  Short Stories
This week: Imaginary Lover Edited by: Shannon  
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Emotions can motivate or imprison us. They have the power to bring out our best as well as our worst. Today we will take a closer look at desire, the fifth in a series of newsletters focusing on what it means to be human.
Throughout the process of writing this newsletter series I referred to The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. Please show them some love by buying your very own copy of this invaluable book here.
Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week. |
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"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." ~ Robert Frost
When someone mentions desire, what's the first thing that pops into your head? Sure, one may desire a person, an item, or a certain social status (e.g. popularity), but in this newsletter we will be discussing amorous desire.
We've all experienced it at least once in our lives--that longing for someone's affection. You can't eat, can't sleep. Maybe you arrange to be where the object of your desire is. We're willing to do almost anything just to be close to her. Sometimes desire morphs into something more, a relationship, perhaps, but oftentimes it remains admiration from afar. Unrequited love.
Desire. For millennia people have written stories about it, sung songs about it, filmed movies about it, fought and died for it. People are willing to perform extraordinary acts for desire's sake, but what does desire look and feel like? We've all been there, but how do you write about it?
Below are but a few examples of what's happening to your character--physically, mentally, internally--when he or she is overcome with desire. Try working a couple from each category into your story:
Physical:
 staring
trembling
flushing
sweating
weakness
Mental:
dopamine levels rise
fantasizing
impatience
fixation
obsession
Internal:
racing heart
butterflies in stomach
breathlessness
lightheadedness
dermal hypersensitivity
euphoria
Have you written a story about desire? Do you have a character whose love is unrequited? What lengths is he willing to go to to get the woman (or the man) of his dreams? How does she function in her day-to-day life? What does an average day look like for him or her? Send me your stories (18+ or below, please) and I will include them in next month's newsletter.
"It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul." ~ Heraclitus
Thank you for reading.
For other newsletters in this series, see the links below:
Part 1--"Shackled and Chained"
Part 2--"My Last Nerve"
Part 3--"Unbreak My Heart"
Part 4--"E is for Envy"
Part 5--"Imaginary Lover"
Part 6--"Soul Eater"
Part 7--"The Green-Eyed Monster"
Part 8--"Ego Trip" |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "E is for Envy" :
Elfin Dragon-finally published  writes, "I love the way you separated out the difference between envy and jealousy, as well as the different kinds. I think we all need to remember definitions when we write so our characters will act correctly in situations. Also, thank you for posting my long story." Thank you, and you're most welcome. 
S Ferguson~ Prepping for Prep  writes, "Thank you for this newsletter! I recently did a little self-help with a problem I had with Envy so it was rather ironic that this was the first thing I saw when I opened my e-mail. It's nice to see and understand different ways to write the emotion." Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. 
blunderbuss writes, "Many thanks for the latest newsletter, Shannon. Also, for highlighting my story, which has already received a review. I think envy is always destructive except as a very brief, passing emotion. Otherwise it can soon become obsessive. Sure you can admire a possession of your neighbour - eg a car - but motivation to work hard to get an elevated type of career is more complicated than that I think. I get your point though and you were giving an example." Yay! I'm glad you've received reviews, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment. 
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Short Stories: July 15, 2015 Issue [#7096]
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