Writer's Wednesday: Short Story Pointers

Edgar Allan Poe is considered the father of the American short story. The man knew how to tell a creepy tale.

I've taught short stories--both studying them and writing them. The most effective way to learn about short stories is considering Poe's rules. 

Here are a few that will help you create a better short story.

• The story can be read in one sitting.
• The story focuses on one element: plot, character, theme, setting, etc.
• Limit the number of characters.
• Confine to a single setting.
• Follow structure: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement. (Most of the story leads to climax.  The falling action and denouement can be a paragraph or even a couple of lines.)

***Most importantly, each word or phrase is present to create a single effect/mood/emotion in the reader.

Follow these rules and you might even make Poe proud.

Go ahead and enter it in a contest. OWFI is accepting entries until February 1.

A Sure Thing? Strawberry Cookies

Nothing is a sure thing.

If I carefully schedule everything at home and the office--we're talking 10 schedules--so that I can have one measly hour to write or go to yoga, fate (that brat) will intervene to remind me who is boss.

If I stay up late on Pinterest to find activities to dazzle my three-year-old son, he will be unimpressed. He will stare at me in disappointment when I present the color/number wheel game I made with matching clothespins. Pipe cleaners and finger paint will fail miserably, too.  His thrill of the day will be when we pour baking soda and vinegar down a drain to unclog it.

The only sure thing...is that nothing is a sure thing

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered something that made everyone in my house smile. Strawberry cookies! My son loves how pretty and pink they are.  I love how easy and tasty they are.  Even my health nut husband ventured a nibble and said, "Those are some good cookies."

The best surprise of all was when I felt little arms surround me and heard, "Mommy, I love you."

Magic cookies. Thank you, Taste and Tell blog.

Are you ready for the recipe?  

Mix 1/2 cup vegetable oil with 2 eggs.

Add strawberry cake mix and 1/2 cup coconut.  

Drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

A strawberry cookie may not be a sure thing, but it sure is a sweet one.

Thomas the Train and Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer

Well, "bust my buffers." I can't believe my little ol' blog causes such a ruckus.    An entry in August has quickly become my most read.   

Why?

I suspect some people got upset when I suggested that Thomas the Train mixed sexism with its message of being nice, working hard, and being honest.  I also mentioned that, according to Google, lots of others agreed.

Boy, mention sexism and some people have a one track mind. You'd think I'd suggested it promotes communism.
 

Causing "confusion and delay" is not my intent. And not to take anyone off track, but may I suggest that when one considers the time period in which the story originated the original show isn't sexist, but merely old-fashioned? Although some people say communist.

This thought occurred to me as I watched the 1964 classic Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer with my family. (Let's just get this out of the way: we all know you should watch tv with your kid and teach him or her your values, not expecting entertainment to do it for you. That's kind of the point of this blog entry.) When Rudolph ran away, Donner tells Mrs. Donner to stay home because looking for Rudolph was "man's work."  Those silly female reindeer didn't stay home, though. Mrs. Donner and Rudolph's girlfriend go out to look for him anyway.  Later, the narrator says, “They were all very sad about their friend, but they knew the best thing was to get the women back to Christmas Town." (What would their plans have been otherwise--hang around and play reindeer games?)

Is Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer sexist? What about Thomas?

Well, our world changes.  In defense of Rudolph, only one of these stories has the opportunity, as it moves from station to station and series to series, to change. 

Thomas the Tank Engine first appeared in a book in 1946. The first appearance in a tv series was 1984. Thomas chugged onto American tv in 1989. It has had several overhauls.

The original characters were male. Emily wasn't introduced until Season 7. Season 10 brought Rosie. Assorted smaller female characters have been added as well.

What does that tell me?

Someone else thought the show was a little sexist, or old-fashioned, too.

Friday Favorite: Pinterest

My Space was all the craze.  I easily passed on that trend. I finally relented to Facebook a few years ago and am somewhat active. I can't get the knack of Twitter. Linked in? No, thank you.

Then the buzz about Pinterest began. 

Ugh! Do I have to do another social media?  I don't have time for this.

People talked about it differently than the others.  They didn't say, "Oh, you have to try it!" Instead, they were too busy trying everything on it.

At Christmas, my cousins finally convinced me to venture forth into the world of Pinterest. 

It's addictive.  

My life will never be the same. Thank you, Pinterest.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I've done my part in starting it off right.

Reviewed last year's list of goals to celebrate those obtained and evaluate those that weren't.

Revised goals for 2012.

Eaten black eyed peas for luck.

So, 2012, bring it. I'm ready.

Friday Favorite: Christmas Activities

Our big family holiday is always special to me. Now that I have children, though, I wanted to pack even more into December. So, I made a list of memories and called them "Christmas surprises." Some nights it was even a surprise to me when we ended up doing one.  We had a blast! Here are a few from our list.


Get cute photos of the kids.  The Christmas card episode almost ruined this for me, but we had so many cute clothes for Alexandra that the opportunities were easy. Below is the onesie Aunt Lisa bought her that says, "My Auntie Knows Santa." I stuck her in the tutu and in a leopard chair so that years from now she can say, "Ma--aaawm! I can't believe you put me in that skirt. And your chair was ugly." But for now, she's happy.

Make fudge.  Few turn down this holiday treat. Since I don't cook a lot, I usually mess up the first batch.  Not this year! Another first? I made several batches without uttering a single profanity. My sous-chef made all the difference.

Advent Calendar. My mother made this calendar when my brother and I were small.  Hopefully, the kids will enjoy it as much as we did.  Max seemed to...when I remembered.

Festival of Lights Parade.

Decorate cookies with the grands. After looking at the ingredients of pre-made icing, I decided to make my own for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with the sheer ease and yumminess of it. 

Tour local holiday lights while wearing pajamas.  Max disappointed me by refusing to wear his adorable Santa pajamas.  In return, I disappointed him when I announced his surprise was to look at lights.  After we were on our way and he realized the activity wasn't a trip to Lowe's to shop for 60 watt bulbs, his trust in me was restored.

Watch Frosty the Snowman and make our own snowflakes. After making a mess of the floor and creating some crazy looking snowflakes, I finally Googled a how-to.  The results? Beautiful!

Ice skate.

Visit Santa. Max broke line, rushed to the bearded man in the red suit--and simply stared.  After playing with a train and getting the stink-eye from an elf when another little boy knocked the train off its track, Max summoned his courage to sit in Santa's lap and mumble his request.  Two face-down-and-belly-on-the-floor tantrums later, he wanted to see Santa again for another piece of candy.  Glad that experience only comes once a year!

Write letter to Santa.  I kept the letter for a scrapbook...that I'll make...someday. G scanned the letter and emailed to Santa.  Those elves are high-tech now.

Make cupcakes. This one wasn't my idea, but I'm glad he momentarily centered on the giving nature of the holiday. His heart was set on it, so I took out my Sprinkles cupcake mix from William Sonoma and got to work.  They were delicious.

Tour Garden of Lights.

Set out cookies for Santa.  The first Christmas he fell asleep. The second year, he was sick. Last year, he wasn't too interested. But I had high hopes. This year, he thoughtfully chose the cookie his dad had decorated and placed it on a stand.  Then he considered milk, but Grandmary convinced him that Santa would go to the fridge if he needed some.  In the morning, Max noticed a bite out of the cookie and an empty milk glass.  He figured Santa ate a lot of cookies throughout the night and was pleased he tried ours.

As I reflect on the fun times we had and look at the pictures, I notice two things: 1) I really need to do something about my hair. 2) We should paint the walls as soon as the kids are old enough to stop writing on them. 

Hmmm. Guess I have a start to those New Year's Resolutions.

Friday Favorite: Skate Date

At Max's birthday party this summer, we heard our little city might have an outdoor skating rink this holiday season. I've been excited about it ever since.  This week, we finally got out there and experienced it for ourselves.

My brother and sister-in-law met us at a nearby restaurant and then watched Alexandra while I skated with my boys.

My brother always avoids the paparazzi (me)

My brother calls her a baby hog, but we call her the Baby Whisperer. We love Aunt Lisa!

Lacing the skates took almost as long as our actual time on the ice!

Hanging out afterward, we watched the amazing Zamboni!

Ok. Maybe not a real Zamboni.

We had a blast! I hope to do it again before New Year's Day when the rink closes up.

I think I know how the kids felt when they learned Frosty had to go away.