies The sons and daughters sextet. The craftsmen…
You spent all day working, tossed the ball with the dog, watched some TV, and now you want to sleep. You nod off quickly only to awaken at midnight to the howling of your dog. Then your dog does something unusual: it starts talking to you. What happens when you suddenly get life advice from your dog? Do you take it? Do you listen? Those are some of the questions I tackled in this short…
At midnight, Charlie woke the only human in his life, the one who fed him, kept him in water, and let him lead them on an romp past the marigolds on the corner every day at three, with a long howl. It bubbled up from below his belly somewhere near his tail and felt more like an itch in a space he couldn’t reach with his nose. A long, frightful howl, which made even Charlie…
I started writing again as an exercise for my hands and my brain. For many months after my stroke, I couldn’t hand write my letters, let alone type. I spent many hours tracing the shapes of letters with my right hand. It took awhile because my brain failed to move my hand. Anyway, I practiced like a child and hoped for the best. All of this went on as I tried to get my world…