dannedmind

FREE STORY: THE BURNER

Dear Potential Reader,

Spider Hanson’s good sense would tell him it’s a good thing that people are finally doing what he wants them to do, only the way he communicates isn’t doing him any favors in this month’s free-to-read tales of the Hatchback Woman: THE BURNER.

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Spider turns up a few times in other short stories, something about that name caught me early on and he became an important piece to the puzzle. This is his introduction to the Hatchback Woman, and it’s one of those ones that I hope makes you wonder whose side she’s on.

Now, do as I say and return every First Friday of Every Month in 2023 for another mysterious tale of the Hatchback Woman.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: 4 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR CHARACTER’S WORLD OUTSIDE YOUR PLOT

A character always feels more real, no matter how much time they show up in a story, if there’s something else going on in their life.

We see this sometimes in cop shows when a character is being questioned and they can’t stop working or they dismiss the police to get back to work. That’s a silly stupid trope. All it does is tell us you’ve seen a formulaic cop show before.

But the point of giving your characters a life outside of the story is that is further develops them in the reader’s mind. It’s SHOWING instead of TELLING.

Here’s a 4 of ways to create your character’s life outside your story without having to pause the plot:

URGENCY – Like the suspect that just has to get back to work, giving your character somewhere to be other than where they are, creates a sense that there is more to their story. It can tell a lot about a character if they’re about to miss their orthodontics procedure. Are they vain or do they have a serious health issue? Follow up with another clue to direct your reader as to which it is. Maybe he keeps touching his jaw.

FASCINATION – People get hung up on things, like not tipping properly at a restaurant, or maybe they love the L.A. Dodgers beyond reason. Grammar police? A character that interjects their fascination into whatever is going on helps define the character, it can be used to reinforce cliches or reject them.

SCARS – Like a fascination, scars are things that are likely to give pause to your character. If they’ve been burned by love, they’re going to hesitate jumping in with the next person they meet. ‘Scars’ don’t have to be but can be physical. They can hint at adventures of old or of lessons learned. A character with a bad elbow from baseball, might mean a failed dream career has forced him into this other lifestyle. Giving your character a past without a flashback is a great way to keep the plot moving.

RUMORS – What other people say about your character says a lot about them. An off-handed comment can end up meaning the world. “She prefers wine.” That line is placed in the reader’s head and if she parties too hard or shows signs of regrets (scars) perhaps she has a problem. If She is only fascinated with the finer things, it might lean her toward upscale living. But you’ll need to place more clues throughout the story to further the rumor in the direction you want the reader to go.

Want more tips on Writing? There will be a new one every last Wednesday of Every Month.

FREE STORY: THE BIRTHDAY

Dear Potential Reader,

In this month’s free-to-read short story, a man’s chance encounter with the Hatchback Woman at a gas station opens his eyes to his marital problems in THE BIRTHDAY . . .

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One of the things about people watching is how clues lead us to create narratives surrounding their situation. Most people we see are probably not up to anything as strange as The Lady, but we all have our own stories, we’re all in the midst of something whether it’s dire or not. We’re not blank slates that appear for the sake of an NPC (Non Player Character) in a video game. It’s how these stories cross that can be interesting. Are we meeting people at the beginning of a chapter, the middle, or the end? And most importantly—what exactly is going on in their heads that we don’t get to hear?

Tune in every first Friday of every month in 2023 for a Tale of the Hatchback Woman.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: TRY THE RED PEN

This one actually comes from my brother. His was a solution to art. When he couldn’t digitally paint, he’d switch to pencil. If that didn’t work, he’d switch the paper from white to a yellow legal pad, he’d switch to painting or markers, or . . . a red pen.

When we’re blocked creatively, it helps to switch up how we’re trying to create.

If you can’t type on your laptop, try handwriting your story. Try different inks, or on your computer try different fonts. Change something.

A lot of writing is the art of tricking your mind to do it after it says it can’t.

Want more writing tips, tune in every LAST WEDNESDAY of every month . . .

FREE SHORT STORY: THE PLUCK

Dear Potential Reader,

Let me present THE PLUCK, a tale of the Hatchback Woman and a young male whose ability to manipulate things around him is out of hand (literally).

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Immaturity is what drives a lot of stories, as it does here. As kids, teens, we often imagine the ability to be invisible. Most males share the same couple of things they’d do first with such a power. As morality develops (or not) or as we age, we can look back and understand the inappropriateness of these actions. As people we have to constantly grow and learn empathy. Even in my 40’s now, I’m still finding new ways to empathize and realizing past viewpoints that were narrow and wrong. This story is a snapshot of such an immature approach to a great power. It is horror what a small mind can and will do if given the ability to. For that, I am quite thankful that certain powers are not bestowed upon us at such a young age, because some sins don’t just wash away and some pasts we have to run from our entire life.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE