Short Stories: November 29, 2011 Issue [#4728] |
Short Stories
This week: Something Old, Something New Edited by: Shannon More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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I love antique shops. I rarely buy anything, but I enjoy strolling the aisles and running my fingertips over the parched hardwood and brittle china as my eyes take in every detail. I invent things about the previous owners, fabricate romantic stories about the fancier jewelry, imagine holiday dinners atop the expensive dinnerware, picture weathered hands opening the mahogany wardrobes, envision plump bottoms warming the Gungstols.
I also love used books and wonder about the people they once belonged to. How old was he? What did she do for a living? Did he purchase the book or was it a gift? What prompted her to get rid of it? What was he like?
My daughter knows about my love for used things, especially books, and recently gifted me with an 1884 signed copy of Their Married Lives; The Realities of Domestic Life by Louise Seymour Houghton. I was afraid to open it. I was afraid to not open it. An ancient yellow ribbon sealed the green fabric-covered book shut, so I slipped the ribbon off the top end, gently opened the cover, and immediately started sneezing. Apparently filtering 127 years-worth of dust was just too much for my sensitive nose hairs.
On the inside front cover was a small paper pocket which read:
Library Rules
Payette Public Library
I. One volume may be
drawn by each reader,
and kept two weeks.
II. A fine of one
cent a day shall be
paid for each book
kept over time.
III. All losses or in-
jury beyond reasonable
wear must be properly
adjusted.
KEEP YOUR CARD IN THIS POCKET
Apparently this book by Louise Seymour Houghton ("author of 'The Sabbath Month' and 'David Livingstone,' ETC.") was translated from the French and published by The Presbyterian Board of Publication in Philadelphia. The preface reads:
The following pages have been translated and considerably abridged from a work by an anonymous French author. Though differing in style, and in some of its modes of thought and judgment, from those to which we are accustomed, the scope of the book is yet so practical, it bears so closely upon many of the questions of woman's sphere and relations which are to-day agitating the world, and it shows such profound insight into character and such depth of religious experience, as to give it a real value at the present time. Quiet as its story may appear to those who have been nurtured upon the sensational literature which too easily finds a place in our homes and Sunday-school libraries, yet there are many earnest young women who will welcome the instructions brought to them in so interesting a form.
I was practically salivating. I could hardly contain myself! Not only did the book promise to give me a glimpse into "the realities of domestic life" circa 1884, it all but guaranteed to reveal how the church influenced day-to-day living, both of which would prove to be an invaluable resource should I ever decide to write another story set in the 1800s.
This week I challenge you to visit a nearby antique store or treat yourself to a used book. Feel them. Smell them. Scrutinize every detail ... and listen to what they're trying to tell you. Every item has a story. All you have to do is listen.
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please remember to do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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And just for fun, I thought I'd throw in one I wrote about a boy named Uriah:
It's that time again ... time to nominate your favorites for the 2011 "The Quills" [ASR]! Nominations will close mid-January, so don't procrastinate! |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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The following is in response to "Short Stories Newsletter (November 8, 2011)" :
Bikerider says, "Hi, Shannon. As usual, a great newsletter! I especially liked this one because I'm writing my NaNo novel this month and it just so happens that my main character has a tic. I feel bad about giving him this nuisance characteristic, but it fits his stressful life so well. Maybe if I write a sequel next year I'll cure his tic. Thanks again for another great newsletter." Thank YOU for your kind comments and for sharing your character's tic with us. If you open your story to the public, please let me know. I'm sure the readers would love to read all about it.
Shaye says, "This may be a sad mental disorder, but I am sure that some people wouldn't mind having the opposite of writer's block during Nano!" I'm sure you're right! I know when I participated a couple years ago my brain was fried, my fingers cramped, and my body ached. It's an exhausting experience, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I can always look back and say, "Hey, I did that!" Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
billwilcox says, "Cool newsletter, Shannon, but I don't know if you or anyone else has noticed that creativity is down here at WDC. There are fewer static items be created and most contests are begging for entries. What is the cause? I can't say for sure, but even I, normally a prolific writer, am finding it more and more difficult to get something down on paper. Perhaps it is an all-out conspiracy. Mayhaps I am the only one who notices. I can't say." I have noticed, Bill. I, too, find it increasingly difficult to write, but it's not for lack of ideas. I know in my case it's because I'm busier than I've ever been. Still, there have been times I've forced myself to sit down and do it anyway. I find once I start it usually comes easily. It's just the initial sitting down in front of the computer that I find most difficult. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions they'd like to add?
bertiebrite hoping for peace says, "Hey! I have been 'afflicted' with the urge to write for so long that it has become a daily struggle not to. I have arthritis which makes my hands and arms, even my back freeze painfully from typing or sitting at my computer, but still, I have to write. I told my family it is like a fever, a fire that consumes me. Now, I know it is that strange dis-ease called hypergraphia. It has a name and I am in the best of company with other authors. I noticed after this article that it is particularly prevalent when I am attacked by my depression. Opened my eyes, I will read about this more. Thanks :)" Aw, thank YOU for sharing your story with us! I very much appreciate the feedback, and I wish you all the best with your writing.
pruenella says, "I have often thought of a story while watching a television program. Some show or other will trigger a memory of the past, or remind me of something or someone that a story can be wound around." Me too! My mind has a tendency to bounce from one thing to another to another so that within mere seconds I'm thinking about something completely unrelated to the original topic that sparked the creativity in the first place. Still, it's the spark that counts and the creativity that matters. Thank you for reading!
Lorien says, "Shannon, I loved your newsletter on hypergraphia! I have always found the connection between creativity and mental illness fascinating, but I never thought of ways to use such facts in writing itself. Excellent newsletter -- you got my mind running. Thanks! " Thank YOU, Lorien ! I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it useful.
LJPC - the tortoise says, "Hi Shannon! Thanks for the great 'Short Stories' NL. I had to check the title because the hypergraphia thing sounded scary enough to be in the Horror NL. I get lots of inspiration from watching TV and am glad I'm not the only one. Great NL! " Nope, you're NOT the only one, girl! I swear, I could write an entire series based on one of those internet dating commercials alone. Hmm, now that's an idea!
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