Well the semester has already started at the church small group called “What’s your story?” I already missed two sessions, so I arrived late to the party.
Today we did come catch up for myself and Kane Cooper, who shared an absolutely knock out poem about finding Jesus.
After that, the coffee was ready and we began to tell each other why we write, I felt like I fit in here as I listened to everyone talk about how they have a story to tell and no time to write it.
We are aiming to do exploratory fiction short stories and work shop them.
Since I just graduated college and Mr. Tuck left such a great impression on me I almost felt like he was in today’s meeting, and I was his voice.
I brought with me the book that we used in class called Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern and I shared my favorite lesson in it called the ” Bear at the door.”
Shortly after the reading, heads were nodding in agreement to use the book as a guide to explore the frameworks of short stories.
We decided to start as all good books start chapter 1, I read the Short chapter on the framework called the “Facade.”
Tell an anecdote in the voice of a character who is NOT you.”
This is a pretty brain invoking challenge because of this next part.
BUT, as the character tells his or her story have him or her unknowingly undercut or discredit his or her explanation.
As with all good things, they end, and we decided to return in two weeks and share what we came up with.
The energy was high in everyone as we left smiling at our own thoughts.
I personally went to grab lunch, and sat at shoney’s till five pm writing four pages of a everyday thing that just happens and I never looked at it from another person’s voice.
I will post it after we all share ours, as to not let out a spoiler for the next session:)
Happy Writing for Christ.
Want to join us? Every other Saturday at 1 pm to 2pm at Grace House Church in Florence Alabama.
We had to skip a week due to Christ being busy in the operating room of some of our loved ones.
This is the short I wrote for class after revision 1 from hand written to typed
Chapter 1 Making Shapely Fiction – Jerome Stern
by Jeremiah Stillings
4-27-2019
Tell an anecdote in the voice of a character who is NOT you, but as the character tells his or her story have him or her unknowingly undercut or discredit his or her explanation.
“Come on, really!” Pat screamed at her car. Jeff was asleep and woke quickly, sitting up inhaling what could be his last breath.
“Damn it, Pam, when you scream like that, waking me up, I think we are in trouble!”
Still yelling, “ We are!” “What now?” was what Pam heard as she looked to the right to see Jeff rubbing his eyes, he had only been asleep a few minutes and clearly needed more.
More calm she lowered her voice and pressed the gas, “It will not accelerate.” “I can’t see the dash, Pam, your Cheezit bag is in the way” “Was he as annoyed as he sounded?” Pam answered her brain “Yes.”
Moving it revealed to the passenger the spider tingle of “Danger Will Robinson” 1/8 inch from H! 75 MPH and going down. She saw his head drop as Jeff replied calm and coolly “OK, pull over.”
Pam nodded and looked for an exit and pulled into the first parking lot the ramp yielded way too. The sun was already setting and the world was wrapped dusk and steam, wait, was that coming from the car? The shifter found park, and tears percolated to the surface as she looked over at Jeff and asked “Now what?”
Jeff got out and yelled back “Pop the hood.” The steam let out like a dragon breathing fire that was hit with wet leaves choking Jeff to the point of surrendering the first view of the problem to escape to safety of fresh air.
Horrified, Pam’s eyes saw the man who came to rescue her back up, “Oh Lord, I just left Tennessee for a new life and you give me this on the way. Why Lord!” Eyes closing, the one way conversation continued, “What did I do to deserve this! He got everything and I got a broken car and an empty bank account.” The tears were done percolating and they flowed freely as Jeff walked back to the driver’s door. “Pam, I am a master craftsman of HVAC and Electric but not in Auto Mechanics, I do however know that you can not pop the top till it is cool.”
They sat there till the engine temp was cool in “Silence.”
“I don’t think Jeff was ready for this, he s just trying to help me and then this. He likes me but not enough to buy me a car or parts. Hell, I have not even told the kids who chose their dad about him yet.” “Breath, I can hear him breathing. Is he mad? I left everything, I have nothing. I have to hang onto him. Lord WHY… what is he thinking?
Still sleepy, “I wonder if we have any distilled water? Why didn’t she see the temp gauge, she is not a dumb woman, clearly not her fault. I wonder what she is thinking”
Glancing over to see the temp gauge, Pam heard Jeff’s voice flat and matter of factually say “ I am going to look for some water bottles in the luggage.”
“I have to help! He is going to think I am helpless!” Twisting the radiator cap, her engineering mind kicked in to late. The closed thermostat and pressure from the timing chain driven water pump at 16 PSI shot the 195 degree antifreeze and water mixture straight up into a class 2 burn on her hand and arm.
By the time Jeff heard the scream, he was too late, and the water he found was used to cool the burn instead of go forward.