I copied and pasted this from a blog I used to have. Please nobody Google-stalk me (though my identity is pretty well hidden on the blog too)
Novels are the sexy blond surrounded by admirers in the center of the room. Short stories are the interesting girl sitting in the corner by herself, the one you could talk to all night.
And do, providing you notice her.
My five favorite short stories:
The Lottery. Shirley Jackson. My sister read this in school and got home and pushed it in my face and said "read this." Savage. I think this is the first story I spent a lot of time thinking about. Made me realize writing was a craft, that a story was something somebody actually made, as opposed to something that just magically appeared in the pages of a book.
Silver Water. Amy Bloom. I've read it four or five times, and it makes me cry every time. Put the phrase "warrior queen" in my head forevermore, meant to describe a very specific kind of woman. Oddly, I've never read anther thing by her.
Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong. Tim O'Brien. A bit of a cheat since it's more a chapter from a novel than a story. Walks a razor between realism and myth. From The Things They Carried (which is on my five favorite novels list).
Where I'm Calling From. Raymond Carver. His brand of minimalism is responsible for a LOT of bad writing (some of it by me), since he was so widely imitated there for awhile. His voice is so specific. The details are so clear.
Werewolves In Their Youth. Michael Chabon. He'll write a great novel someday, though hasn't yet (Kavaleir and Klay was close). He's written a bunch of great short stories. This is one of them.
Someone less lazy than I should compile all these short story suggestions into a list, or a thread. Sounds like a job for Hannah K. Flick!
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Verbal
Over 90 days ago
Straight Male
0 miles · Colorado
Forum
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by RumpleForeskin
It's the earliest opening date in MLB (major league baseball) history -- a factoid of interest to none but the baseball fanatics among us.
Like me! In 24 hours and 30 minutes Noah Syndergaard takes the mound against the Redbirds. Cannot frikkin wait. Though most of those in the know think the hapless Mets will finish 3rd or 4th. You gotta believe!
Religious zealots rang my doorbell at 7 a.m. Normally I would be awake, but the kids have Spring break, so I was sleeping in. Bastards. That is NOT gonna get me to convert to your religion. Grrr.
Köffee please.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by sprite
and c) Layla hired me to keep an eye on you. she said, and i quote: if you ever catch him flirting in a gym, you have my permission to give him a beat down. sorry, but i take my assignments seriously.
It's so cute when girls pretend they are tough. Bring it, kitty ears.
Afterward, perhaps you guys can compare kitty ear wearing tips.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
The bad rep is because in real life people's lives have been shattered and ruined by . This isn't real life, this is fiction, and fantasy, and you could make an argument that fantasy fiction is a way to admit and indulge those urges so no one gets hurt. I'm not judging. But in real life it is terribly destructive (and there I AM judging).
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by spacecat
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
Catching up on some recent conversations in here, and I want to say hi to all the kaiju fans in here. I'm with you guys! I loved the first Pacific Rim, and I'm stoked to see this second one, which should be happening at some point this week.
And with the short story discussion, I have to throw in one of my favorites. I fell in love with Tobias Wolff's Bullet in the Brain in college. I go back to that one often when I'm feeling in a slump. There's even a short film of it that I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it if you've never read it.
I read that when it was in the New Yorker! Awesome story! Another great one of his is Firelight.
I fear I am dominating this discussing and so will shut the fuck up after one more recommendation: Werewolves in Their Youth, by Michael Chabon. Totally not about werewolves.
EDIT: Just saw your post sneak in above mine, Tonya! Congrats! Too cool! It is so exciting to see one of your kids passionate about something and pursuing it!
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Morning all. Good luck to those who entered the comp! Or who have to judge it!
Anyone else have any opinions on Hemingway or the list of names Bill and Curvy threw down? When I was in college Hemingway was VERY uncool, and he was always taught with a slight disdainful sneer. So of course that made me love him even more.
I've said this before but if you are studying writing to make yourself better, I'd go with Elmore Leonard, his earlier novels set in Detroit. They are fast and funny and SO well written. Also, Stephen King. Flannery O'Connner, who Bill mentioned. Two for Ping specifically: since you have such a fun, wild free-wheeling style, check out T C Boyle (Drop City is about a bunch of hippies who decide to move to Alaska and it's brilliantly funny) and Chuck Palahniuk (he wrote Fight Club).
Or you can sit on the couch and watch old Japanese kaiju movies. Always worked for me.
Anyway. Köffee, as always.
Anyone else have any opinions on Hemingway or the list of names Bill and Curvy threw down? When I was in college Hemingway was VERY uncool, and he was always taught with a slight disdainful sneer. So of course that made me love him even more.
I've said this before but if you are studying writing to make yourself better, I'd go with Elmore Leonard, his earlier novels set in Detroit. They are fast and funny and SO well written. Also, Stephen King. Flannery O'Connner, who Bill mentioned. Two for Ping specifically: since you have such a fun, wild free-wheeling style, check out T C Boyle (Drop City is about a bunch of hippies who decide to move to Alaska and it's brilliantly funny) and Chuck Palahniuk (he wrote Fight Club).
Or you can sit on the couch and watch old Japanese kaiju movies. Always worked for me.
Anyway. Köffee, as always.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by Ping
Below is a link to a PDF collection of EH's short stories.
Read Indian Camp and A Day's Wait. Both are about 1000 words each. Then, tell me/us what you think.
https://theteacherscrate.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/the-complete-short-stories-of-ernest-hemingway-ernest-hemingway.pdf
Thank you so much!!!
I read these two and really liked them. Both about kids grappling with the idea of death, in very different ways. The twist in that first one is quite a shock (ans a heart-breakingly good last line). I like them because he doesn't tell us much about what the characters are thinking, just what they do and say. He lets us figure it out. I don't know about any overriding themes or anything (other than men are a bit thick, and a bit fucked up by their masculinity), but I like that we get to know a little bit about the characters.
Did you find them unsatisfying? I can see that, they end kind of abruptly, leaving you with a "what just happened?" sorta feeling (remind you of anyone?).
I LOVE Old Man and the Sea, and have read it a few times. I used to call it my fave book ever, until I read The Grapes of Wrath (which IS my fave book ever). At the time, his critics were saying he was washed up, that his great days as a writer were behind him, and he was a parody of himself (probably some truth in all of that). But Old Man was like a giant Fuck You! to the literary world, a tiny masterpiece of a book that is taut and scary and deeply moving.
I like books that are Fuck You's to the literary world.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by browncoffee
I am so shipping Verbal and Ping's bromance. It's a good job I'm not male or I'd be jealous and demand on being given magnificent bastard status lol. Btw what exactly is in a Furball? I'll have one anyway. I don't even remember what's in a Hannah.
A Fûrball is three fingers of whatever your heart desires, plus lots of bitters. The bitterness is key. It should taste like dissolution and betrayal. It was invented by sprite, who I believe was feeling bitter about my accidentally scoring her story a 4.
My bromance with Ping is quite kaiju-specific. We may order suits online and fight in a scale model Japanese city.
Köffee please!
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by Jen
Went to see 'Pacific Rim Job - Erection' earlier. Fairly sure that was its name... I think I actually enjoyed this one better than the first, which is to say I gave it 2/10 as opposed to the 1/10 the first one got. Utterly ridiculous twaddle.
Hope everyone is well
What? WHAT!?
I have seen the first Pacific Rim THREE TIMES! The first time in the theater with my kids, the second two times by myself because no one will watch it with me, not even Layla (my youngest said, "is that the movie with all the stupid robots in it?" before declining). It shares my bizarrely deep love of stupid Japanese monster movies, and gets the tone pitch perfect.
From what I read, the second one is not nearly as good as the first one, and because, duh, del Toro is not directing it. IT IS STILL GONNA ROCK.
Today is the day we are canceling the sequel to the apocalypse!
Ping, I feel your pain, you magnificent bastard.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Happy Sunday, all. Looks like I missed quite a party last night.
Fuzzy, I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Jeff. Thanks for bringing some Jameson's into the joint.
Anyway, I have a question for the crowd. If you were reading a story here, and you came to a monologue that was a full page long, like 500 words, and there is clearly gonna be no sex in it...be honest, would you read it or would you skip it?
If it matters it's someone describing a car accident.
I'll have a rööt beer.
Fuzzy, I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Jeff. Thanks for bringing some Jameson's into the joint.
Anyway, I have a question for the crowd. If you were reading a story here, and you came to a monologue that was a full page long, like 500 words, and there is clearly gonna be no sex in it...be honest, would you read it or would you skip it?
If it matters it's someone describing a car accident.
I'll have a rööt beer.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by anneread
Shitty wine please
There's also shitty beer, shitty booze and NyQuil! Welcome.
Tonya, I keep hearing about this mythical "me time" thing too. I think it's about as real as Santa Claus. I'll let you know if I ever find any, I'll split it with you.
Curvy, mandatory dancing sounds like a fine idea! You can be in charge of enforcement. Enforce me! Enforce me!
Sorry about the missing sleep/badges, Larry.
Saturday chores are done. Trying to sneak in some writing time before movie time with my youngest.
Köffee please, whoever is tending bar (there are suddenly a lot of barkeeps at this place!).
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by Green_Man
I did find out that writing is too hard when I try to do it offline. I need my familiar writing spots on red and blue.
I'll have one last java now, Bill, before moving on to something else.
You write in the Lush/SS text editor? Can you save your changes on unfinished stuff? I've always wanted to be able to do that on rewrites - save changes in draft mode, without submitting.
My current story, during the outage, has turned into a trilogy I think. Gonna take awhile to write.
I was worried that like in the story Nightfall (thanks Scott, for the story name) everyone on Lush would be driven mad by the blackout and Lush would have to start fresh, with all current members driven hopelessly insane.
I'll take a Fûrball. With extra fur.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
My SO does not wear a lot of make-up, and what she does wear she applies expertly. I love the sight of her face freshly scrubbed, so her make-up isn't a big deal.
I once asked her to wear too much make-up, as part of roleplay, thinking it would be hot, but it didn't do that much for me. The sight of her face is the thing I cherish.
I once asked her to wear too much make-up, as part of roleplay, thinking it would be hot, but it didn't do that much for me. The sight of her face is the thing I cherish.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
There is a sci-fi short story (too lazy to google the title) about a planet where every 20,000 years the world goes black, everyone goes mad, and civilization destroys itself. I wonder if that's gonna happen come L-Day? 15 minutes away....
There was a really good sci-fi movie loosely based on it called Pitch Black, starring a somewhat unknown Vin Deisel.
There was a really good sci-fi movie loosely based on it called Pitch Black, starring a somewhat unknown Vin Deisel.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
I would like to see the world in 50 years. I don't have high hopes for the future of the US these days. I'd like to see how it plays out.
As for the past, it'd be pretty cool to see the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs (assuming that's how they died). As long as I didn't die myself!
As for the past, it'd be pretty cool to see the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs (assuming that's how they died). As long as I didn't die myself!
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by Ping
This new math of which you speak is unfamiliar to me.
Sorry Verbs, it's just a matter of time before he comes for you. Next: Adjectives and Adverbs. Watch your 'back' end punctuation!
Oh, he's gotten me (correctly) on using the word "cock" like 5 times in a sentence, and writing a whole page of dialogue with no "said" or any other identifiers or any way to tell who is even talking, and staying so far away from description you don't even know where the couple is!
He's been right every time.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Morning all.
Sorry for the bad night, Tonya. I think I have turned the corner on my own weird and worrisome week. So hears to progress (or at least acceptance).
Ping, Bill's 4s are usually well-deserved, and a 4 from Bill is like a 6 from anyone else.
My new story opens with a panic attack (don't worry, the attack is followed by dialogue, followed by hot sex) which I thought would be a dramatic opening and easy to write, but it is proving to be a difficult chore. I've been Googling symptoms and descriptions for a week now.
Köffee please. And a Furbâll chaser.
See y'all on the other side of The Void, when Lush resumes operations. I hope Prettywild retains her sanity (or what is left of it).
Sorry for the bad night, Tonya. I think I have turned the corner on my own weird and worrisome week. So hears to progress (or at least acceptance).
Ping, Bill's 4s are usually well-deserved, and a 4 from Bill is like a 6 from anyone else.
My new story opens with a panic attack (don't worry, the attack is followed by dialogue, followed by hot sex) which I thought would be a dramatic opening and easy to write, but it is proving to be a difficult chore. I've been Googling symptoms and descriptions for a week now.
Köffee please. And a Furbâll chaser.
See y'all on the other side of The Void, when Lush resumes operations. I hope Prettywild retains her sanity (or what is left of it).
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by spacecat
I love horror movies, and I was working my way through a recommended horror movie list for Netflix last year. I made it to The Host and went in with really high expectations due to ratings and reviews. I... still can't say whether or not I liked it, but I can say it's definitely weird. It wasn't what I expected at all, and I don't know if I think of that as a complaint or compliment.
I probably should give it another watch at some point to better develop an opinion on it other than "Damn, that was weird."
I know of two "The Host" movies - one is a bad YA move about aliens called "souls" taking over people's bodies, and the other is an awesome Korean monster movie about a giant catfish monster that kidnaps a little girl. They're both weird, and I'd only recommend the second one - very Japanese kaiju feel to it.
I gotta go with WMM as Zardoz being the weirdest movie I've ever seen. Had no idea what was going on.
I like David Lynch movies, but I don't take them too seriously. I think he mostly just likes to fuck with people. I think Eraserhead has got some really funny moments. "We've got chicken tonight. Strangest damn things. They're man-made. Little damn things, smaller than my fist - but they're new!"
EDIT: You put up the poster! I LOVE THAT MOVIE!
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
Quote by seeker4
My poem's got 34 votes to date. Most of my stories that have been up for years don't have that many. In a comp, I usually manage to break the magic 10 but only by a few, maybe 14-18 range (just going on memory). My fantasy piece from the last comp is only at 16 and that's with some more votes coming in since the comp ended. Is that why my comp record is kind of meh (1 top 10 in 5 years)? Who the hell knows? Maybe I'm just not the kind of writer who tends to win comps.
Afternoon pint, please.
Oh, I hear ya, I rarely break 20 votes (my last two are at 18 and 14). I just thought a comp winner would garner more than 36. But it is an unpopular category.
That sounds like bitching and it's not, honest. Maybe Bill put too many bitters in that Furball. Better switch back to köffee.
Gravelly-Voiced Fucker
It's been a rough week. Start me off with a Furbäll.
Remember, lots of bitters is the key.
Interesting tidbit on the Forums in the "disappearing votes" thread, that in competitions the number of votes is often used to create a shortlist. I never figured the number of votes would matter as long as it's over 10. My last entry only has 36 votes right now, and it won. Might be because it's an unpopular category. Still, a little worrisome, as I very rarely get a high number of votes.
Cheers, all.
Remember, lots of bitters is the key.
Interesting tidbit on the Forums in the "disappearing votes" thread, that in competitions the number of votes is often used to create a shortlist. I never figured the number of votes would matter as long as it's over 10. My last entry only has 36 votes right now, and it won. Might be because it's an unpopular category. Still, a little worrisome, as I very rarely get a high number of votes.
Cheers, all.