This week: R U Kidding Me? Edited by: Legerdemain  
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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. 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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R U Kidding Me?
My mom, in her eighties, sent a text the other day "R U home?" I thought, who the heck got a hold of my mom's phone? She doesn't do text speak. Apparently, now she does, I called to find out.
In our writing, we often feature digital maps, Google, texts, and emails from our phones. When I first got a cell phone (a flip phone...shut up lol) I would open it, turn it on, make my call, and then close it and turn it off. My spouse, who was a traveler for business and had a fancy Blackberry at the time, would complain he could never reach me. When I told him it was off, he said why? I said I was saving the battery! Clearly, I wasn't very savvy with this new technology.
Even now, I'm sort of resentful that people can reach me when I'm out doing things. Because I'm out doing things! It's nice to have a phone to call for emergencies and that sort of thing, but my phone is dinging away in my purse while I'm looking at fruit in the grocery. Sometimes I miss the little thrill of seeing my answering machine blinking when I got home, letting me know someone missed me.
When writing, think about your data use. Is it relevant to the story? Is your character "nocializing"? Staring at their phone and ignoring people in a social situation? Do they have enough "bars"? Did they use the flashlight feature? We've all seen news stories about people stranded outside cell service zones. Also remember that your characters need to interact, converse, and even socialize. Cell phones have become part of our lives. But let's make the story more important than just texts.
Thanks for letting me stand on my soap box, and Write On!
This month's question: What kind of technology do you use in your stories? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
Thx 4 ur replies! |
June's Site Contest
Excerpt:
| | | Tut's Cell (E)
A strange object is found in Tut's burial chamber. Winner of The Writer's Cramp, 02.16.24.
#2314212 by Beholden  |
Excerpt: No doubt we have all heard of Howard Carter and his discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen, unplundered and fabulously rich, in the 1920s. The treasures unearthed then have since been exhibited around the world and we may think that we have seen it all.
But we haven’t.
Excerpt: Just then, his cell phone rang.
"Bellwether Marketing, Jack Seagate speaking."
"Seagate? Why are you answering a company cell?" demanded the caller.
| | Friends? (13+)
Beth waited for her friends at the campsite till she got a call on her dead cell phone.
#891652 by Cub-bee  |
Excerpt: “Where are you guys? Where’s Theo?”
“Dead… Me, too... soon.”
“What are you talking about?” Beth demanded. “Don’t screw with me; it’s not funny!”
Brad’s voice was clear now. “Don’t go in the woods, whatever you do. Get out of there, now!”
Excerpt: Suddenly, the device in my hand began to vibrate. I looked down at the tiny screen as my mother’s face appeared. She opened her mouth to speak, and even though she remained motionless upon the bed, her voice came over the small speaker loud and true.
Excerpt: Professor Albert Hungerford raised a hand, finger pointing at the sky. “Contradiction,” he said. “From the Latin ‘contra’ - meaning ‘against’ - and ‘diction’ - meaning ‘speech.’ From this we are to gather that the word refers to a statement that contains two conflicting assertions. For instance, if I were to say, ‘All blackbirds are black birds but not all black birds are blackbirds,” you would hear an apparent contradiction.
Excerpt: It felt like I had been driving for ever when I pulled into my mother’s gravel driveway. As I climbed out of the car, humidity smothered me. Salty sea air settled on my lips and instantly my brain adjusted to being home.
I grabbed my case from the boot and was horrified to see I’d forgotten my laptop. I sighed and cursed under my breath. I knew this week was going to be a mistake. I jumped when my mother tapped my shoulder. “Sharon, it’s so good to see you,” Mum said, beaming.
Excerpt: She plopped three bags onto the side table and dug into one. “Look what I found! Meat-free burgers!”
My stomach stopped making noises and started churning for other reasons. “Hot dogs?”
June Prompt: The Turing Test.
A new prompt will be posted every day in the forum...
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This month's question: What kind of technology do you use in your stories?
"Short Stories Newsletter (May 22, 2024)" 's question: What are some of your typical character triggers? Any clever responses?
Trebor  : So far I have been adding historical people. And actual places and events hear and there..
TheBusmanPoet : Most characters are either animals, my wife or I.
Mousethyme  : their fears. their convictions, their morals, their feelings. Bigotry. Racism. Someone trying to say something is true when they know it isn't.
Ned : My characters tend to have moral problems. I prefer to explore human nature honestly. They're no better than they ought to be, in other words.
Nixie  : The title of your NL is provocative and I had to take a peek. This observation of yours had the greatest impact on me.
". . . females tend to activate the "flight" response and turn to others for help, or attempt to defuse the situation – 'tend and befriend'. I've never heard the expression 'tend and befriend.' Very cool. As mentioned, men have the opposite reaction. Some have 'war' in their hearts.
Indelible Ink : I would also go with one impacted with moral issues. You can do a lot of good or bad when you are perched defiantly on you moral stallion, as there is built-in justification.
Tannus : The smell of propane, welding fumes, loud noises, landfill, and startling easy are a few triggers. Oh, you mean my characters. Please disregard the first part. It all depends on which character I am working on.
writer : Me my family sometimes my neighborhood...
Mikibits : Silliness, injustice, loneliness.
Damon Nomad  : Good subject and well written. Freytag's structure is something I frequently consider when developing and reviewing my stories. I enjoy thrilers of various types and like to try and write them.
brom21 : I'm writing a story where one character is an angel-but secretly. Since angels are perfect and they do not intrinsically have human emotions, He uncharacteristically shows no fear. Other than that, my character may react in battle scenes, insults to their intelligence, or natural cataclysms. For me, the adrenaline peak comes with the drama. Thanks for the NL!
W.D.Wilcox  : My characters are always triggered. That's what makes the story. They're triggered and what they do about it makes the reader interested in the result.
Thanks for your responses to this newsletter and in the newsfeed, your comments are always appreciated!
L~ |
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Short Stories: June 19, 2024 Issue [#12605]
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