 Short Stories: July 11, 2007 Issue [#1822] |
  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: iKïyå§ama  
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We all come from different parts of the world, with different cultures and ways of life. This newsletter hopes to celebrate diversity with short stories and to show that we really aren't all that different after all.  |
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Celebrating Diversity in Stories:
I was born and raised in West Africa, and as a young girl I was exposed to stories that celebrated my country and continent. Although we were encouraged to read the classics like Shakespeare, Hardy, Dickinson, Dickens and so much more, we also had the pleasure of reading amazing works from African greats like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka. Two of my absolute favorite books by said authors would have to be:
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The first, Things Fall Apart, was required reading for most schools. It is the story of a young man, once well-loved and respected by nine villages, his misgivings or sins, and his need for redemption. Topics of British colonialism and Christian missionaries, teach us of a time when Africa was still naive in its dealings with foreigners. The second, The Lion and the Jewel is a play (which I acted out on my own many times!  ) about a cultured (Western Influenced) African teacher (the Lion) who wishes to gain the approval of a local belle (the Jewel). It's humorous, touching and again, tells of a time when foreign influence affected a nation still in its infancy.
Another book I enjoyed reading was:
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Amazon's Price: $ 16.26
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As a young girl, I really had no concept of apartheid/segregation. However, Mine Boy exposed me to the life of South Africans through the eyes of a young man seeking his future in such a harsh reality.
Coming to America exposed me to even more diversity, of not only the ‘generalized’ American classics, but of regional gems. How can we forget Mark Twain’s view of the south and slavery in Huckleberry Finn or Carson McCullers’s view of the South in the 30s with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. What about John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, set during the Great Depression in California?
The beauty of writing stories that take a deeper look at a specific group of individuals, or of a particular region, culture and society, is that the writer has the task of creating believable and realistic situations. Without overwhelming the reader with local lingo or phrases in its native tongue, the writer must find a balance – the ability to teach and at the same time entertain the reader without making it a history lesson/article.
Some important things to take note:
 Descriptions/Setting – Of course this is the central part of the story, where the reader has to have an idea of where the story is taking place. It can be a gradual build up or it can start with a bang! before unraveling like a spool of thread. Try to bring the country or region to life in the reader’s eye. If the story takes place in the Sudan, then by gosh, the reader must be made to feel the heat and acrid conditions. If the character lives in the slums, then by all means, show us each graffiti infested walls and the smell of poverty and hopelessness.
 Characters/Dialogue (Accents/Dialects/Native Tongue) – A very, VERY integral part of the story as well. The characters to be placed in your setting (see above) must be as authentic as the surroundings. Even if it’s a stranger in a foreign land, personal characteristics, traits and overall mannerisms should reflect wherever he or she is from. Dialogue also plays a role in your story. If a reader stumbles upon a story based in India, it would seem a bit funny to have the character – supposedly born and raised there – speaking like he has lived in New York City all his life! If Mark Twain had written Huckleberry Finn in ‘straight’ English, would it still have the same impact? His ability to show the southern drawl and twang with both Huck and Jim made the novel as authentic as can be.
It's one of the reasons why writers have to be very good listeners. Keep your ears (as well as eyes) open. Those lucky enough to travel to many places can take the time to distinguish the accents and dialects of the people they meet. Others who cannot do so, can take refuge in watching movies or TV (or even listening to the radio). Why, even your next door neighbor could be from the North, South, East or West and exchanging a few words here and there can get you accustomed to his or her style of speaking.
With all that said, one has to remember that the story, no matter where it’s based or set, must be able to engage, capture and never let the reader go. For a few minutes, it should take the reader into that world and make them feel like they are a part of the characters’ lives.
"Diversity is not about how we differ.
Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness."
- Ola Joseph
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My picks for the week are stories that were written for "Project Write World" [13+] I'm sure you'll love them as much as I did. 
INDIA =
“Haan, I can hear you, O wife of mine,” he replied with as much tenderness as he could muster in his gruff, uncultured voice. This characteristic was understandable as he was brought up and now lived in a small, non-descript hamlet two hours away from New Delhi, the metropolitan capital of India. Men and women like he and Ayesha had subsisted in nearly the same conditions of poverty and drudgery as they had for over the past three hundred years.
AFRICA = | |  | Invalid Item
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Aboubacar had worked as a chef in the university canteen. It was not a great job but it paid well enough for Dakar. His mother cleaned for an Algerian family working with an oil company. The family lived in a compound of three airy homes with a swimming pool overlooking the sea near the Corniche. But she was paid very little, despite working eight hours a day, six days a week, ironing children’s clothes, washing, shopping and fighting a losing battle against the fine dust that shrouded Dakar from one end of the year to the other.
CANADA =
Canada is rich with legends of forest spirits who warn mankind of the fury boiling in the crests of the Fraser’s rapids. Trees whispered messages to the river that gave them life. Humans refused to listen. Desperate to protect all who depended on her, the great river fought back. Those foolish enough to test her strength in flimsy boats she crushed within her unrelenting grasp. Still, the people listened not.
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As word of the Great Bee War spread, a patriotic fervor gripped the school and even big kids, up to the fifth grade, began to join, swelling our ranks with battle hardened veterans. We even made flags, by tacking bandanas to sticks, giving our troops a very martial and professional look as we sallied forth to face the enemy each day.
Activities Of Interest
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What 'foreign' story/book have you read that's made an impact in your life? What did you enjoy about it and why did it strike a chord with you?
FEEDBACK!
 That was really helpful as a newsletter and I will make sure to remember all of these wonderful tips!- likenion
Great! I'm glad it was helpful to you.
Thank you for highlighting "Great Short Stories Contest". in your newsletter.
I'm certainly not a natural speller. Because I'm a teacher people expect my spelling to be perfect, but of course it isn't. My lack of spelling talent helps me understand children with literacy problems. In fact some of my students are dyslexic, and I work with them on overcoming their difficulties.
Anyone who would like to improve his understanding of phonics should look for a good multi-sensory spelling programme. Even though I'm not dyslexic, the knowledge I gained from teaching these courses helped my spelling enormously. I still use a lot of spell-checking and dictionaries though.
- Mavis Moog 
Thanks for the helpful tip and for sharing your techniques in helping dyslexic students, Mavis. It definitely makes me want to research that a bit more.
Kiya, I'm not a natural speller, but I had a professor in my quest for a major in English that instilled in me the need to spell correctly. I keep a dictionary close at hand because I often have to refer to it. Over the years, I've learned to recognize a word misspelled even if I have to look it up to spell it correctly. Still, sad to say, typos sometimes hide themselves, and I miss them. *sigh* - Vivian 
Don't we all. Trust me, even after I finish proofreading a story, someone STILL manages to find one pesky typo. Thank you for reading and your comments! 
Kiya, I loved all your suggestions about solving your spelling problems. They were all very practical and do-able. - SantaBee 
Thank you, Steph!
I think being a naturally adept speller is a curse. So hard living in a society of terrible spellers nowadays! I'm always having to pull out that mental red pen. I mean, seriously, don't people read any more? No one would have problems if people just read!
Anyway, here are my corrections of the exercise:
Last month I applied for a credit card at a major department store. The application asked for information that was completely unnecessary: my height, my weight, my religious preference, and outrageous details of my personal life. I dutifully filled out all the information. When I received the card, imagine my surprise to find that my name was misspelled and my address was incorrect. - dizzyduck
Practice makes perfect...and indeed no one is perfect especially when it comes to spelling. Thanks for taking the exercise! Looks like you get an A+ for effort!
"Last month I applied for a credit card at a major department store. The application asked for information that was completely unnecessary: my height, my weight, my religious preference, and outrageous details of my personal life. I dutifully filled out all the information. When I received the card, imagine my surprise to find that my name was misspelled and my address was incorrect." How'd I do? - ⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites 
You did great, Morgana! Thanks for taking the exercise!
Kiyasama,
THIS, is a newsletter to remember. I am the worstest speller of all tyme. - billwilcox
Well, Bill. Tank you four your comments!
Great newsletter! I'm one of the first people you described, and sometimes it can be a curse, as misspelled words trip me up when I read books and magazines, too. (I see words when I speak them, too.) As a reader, it's important to be able to read words smoothly and not get sidetracked by a misspelled word. The excercise you wrote was almost painful to try and read.(Usually I misspell on WDC because I can't type. )
To fix the punctuation in your mind, (I think you meant 'pronunciation')
Keep up the great work! - IdaLin
Well there you go! A typo despite me checking and re-checking this newsetter! And if you thought the exercise was tough to read, imagine me writing it and how many times I had to use the backspace key before stopping myself. Thanks for reading and the comments!
Hi Kiya.
Thanks so much for this newsletter. Went straight to my 'My Favorites' folder. Keep up the great work! - Lornda~Thoughts with Bikerider 
Thank you, Lornda!
Thanks for all the comments! Please feel free to keep sending them in. I always enjoy reading your feedback.
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