About stories

2012-06-18

Stories on Google+ | Gord McLeod

You're all reading this by now, right?

And, mind you, this is before he edits it into shape and makes it all wonderful.

Originally shared by Fiction Improbable

Cobb was a little more direct. “You could’ve rescued someone and didn’t?” He shivered visibly, eyes closing involuntarily and going a bit pale. “How could you just leave them? You know what it’s like to wake up in that place, so cold, so alone, surrounded by—”

“Sir, we’re going back for them as soon as we can. And they’re not alone. Rose is with them. She can let them know we’re out here, and summon Rose here to help if they’re having trouble disengaging from the pods. For now they’re safe where they are. Maybe safer than with us, given what we’ve seen, sir.” The formal chain of command felt a little weird under the circumstances, but Dann figured it couldn’t hurt to fall back on it now.

The lieutenant snapped his mouth shut on the rest of what he’d been about to say. He closed his eyes again, took several deep, calming breaths. “You’re right, of course, you’re right.”

Link to the full snippet. Link to the completed story below.

2012-06-14

Science fiction | Gord McLeod's ongoing story

Gord McLeod  writes the kind of science fiction that shows how a gentle approach still yields plenty of plot tension and even though the villains are not outright evil (just bad guys), enough problems can be created to need adventurous and creative protagonists to solve.

If you aren't already reading his stories, why ever not?

Snippet:

“It won’t be following us,” Rose stated with a glance back the way she’d come.

“Is it …” Dan started to ask, hesitantly.

Link to the full snippet. Link to the completed story.

2012-06-07

Ray Bradbury

As a teenager, I fancied writing science fiction. One day, I wrote a few pages, and then threw them across the room, because they were too Bradburyesque for my liking (I'd just been creeped out by a Cece story).

Then I crawled around and rounded them up because they were the best bits of writing I'd done in my life till then. A few years later, I read Dandelion Wine, and then the Mars stories...

If I ever reach peaks of Bradburyesque writing again, I guess my days will be made.

Goodbye, Rad Bradbury.

2011-07-28

Award-winning bad writing

LOL! Amazing stuff.

Bulwer-Lytton prize for bad writing goes to brutally mangled metaphor

2011-11-04

Hemingway's six-word story

Amanda Lord's post below happily reminded me of Duane Ackerson's 1974 classic, Sign at the end of the Universe, which is half the overall length of Hemingway's trilogy. Thank you, Amanda!

Another thing I recall about Ackerson's story is that the words keep getting shorter towards the end. I also believe it was the highest word rate of payment in those days. You simply have to admire the very concise world-building in that story. It remains one of my favourites, and is also one of the few stories I mugged up. After all these years, I can still recite it, word for word.

Anybody else remember that one?

Originally shared by Amanda Lord:

Whenever anyone brings up story length (whether spoken performance or written), someone always trots out Hemingway's six word story. Come on... we all know it right? "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn."

So. Someone tell me the plot of this story? Because I can come up with several.

1. There was a miscarriage / the baby was stillborn. (This is where most people jump to.)

2. The baby was born with feet too big for that pair of shoes.

3. The mom thought they were ugly & never put them on the baby.

4. The parents didn't bother with shoes for a small child who wasn't walking yet. (My mom certainly didn't.)

5. They were the last of the stock from a going-out-of business sale of a shoe store.

6. They got lost in the back of a closet & weren't found until they were already outgrown.

Hemingway's six word story is crap. There, I said it. It's as effective as a one-liner. It may evoke the shape of a story, the idea of a story, but, it is not a story. It's a neat party trick.

Expecting all writing or storytelling to be laconic is like expecting all meals to be meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, but, sometimes I really want curry or chicken parm.