Category: Hatchback Woman

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

FREE SHORT STORY: THE BAG

Dear Potential Reader,

Is this the first appearance of The Hatchback Woman, aka The Lady? No. But THE BAG, this month’s free-to-read short story, has been the 1st story in all the publications, introducing the readers to Alan Tuel and his first chance meeting with the woman who has something for everyone.

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As with last month, 2023 will present a monthly run of tales of the Hatchback Woman. These have been made available in several collections, and one day will see print along with the other 40 or so tales that currently exist. She’s one of my favorite characters to tap into her world and mythology. Look for how she came to be part of the JIREverse in an upcoming BEHIND THE SCENES post. Or click here, to read about how her stories were originally formulated.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

FREE SHORT STORY: THE WRAP

Dear Potential Reader,

It’s a new year, and if you’re like most people, you held off until the 1st . . .or maybe the 2nd to start your newest exercise routine or other ‘better habits.’ It’s neat that we can trick ourselves into doing something we don’t want to because it’s the start of a new year or a new month. Well, this tale is just a slight reminder of the obstacles in the way of better habits.

Join me, on another tale of the Hatchback Woman as she gifts a homeless man with a meal or two . . . or three, in a story called, THE WRAP.

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When I write the Hatchback Woman stories, one thing that surrounds any idea is to make sure it’s different than the one before. Oddly, this story actually started out as a revision on an original tale of the Lady from the initial 9 stories I wrote, but was never published (though the character turned up elsewhere). I revisited the entry point of this tale (at a traffic light) hoping to go somewhere else with the tale, and it does. One might even say there’s two tales for the price of one in THE WRAP, and maybe there’s more to be told.

While you are thinking about a new and better you for the new and (hopefully) better year, I hope you will enjoy the following tale . . .

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: FORMULAS ARE YOU FRIEND: HATCHBACK WOMAN EDITION

I practice writing. A lot.

I write throwaway stories. I write stories with goals to practice things like dialogue or action or group conversations.

The tales of THE HATCHBACK WOMAN began only as an exercise. I set a goal to write 10 short stories using a formula. Each story had to fulfill the formula in different ways.

The original formula to any HATCHBACK WOMAN tale was:

  1. Character receives an item from the HATCHBACK WOMAN.
  2. The item has a magical power.
  3. The use of the item changes the character’s life.

Pretty simple, but not when you have to come up with ten stories (or the ongoing case of HATCHBACK WOMAN, where I’m over 30 tales as of this writing).

For #1 I came up with: theft, found, given, left in new character’s possession, rewarded, demanded, offered a choice, given by a person other than the HATCHBACK WOMAN and a few variations, like dug up after witnessing her bury something.

For #2, I tried to think of different superpowers. Whatever I could think of, from invisibility to fire power and control over time.

For #3, I tried to vary how the item affected the character. Did it make their life better or worse? The character ended up deciding this each time. And it’s what I ended up loving about writing the HATCHBACK WOMAN tales. It was hard to know if she was good or evil or if it was the character’s choice.

I’ve written a few HATCHBACK WOMAN tales that failed. But practice makes perfect, and sometimes, I just needed to change up who the character was that received the item or how they received it.

Setting formulas gives us a chance to change up what we’re brainstorming.

Instead of trying to come up with an original idea, we’re asking ‘how do we make this different than what others have read?’

Want other ideas on how you could write? I’ve got more, every LAST WEDNESDAY of EVERY MONTH.

FREE SHORT STORY: THE LIGHT

Dear Potential Reader,

Sure, it’s July. You probably have a cookout in your near future. A day the beach? A moment in the automobile where you realize you need a shower because you have absorbed all the chlorine in the pool?

But as you step between your air conditioned car through the blistering heat back into that perfectly central air cooled home, descend with me into the chillier moments of the year with my short story, THE LIGHT, about a man in a snowstorm and the things that can go wrong when things aren’t going right.

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The following tale was written during cold weather, nearly immediately after a snow storm cut a work day short and my car’s tires lost traction for just a second and I bumped a curb when I tried to stop for an ill timed red light. The rest of the drive home through the world of a snowpocalypse I began to exam how life could be worse. How every hill, curve, stop (necessary and unplanned) could spur the end of the life I realized I treasured. I drove cautiously, counting down the curves, hills, and stops I knew awaited me.

What you are about to read is another tale of the Lady or the Hatchback Woman. She’s that lady with a car full of random things that always end up in another person’s possession, and that possession is what changes their life.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE