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Random Thought: Who do I notify in case of emergency? A really good doctor. Some things get better with age, and I like to think that some skills (like writing) improve with time and practice. Occasionally, I have fun dusting off an old story just to see if I can make it better. This week’s tale is one of those where I feel like time and distance helped me find ways to take a decent idea and elevate the results. I even rewrote the original title (Can I Have That When You’re Done?). The prompt was generously provided a few years ago by Ramsey Anderson, a man deprived of a first name but gifted with two fine surnames.
The Boys Are Cleaning UpOf all the kids living on the street dubbed “Dumb Ass Drive,” Joey and Johnny had the fewest brain cells—something they often demonstrated. Their latest hustle involved cleaning the local movie theater. “The owner’s stupid,” Joey said. “We get free tickets for picking up garbage after shows.” The brothers would buy their tickets, clean the theater, be paid with another ticket that let them come back and clean the place another day. After telling Dad about outsmarting the owner, he smiled. It could’ve been pride, or maybe his latest concussion. As a human crash test dummy, Dad smiled a lot. Prompt: Movie Theater
NOVEL NEWS & NOTES… Last time out, I surveyed you about your thoughts regarding chapter lengths. The overwhelming majority of you (92%) preferred medium chapters, which I described as 4-12 pages. Of course, you also said my 101-word story that took third place in the Monterey County Weekly’s contest, bested the first and second place winners by a lot, so… no favoritism there, right? I was happy to see that most of you prefer chapters in the shorter page range. I’m finding I like those too. In previous chats with my editor, she said she’s not a fan of the shorter chapters (in general), but in my most recent call with her, she said her opinion is changing—but only if the chapters check all the boxes and do what they’re supposed to do. As she put it, if the chapters feel too thin, as in there’s not enough substantial things happening to justify the chapter, then don’t settle. Keep writing until the chapter has fulfilled its purpose. She also told me that she recently studied how James Patterson does it with his short chapters. She said if I can do what he does, even super short chapters are satisfying. To her I say, “Hey—how hard can it be? If Patterson can do it, why can’t I?” 🤦 I’m not sure when this next draft will be done, but I feel like I’m starting to hit my stride. The writing is coming easier, and it’s gotten a lot more fun. I’m still struggling to get in all the writing time I’d like. Between life in general and a recent uptick in my P.I. work, the days are getting shorter, but still well-spent. One last tease before I let you go. I’ll have some interesting news for you in my next post. I’d call it a new milestone in my writing journey, and one that could lead to some interesting possibilities. How’s that for intriguing? As always, thanks for listening. Scotty out PS: Wanna catch up on the posts you’ve missed? Click on this https://www.scottycornfield.com/blog/ |
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