Monthly Archives: April 2013
Elbow Room
Last Thanksgiving my family and I sat around the dinning room table and talked about what each of us wanted for Christmas. This is a regular event which tends to be harder on the person who is asked what they want than on those asking. Yeah, most of us aren’t kids anymore. If we want it, we just buy it. I tend to be a bit flippant in my response to that question. One year I said I wanted a […]
Cushioning the Fall
Jill: Mom, it isn’t just that you and Jack don’t get along. We also need the money. The mortgage on this place is killing us. Tina: But I like living with you. I can’t help it if I don’t have any money for rent. Jill: Well, you better get used to the idea, because the first renter comes to look at the place tomorrow. Tina: What? I will not be treated this way. I want to stay here, and that’s […]
When the Potato Screamed
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being a vegetarian. Honest. But don’t you think it’s a little elitist? Plants have feelings, you know. Consider the potatoes you put in the oven half an hour ago. They might still be alive. Cooking them is what’s killing them.” “Potatoes can’t feel.” That’s when the potato in the oven popped and steamed. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 […]
Suzie’s House 306 : Dinner and a Movie
“It’s good.” Vin held his fork at a dubious angle. His New York strip gleamed red and juicy, just the way he liked it, but he didn’t look all that happy about it. “Yeah.” Miranda cut into her seared duck breast with about the same enthusiasm. They’d been to a dozen restaurants in as many days. Before moving in with Suzie she’d done this routinely. “But…” “…It isn’t as good as what Suzie makes.” Vin said at the same time […]
The Serialists of April 10th
I refuse to say anymore goodbyes. Old Egg, start another serial! 🙂 Featured author: Sheilagh Lee, who has set an excellent example for writing a series of serials. This is the hub for The Serialists, a meme for people who post original, serialized fiction on their blogs. If you have one or more posts you would like for us to read, please put the direct link(s) to the post(s) in the linky. Remember to visit one another and comment. We […]
Cutting
The Girl is at it again. She decided she didn’t like her hair and that the best solution was to grab a pair of scissors and hack away at it. She’s seen me do it often enough, so I suppose I can’t really say anything, but there’s a world of difference between my hair and hers. Specifically, mine’s curly. This makes more of a difference than most people think. I have had people ask if I cut it right after […]
Pearls Before Nine
Jill: Mom, I’m serious. If you make me choose between you and my husband, I’m going to choose my husband. After all the things you’ve done to us – from planting listening devices in our plants to jumping out from places you shouldn’t be – I can’t blame him for being mad about your moving in. You should go home. Besides, what’s so bad about living with Cousin Raoul? Raoul: Yeah, Aunt Tina. The way you moved out of Mom’s […]
Right Before the Bell
“Mom, be careful when you go past the high school or you’ll run over one of those stupid teenagers.” “You’re a teenager,” Mom pointed out. “Not like these. Bye!” She hopped out of the car right in front of the front doors. Not two seconds later, a herd of late teenagers ran across the road like deer. “Thank God she’s not like those,” Mom muttered. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly […]
13 Musical References
I make a lot of musical references in Suzie’s House. There are bound to be some that my readers are not familiar with. So, to make it easier, I set up a page (under the Suzie’s House menu) where I post videos of what I’m talking about. Yesterday I just hit 13 of them. 1. In Suzie’s House 305 : Fitting in Backstage and Suzie’s House 304 : The Real Reason They Went to the Show
Suzie’s House 305 : Fitting in Backstage
“What do you want.” Bruce made it sound more like an accusation than a question. Tracy shrugged. “I was just curious.” Which was the truth. She’d sat in the theater after the guys all marched out and thought about it, then thought some more. They all went out with a signal from Bruce, all at the same time. They acted shifty as they left and even as they went in to see the Passion Pit concert. No matter how she […]
The Serialists of April 3rd
One of the hazards of being a serialists is that the mood changes that seem to be part and parcel to being a writer tend to have a stronger effect than when simply writing a novel. Waiting for the muse to visit, for instance, is a lot easier to do when no one will notice how our work stops and starts sporadically. And a crises of faith can be devastating to a serial where to a book it may mean […]
