  Short Stories
This week: My Launderette Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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It was July 2, 1991. I was twenty-three years old and the proud mother of an infant son we'd named Kyle. We lived in the tiny town of Beatty Nevada because it was there that my husband was able to find a job working in a gold mine, but I hated the place. It was dry, it was hotter than Hades (we lived a mere three miles from Death Valley and it frequently reached 115 degrees in the summer), and we were over 1100 miles away from our families. But we were newlyweds, having been married just two years, and we were determined to make it on our own.
Times were tough for us back then, and money was tight. We couldn't yet afford a washer and dryer of our own, so every week we'd go to the laundromat to wash our clothes. I remember sitting there that evening, July 2, 1991. It was dark outside, but it was still so hot inside that someone had propped the laundromat door open. My husband and I were chatting and cooing over our newborn son when an elderly man walked in, removed some clothing from a dryer, and placed them in a basket. He turned around and saw the baby sleeping in his bouncer seat on the table between us. He approached us and stood smiling down at Kyle as if he'd never seen a baby before.
"That is the smallest baby I have ever seen. How old is it?"
"He's three days old," I said proudly, reaching out to stroke Kyle's cheek, waking him.
"My goodness! I've never seen a child so new. And you're already out doing laundry?"
That made me giggle, and I smiled at him. Then I watched as he reached out and let Kyle grab onto his left index finger, and my smile quickly faded. He had numbers tattooed on his forearm, and I knew right away what they were: only prisoners of Auschwitz received those numbers, and I was stunned to silence.
The man stayed for a few more minutes to play with the baby. We spoke briefly of the heat and he congratulated us on the birth of our son. There was so much I wanted to say--so much I wanted to ask, but I didn't. We wished him well, told him how nice it was to have met him, and watched as he gathered his laundry and walked away.
I've thought about that day with regret many times over the past twenty-one years, but I don't think I'd do anything differently if our paths happened to cross again (although I'm sure he's deceased by now). I didn't know him, and speaking about such unspeakable things would have been inappropriate. I do wish I'd hugged him, though.
For years I was haunted by the man. I watched every Holocaust documentary and film I could find. I read books and visited websites. Finally, sixteen years later, I pored myself onto the page when I wrote "The Promise," and the haunting stopped. I still think about him, but my imagination can rest now.
Pay attention to the people and places around you. Talk to strangers (my mom's having a heart attack right now). Open your eyes, ears, and imagination, and when something demands to be written, write it! It's the only way to quell the demons.
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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#1758783 by Not Available. |
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A World War II Orphan returns to her Jewish roots
#466185 by Joy  |
I rarely include my own work in my newsletters, but this story was inspired in part by that little old man I met in a laundromat over twenty-one years ago in Beatty Nevada. I'm sure he's deceased by now, but I have never forgotten him and was honored and blessed to have met him.
| | The Promise (13+)
The distinct clickety-clack of an approaching train heralded the arrival of our destiny
#1226992 by Shannon |
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The following is in response to "Short Stories Newsletter (July 18, 2012)" :
NaNoNette  says, "Some great advice here. I like that you listed the typical word count lengths for stories and books." Thank you, Giselle! I'm glad you liked it.
petty  says, "Your article has been very inspiring, though I disagree with the notion of using a certain kind of language in your writing. If I am uncomfortable with certain words then I am not likely to use them in my writing." Would anyone know about The Godfather today if Puzo's gangsters had vocabulary comprised of things like "Aw, shucks!" or "Darn it!" Certain populations speak in a specific way. If the author censors how a character expresses himself/herself, this is called author intrusion and the writer has, in effect, hurled herself into the fictional world. When I'm writing I remind myself, This is not your story, it is theirs. You are just the vehicle with which the universe has chosen to tell the tale.
Mara ♣ McBain  says, "Great NL, Shannon, and great advice! You've made me think. I'm a horrible self editor and watching the word count is something that I am guilty if when writing for WDC contests." Thanks, Mara! Most (ALL) writers are their own worst enemy, aren't they? 
G. B. Williams  says, "This article helped me further clarify what I want to write in additional to poetry and speeches (haven't written one of those on here yet), but thinking about it. Eventually, I will write at least a flash fiction or a short story. Thanks for setting the stage for the number of words, but also the advice to just write and write and write. THEN to edit and edit. Reminds me of what my Mother use to tell me -- just write; then rewrite, and rewrite again. Then give it to someone else to edit. Thanks." Your mother is a very wise woman. No matter how many times I read my work I always miss something. That's why I have someone else read it, too--someone I know well and trust. Amazing what fresh eyes can see! Thank you for reading.
blunderbuss says, "Thank you for really useful concrete information in this newsletter on a subject in which I have found so many variations! Now I feel comfortable that I KNOW which one my writing fits into - I'm talking novella, novelette-speak here. Great stuff!" Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful.
writergeorge says, "Thank you." You are very welcome. Thank YOU.
scorpialex says, "Thank you so much! This was definitely in one of the top 3 newsletters I've read on WDC before. Thank you!" Wow, thank you!  I appreciate your kindness. Thank you.
Jeff  says, "Great NL this week, Shannon. While I agree that one shouldn't self-censor when writing a first draft, I think that having a word count or length in mind is an important consideration when writing. At least when it comes to my own writing, I can't truly know how to write a story without knowing what I want the end result to be. Do I want this to be a short story? A screenplay? A novel? My choice of format informs how I approach the work... how many words I use to describe something, how much detail I give specific elements, whether to include subplots or supporting characters, etc. I don't think I'd be able to write a good flash fiction story if I didn't start out thinking that I needed to write a story with as few words as possible. Similarly, my novel efforts have always ended up woefully short when I don't plan to write a longer work and plan out my story accordingly. For me, knowing the length and format of the story I'm trying to write means ending up with a first draft that's much closer to what I want it to ultimately be. I do agree that a writer should 'just write' their first draft. If I'm entering a contest with a limit of 2,000 words, I don't stop when I get to 2,000, or worse, start forcing myself to artificially bring things to a close when I hit 1,500. But I do look at those 2,000 words as a goal and plan my story out so that (hopefully) it ends up close to that number. If I end up with a first draft that's 2,200, 2,400, even 2,800 words, that's fine and I'll go back and pare things down. But if I end up with a first draft that's 5,000 words, I'm just giving myself more work to deal with in the rewrite. Of course, I'm also the kind of writer who wants to have a solid first draft and less rewrite work to do later, and I fully acknowledge that other writers prefer to write with less planning and instead generate a 'vomit draft' which is then more heavily rewritten. Either way is fine (we all have to do what works for us), but I do think it's important to have a goal in mind - including length - before we start writing so we can tell if we're hitting our mark, or if we're even in the right ballpark. If I'm writing a screenplay (which needs to be roughly 90-120 pages in a specific format) and I'm still introducing characters and writing exposition on page 40, or a flash fiction story where I'm at the same point after 1,000 words, I know I'm doing something wrong and need to approach the story differently. That can be a very valuable piece of information to have, and can save me a heck of a lot of blood, sweat, and tears later by making a change now. Just my $0.02." Wow, where to begin! Of course when I enter a contest the word count is in the back of my mind (I've read the rules and know what is expected), but I don't dwell on it, and I certainly don't obsess about it. I never think, Oh God, I'm at 1,431 words. I only have 569 words left! I guess what I'm saying is that I'm aware of the word count but don't allow it to dictate the course of my story or monopolize my thoughts. I focus on getting the words down on paper (or screen, as the case may be). When I edit I take the word count more seriously, but mostly I focus on whether or not it's a good story. Word count can be altered relatively easily, but a crap piece of work is a lot harder to fix. I'm speaking from personal experience/preference here. What works for me may not work for you or anyone else, but who knows: maybe what you thought would be a 500-word flash fiction piece will morph into the next great American novel--but it won't if you only write 500 words. 
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Short Stories: August 15, 2012 Issue [#5204]
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