girl - Wordsmith Holler

Driving Back from Spring Break

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | January 14, 2017February 10, 2017 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”https://wordsmithholler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/bokeh-1033539_1920.jpg” credit=”Pixabay” align=”right” lightbox=”on” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off”] Three days earlier I studied all night with a girlfriend for a physics exam and afterward drove four classmates 12 hours to San Diego for spring break. The entire trip the girls giggled and cackled behind me while a Korean kid sat silent up front. I decided we scared Jae. Although, being a confused immigrant might also explain his silence. Either way, he only said thanks when I dropped him off…

My Craft

The Baby Picture

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | November 14, 2016January 18, 2017 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

A mysterious letter sends a man scampering to escape the city. But what if he’s already too late?

My Craft My Favorites Stories

A Moment of Pure Truth

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | October 24, 2016April 25, 2019 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

Christopher stood over the maze of workday and eyed the ocean. A thin fog cloud floated passed his perch on the 45th floor. On the docks, sea lions barked at tourists. East Bay traffic sought a faster path, ships hauled electronics in and almonds out, and the blood-red sun sunk into late afternoon north of the Golden Gate. In the conference room, five people sat in executive chairs around a table. Their faces reflected gloomy…

My Craft

A Slight Detour on the Way to Lunch

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | August 19, 2016October 20, 2016 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

Today, he refused to eat an ordinary peanut butter and jelly sandwich. His sandwich would express attitude. It would be special. He aimed to make it wonderful. John Harvey Kellogg, the guy who invented corn flakes, figured out how to make peanut butter from raw peanuts. The guy who often gets the credit, George Washington Carver, had nothing to do with it. Richard Allen Hofacker knew all about the main use for peanut butter; a protein substitute. He also…

On Writing

Second Writing: Proofreading and Editing Skills

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | January 27, 2015February 3, 2015 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

By all means write as fast as you can and put the words on paper. In the movie Finding Forrester, the fictional reclusive author William Forrester tells Jamal Wallace, “No thinking — that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is … to write, not to think!” No thinking — that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart.…

On Writing

The False Ending

By Michael Shawn Sommermeyer | January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 by Michael Shawn Sommermeyer

I have mentioned that many stories fail to gain traction in the second act. This is where the viewpoint character forgets why they are in the story. Of course, it is the writer who has forgotten; either by writing by their pants or failing to plot in enough conflict to keep the story moving forward. Stories thrive on conflict and bad things must happen to the hero before it all ends up as good and…