Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

I have been so bad about writing on here! Too much fun this summer? ;-)

I feel like my summer is slipping away, and I have barely reached the writing goals I had set up for myself. I do have a tendency to overshoot, though. So, I am trying really hard to just enjoy what I can get done in the next few short weeks before I go back to work.

I do have one completed short story that I wrote a some weeks ago. I have had people read it, and tweaked it. I still like it, even after letting it simmer for a while. It's loosely based on real life, as in the characters and the t-shirt that inspired its title. Working on it made me decide to revisit the first short story that I had written in a long time. I did it back in December. People liked it back then, but betas did have a few suggestions for it.

It is very highly based on a true story. One friend who read it said that she felt like she now knew the backstory behind the real story and loved it. Other people also had kind words about it, but I just don't like it as much now. I feel like I was recording a story, kind of like a diary or journal entry would be. So, now I want to rework it to make it more like a piece of fiction, which was its original intent.

I think my favorite comment that popped up from a couple of readers was how certain actions, pieces of dialogue, or other tidbits in the story couldn't possibly be true. They just didn't seem realistic. The funny thing is, a lot of the dialogue was verbatim from the situation. All of the actions happened. The people are all real. I just changed names and identifying details to protect the so-called innocent. And it made me think of that old line about how truth is stranger than fiction.

So, my new quest with this piece is to rewrite it. I am probably going to do it by hand, in a notebook, as I read off of the computer screen. I would rather print it off and decimate it that way, but I don't have access to a printer right now. I also love the feeling of connecting with the story as my hand touches the pen which touches the paper. Perhaps I will be able to make my fiction a bit more believable by the time I am finished with it.

Fawning all over myself

Yes, today I have been fawning all over myself. I needed to get out of the house, so I drove aimlessly looking for a new place for breakfast. After getting my nourishment, I continued to just wander around the suburbs, until I came across the Helmer Nature Center. I have been near it many times, but usually only when dropping off children at games or picking them up. Today was really cloudy, again, with the threat of rain later. No one else was there. I decided to check out the trails before the rain came.

I went around a bend and gasped. Just off the trail was a little fawn, nibbling away at a berry bush.

 

It turned to look at me, trying to decide if I was friend or foe. I quietly tried taking its picture and stood still until it decided to continue snacking. I decided to inch a little closer. Before I knew it, a second one had joined it!

 

I got very excited. The second one seemed even more wary of me. I continued to inch closer.

This was the closest that I got to them. Can you see the one under the bush? We stood there staring at each other for another moment, and then they took off across the fields. I was actually a little teary after the encounter.

Alas, soon after I saw the fawns, thunder started crashing, because a storm was blowing in. I made my way back to my car and eventually got home. I did some research about the meaning of fawns and what it means to encounter them in the wild. In a nutshell, they are supposed to indicate a new adventure starting in your life, thanks to the gentleness, love, and compassion that they represent and that you have in you. Again, I got a little teary.

I also got tremendously inspired. As of this posting, I have written one post for BubbleWS and one article for Examiner. I have a couple more in mind. 

I also wrote a children's story about the experience and started a nonfiction story for kids about fawns. I am working on a couple of other inspirational pieces that could make their way into book form some day, as well.

So, yeah, I am fawning all over myself, thanks to these beautiful creatures. 

What was your most recent inspiration? 

Thank you, Black Keys!

I have been so bad about keeping up with this blog to stay accountable! Here is a quick summary:

I got sick and far behind during the A to Z Challenge. I just couldn't do it this year. So, look out 2014! I will be better prepared next year!

I did finally complete an entire short story, that I submitted to an anthology whose theme was "Love Gone Wrong". I wrote the whole thing on Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, they didn't receive enough submissions, so it didn't get published. However, people who read it liked it. I've started working on a couple of related stories to go with it, to make my own collection. The second story for that collection is almost complete. I am in the middle and know how I want it to end. I just have to connect the dots to get there.

The other night, I went to my friend's house for dinner and movies. The back of his t-shirt read, "Rub Me, I'm Irish." It's for a spice rub company, but it got the wheels spinning. For the past two days, I wrote a short, steamy story based on that phrase.

Most of it was written sitting outside at my new outdoor writing office space. I can look at my beautiful flowers, breathe in the scent of lavender, and have enough space to eat and drink.

Sometimes, I even bring out the laptop. I have this thing about starting out by hand, though.

Anyway, today it was pouring rain all day. I couldn't work outside. I sat here listening to Pearl Jam and Black Keys concerts, in preparation for the ones I will be attending over the next few weeks. Once I got to the Black Keys, the writing bug bit me again. (Every time I listen to the Black Keys, my fingers fly over the keyboard.) I actually finished the steamy story, by hand! I went to my friend's house again this evening. When I came home, I turned on the Black Keys again and typed it up. I only changed a couple of words and phrases, so it is still quite rough. I am also not wearing my contacts, so who knows how many typos are in it and this post?

It has been sent to five people to read. Two are good friends who are also writers. The other three are good friends who are as voracious in their reading habits as I am.

And now, I must try to sleep as I await feedback over the next couple of days. I shall keep you posted!