Halloween Trilogy: Part Two

Attended the short story writing class this week and received feedback on the 1000 word short story Rat Plagued Hobgoblins. I have reworked it, adding some Scottish phrases to make the setting - rural Scotland in the early 20th century - clearer for the reader. I originally did a little research on hobgoblins and found these little helpers are part of Scottish Folklore. Although I hinted at the Scottish origins, several of my classmates felt readers needed more to indicate the setting. I've posted the revised story on the shot story page. This week I turned in the third story for the halloween trilogy - Immodest Witches - for critique. I will add it to the short story page after receiving feedback.

Halloween Trilogy: Part One

I rose to the challenge and wrote not one but three 1000 word short stories with a halloween theme. The first, I Hate My Costume, is post on the short story page. Another - Rat Plagued Hobgoblins - is currently under critique by my short story writing class members. I will post it after incorporating their feedback. The third story is ready for class critique this week. Very satisfying to accomplish a challenge.
See Short Story page for I Hate My Costume short story.
See Dubious Grief page update on Hospice Volunteer training experience.

Story Plot

 In my writing class this week, a guest lecturer, Bruce Holland Rogers, spoke about story PLOT - and provided several different examples. After writing my first rough draft I will think about story plot - as way to organize the story and increase the tension. I sometimes have difficulty knowing how much and where to put back story. Concentrating on story plot should help me think more effectively about where and how much back story is needed. Thank you Bruce Holland Rogers!
I revised Revenge the first short story from my writing class and added it to the short story page. Enjoy!

Short Story Page

Writing short stories is fun. My challenge this writing term is to  write a short story a week. After getting feedback from my class I will post the revised short story on this new page. The first story is the letter to my  mother from the now deleted page "My Mother's Husband."

Making progress...

I am making progress with my challenge to write a short halloween theme story of 1,000 words. I have written drafts for two of the four themes. This week I intend to submit one to my fellow classmates for feedback. This past week my classmates provided me with excellent critiques on the first story I submitted - Revenge - based on the in class exercise "heart on the page." What a thoughtful group of writers I am lucky to have as classmates.
See new post on Dubious Grief page.

1,000 word short story challenge

Whether I can write a 1,000 word short story using one of the following titles: "Immodest Witches" "Hobgoblins" "Black Cat Talks Back" or "I Hate this Costume" - remains to be seen. The idea was presented in my short story class by instructor Nina Hoffman. I have never written a story based on anything other than my own imagination. I am a "seat of the pants" writer and rarely know where a story will take me. So my challenge for October is to write one of these short stories. None of the titles calls to me so it is difficult to choose one. My strategy is to work with word association clusters and see where this strategy leads me. I've also done a bit of research on Hobgoblins - since I was not familiar with these little guys from Scottish folklore. Wish me luck as I pursue this writing challenge.

Heart on the page...

I attended the first short story writing class of the fall term this past week. Instructor Nina Hoffman brings such great energy and inspiration to students. Writing a 20 minute riff "put your heart on the page" - write about a childhood experience where you felt terror, shame, or revenge - prompted students to dig deep into intense emotions from childhood. Nina asked for volunteers to read their pieces. Almost every student shared their writing - very intense experiences. The exercise and sharing created a bond of trust among us, a bond that will allow us to freely share our writing throughout the semester. Thank you Nina!
See Riffs page for my "heart on the page" story.
See Novel Ideas page for my latest insights about Out from the Fog