FREE STORY: THE FIRE

Dear Potential Reader,

THE FIRE is just the warm story for a scorching hot August day . . . wait . . . did I get this wrong? Probably you would want something cooler to think about. But that’s not in the cards for this tale of the Hatchback Woman. So, get yourself a glass of ice water (or whatever cool beverage you prefer) and join us for the story of an Aunt who means well . . .

CLICK HERE TO READ

I’m actually not a fan of the smell of smoke and ash. I love sitting out by a fire. But the second I’m done and I come inside the last thing I want to smell is the smoke. Still, the flames themselves have always been captivating. Like watching a wild animal on the verge of breaking out of its cage. We can sit comfortably knowing the fire is contained, but the second it leaps out and begins to spread, then it is the worst kind of animal—because there is no reasoning with fire.

Remember kids, never play with matches, but check back every First Friday of the month for another tale of the Hatchback Woman.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG

I’ve seen a lot of advice that says to come up with your characters first and then the story.

I practice the opposite.

I tend to come up with a concept or even just a scene to incite the adventure. But whatever that initial concept is, that’s what I develop first. there’s usually a clear path to any concept.

Thieves Plan Heist–>Heist Goes Wrong–>Thieves turn against each other

Once I know what I plan to write about, I invent the characters. Starting with the types I’d need. Then I go back through my plot and envision how these characters will react. This changes the story, but not the idea behind it.

Now that I know some of the scenarios, like what they might be stealing, and who from. I’ll think what would make this plot more interesting, and it’s always the characters.

So what if it’s a mother and daughter team and the daughter has always thought her mother was so cool because they live the wildlife without rules. And the mother is someone filled with great rules and quotes about life, who wouldn’t believe she has it all figured out?

A mother and daughter team of thieves planned a heist–>it goes wrong because the daughter hates her potential stepfather–>The daughter turns against them because they cross a line, killing a guard.

Pretty soon, the characters have taken over the story, and that’s when I have the most fun writing.

Maybe it doesn’t even get to the killing of the guard. Once I know the characters and drop them into a situation, once I know those characters, they’ll veer left or right. They’ll demand I change my carefully plotted outline.

And that’s where I have a lot of fun, when the characters come to life.

I actually find it incredibly hard to start with the characters first, because then I’m trying to come up with things to throw at them to keep them interested and interesting.

It’s probably why I have such a hard time writing sequels. The characters are already there . . .

FREE STORY: THE PIN

Dear Potential Reader,

Do you ever plan to do something later? When you get the time? When your finances are finally in order? When you finally have a day off? In this month’s Tale of the Hatchback Woman, a young mechanic finds out what he’s been putting off in THE PIN.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Sometimes, I wish I could take my own advice. But we’re all creatures who secretly crave both the known and the routine. We’re conditioned to stay on a path because of some inherent fear of the unknown. How much do we hold our own selves back because it is simply easier not to rock the boat?

I won’t rock your boat too much, as with the past few months, check in every First Friday of every month for another Tale of the Hatchback Woman.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE

WRITING TIPS: WHY I LOVE THIRD PERSON LIMITED POINT OF VIEW

I used to write in first person, almost exclusively. It was very hard when I attempted my first novel to switch to third person perspective so that I could juggle all the different characters and scenes.

But then I got my first notes back from friends and family. I was too omniscient, jumping from one character’s head to the next depending on the line (not chapter).

Luckily, I was steered in the correct path, and a few drafts later, I realized the benefits of THIRD PERSON LIMITED.

By choosing one character to write about in the third person, the reader can get into their head, look out from their eyes, yet also be standing away from them to see what happens.

The writing becomes similar to a suspense film, where the camera might not show you what is lurking off screen or just left of the frame. Your character can be surprised. Someone can stand behind them, and they can tell you how that felt. They can present the characters around them as they see them.

Now, jumping from who your third person limited perspective belongs to from chapter to chapter won’t be too distracting to a reader, and is nice because the change in point-of-view can shed details on this or that character whose head we were just in. How does this person really feel about the other?

Either way, if you haven’t tried THIRD PERSON LIMITED, give it a shot. I think it balances third person omniscient and first person perfectly.

FREE SHORT STORY: THE AIR

Dear Potential Reader,

THE AIR is Another tale of the Hatchback Woman is set at a party hosted by a scout leader hoping to teach his scouts a very important lesson. But that couldn’t go as planned, not when one of the Lady’s gifts is present . . .

CLICK HERE TO READ

The following short story is one of the many Hatchback Woman stories where i tried to hide the formula and approach the ‘telling’ in a different way. In this case, I used a flashback, so the structure is B-A-C instead of the straightforward A-B-C of a normally told tale. Whether this enhances the story is always up for debate.

Hope you enjoy.

All the best,

DAN JIRE