Six Word Stories

In my grand scheme to drop my truck at the shop at 8 a.m. one morning and walk to Icicle Sport to pick up a new rim for my son’s bike, his had the misfortune of being “bike racked” at school, I neglected to realize Icicle didn’t open until 10. 

Thankfully, Midnight Sun Coffee Roaster, which operates out of the back of the bike shop, was open at 8:30. so, I wandered in, bought a muffin, ordered a coffee and sat down on the bar counter to peruse the supply of reading materials in their little shelf. 

For anyone who's never been to Midnight Sun, the books available are very eclectic ranging from short stories, short novels, stuff about coffee, recipe books, etc. and all have interesting titles. This morning, wanting something light my eye happened upon “Six Word Memoirs.”

The idea of a six word story intrigued me. Having attempted my had at writing a 30 word story in December I was curious as to how a story could be told in 6 words.  

In the hour and a half it took for the bike shop to slowly awaken, I read most of the book. Some of the stories were ingenious and heart wrenching and many reminded me of Haiku's. They all started with one idea and ended with a slight twist or unexpected change in direction. 

As I headed off with my new rim to check bus schedules, I contemplated how I might later tell my morning experiences in a 6 word memoir. 

Drove downtown, got rim, rode home. 

Went to bike shop for coffee.

Coffee in hand, I drank stories.

If you were to tell a story in 6 words I wonder what it would be....

Making Writing Time

As most writers will tell you, being a writer is more about rewriting than writing and I find that the rewriting often takes exponentially longer than the initial writing of the first draft.

In December I spent some 20 hours working on a 2500 word story which I submitted to Free Fall Magazine's annual prose contest. Since submitting it I have, of course, found there is still a minor plot hole. At which point one can only throw up ones hands and say, "Oh well, it's off already," and begin to think about how you're going to fix that little problem for next time.

So how does one make the time to get the massive amount of drafts done having something ready to send out and when do you decide that enough is enough and it's ready to send out?

Workspace, dedication, and a sheer love of what you do. I find it hard to write when there are dishes, laundry and a myriad of other things calling me... and with three kids the household chores, dishes, laundry are never ending (even though they help with it), not to forget those extracurricular activities they all want to take part in. So, I try and keep my workspace somewhat uncluttered and what I refer to as my studio is off limits for the kids to bring stuff into.

Scheduling writing time is also important... for those who have trouble making time for stuff. I also multitask. If I have to take one of the kids somewhere and wait, I take a notebook and draw or write. I'm lucky in some ways... writing is as much a part of my soul as breathing so it something I'm constantly engaged in whenever there is a spare minute during the day either in physically putting words down or working out some difficulty in phrasing or plot as I walk the dog.

The other thing I do is go to Cafe's to write. It gives me the opportunity to observe people, be social if I choose (or at least feel social) and percolates my imagination... I wonder why that person is....