Random thought: I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.
Last week I mentioned I would update you on the upcoming annual Monterey County Weekly 101-word story contest. This is the event that got me hooked on writing these little 101 words stories. Nearly 600 stories later, I’m still at it. Unlike past years, this time they’ve added a bit of a wrinkle. Every entry must contain the word “free” or some variation of it (“freedom,” “freely,” “frees,” etc.). The story I wrote last week (“He puts the Dumb in Freedom”) was intended for the contest, but since the feedback was mixed (only ⅔ of the readers liked or loved it), I shelved it. Instead, I found three stories from earlier this year that were highly rated, by you, my semi-regular readers. I deleted one useless word from each story (and yes, I know—there were lots to choose from) and replaced it with “free” or a variation. The submission deadline is a week from now, so I’ll get my three entries in soon, and winners will be announced December 26th. I have yet to place in the competition, but my stories still manage to appear as honorable mentions. We’ll see how this year goes.
And now on to the Story of the Week. This week’s highly unusual prompt (“slam dunk Albatross”) is apparently a golf term. Who knew? Thank you, N. S. Krow, for serving that one up for me.
 |
This Thanksgiving Guest Made a Big Hit
Bobby “Four-Banger” was the family’s hit man, but with his notorious temper and his kills “just because,” he wasn’t fun to be around.
He often bragged about his exploits like he was on his own reality show—something the family didn’t like. They didn’t need the heat.
One Thanksgiving, Bobby tried impressing Vic—a newcomer—about his last kill.
“Why they call you ‘Four-Banger?” Vic asked.
“Cuz’ my signature move is two in the head, two in the heart.”
Vic nodded. Pumped a single slug into Bobby’s temple, dropping him.
“They call me ‘The Golfer.’” Vic said, smirking. “Hole in one.”
Prompt: Slam dunk Albatross
| Please click here for valuable prizes. Not really, but I’d love it if you rate the story for me! |
Novel News & Notes:
Since my goal is to complete my second draft by the end of November, it’s pretty much crunch time with only nine days to go. Why didn’t I pick a month with 31 days? Oh yeah—because I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month again (NaNoWriMo) which is held each November. Here’s a quick look at my progress thus far.
 |
Next week I’ll let you know where I am in terms of how close I am to finishing the next draft based on my outline.
Finally, I’ll be making an appearance on Sunday, December 8th from 12:30-2 p.m. at River House Books in Carmel. I’m teaming up with two other writers (#NickiEhrlich and #EvanPellervo) to talk about our short story books. If you can stop by and say hi, that’d be swell.
Until next time…
Thanks for listening.
Scotty out